Another new centre back linked with Everton
The rumour mill is gathering pace all the time as Everton continue to be linked with a number of new players, particularly in defence.
The latest story in today’s Mirror sees Everton going head to head with West Ham for young French centre-back and Under-21 captain Issa Diop.
This is the latest in a relentless set of rumours regarding central defenders moving to Everton.
First there were stories that the Blues were going for Newcastle’s Jamaal Lascelles, then it was Victor Lindeloff of Manchester United and just yesterday reports circulated that Everton were looking at Ben Gibson instead.
Now apparently the club’s attention has switched to Diop!
Diop certainly looks a fine defensive prospect. Last season he had a good campaign with Toulouse, averaging nearly two tackles per game and almost four clearances per match in 40 games.
In addition Diop is a fine passer of the ball with a pass success percentage of virtually 80%. This is important in the modern game, a central defender who is comfortable with the ball and will use it effectively.
As with all these rumours we need to wait for several more stories confirming a player is coming before we can feel at all confident about it happening.
One example of this process is James Maddison. The Mirror are also reporting again that Everton are closing in on the Norwich and England Under 21 star’s signature.
While of course nothing in the murky world of transfer rumours can ever be certain, it does look as if this story has some real legs to it. So it wouldn’t be at all surprising if Maddison is at Goodison Park next season.
Maddison is a very talented young playmaker and goal scorer and would seem to be a good addition to the Blues’ squad.
Finally the fixtures for next season have also been released today and Everton start their 2018-19 campaign away to Premier League newcomers Wolves.
The Blues have what would be regarded as a reasonable start to the season, on paper at least. After the trip to Molineux, Everton host Southampton before travelling to Bournemouth.
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The Toffees then have two home games back-to-back against Huddersfield Town and West Ham before a trip to bogey team Arsenal.
So in theory all those first five matches are winnable. If Everton could take say four wins and a draw from them it would be an excellent start to the season, which is crucial to a good campaign overall.
Other significant fixtures include the first derby of the season on the 1 December at Anfield, (although this one is of course subject to late change), and two big games just before Christmas with the Blues taking on Manchester City and then Tottenham.
Next: Blues linked with German left back
Let’s hope by then the Blues are riding high and enjoying a much better season than last year!