Everton being linked with another Barca star
After a summer in which Everton signed three Barcelona players, the Blues are being linked this January with a move for another fringe player at the Camp Nou.
The Brazilian winger Malcom, who only joined the Catalan giants in the summer, is a rumoured target for Everton in this transfer window.
Marca the Spanish paper is claiming that the Toffees will consider a move for Malcom although he apparently wants to stay in Spain for the moment.
This move might make some sense as Everton have obviously established a good working relationship with Barcelona having signed Lucas Digne, Yerry Mina and Andre Gomes from the club. And of course Marco Silva has a strong affinity with Brazilian players.
Everton certainly need more creativity and goal threat from out wide with Theo Walcott and Bernard, (or Richarlison when he’s shifted back there), not having the desired impact at the moment, to put it mildly!
Malcom was a sought after player last summer with Roma being linked with a concrete move for him before Barcelona stepped in and snapped him up.
The 21-year-old has struggled to make an impact in a star-studded team and unsurprisingly he hasn’t nailed down a starting place with Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Coutinho and the like ahead of him.
He is though a highly regarded young talent who can play on the left, in the centre or on the right of the attack. He would be an unexpected addition were he to come to Goodison, but if the Blues can get him relatively cheaply or on loan it would probably be a worthwhile punt.
Having two Brazilians already at the club and Silva, might help persuade Malcom to come to Everton, even if it’s just on loan to start with.
His pace, versatility and goal threat could add to the Blues attacking potential and if he did join, then the Toffees might well field a single-name, all-Brazil attacking three with him, Richarlison and Bernard!
Seriously though that could also help with how quickly they develop a good understanding given they share the same nationality and language.
The Blues could then look at playing a more fluid three-man attack. This would allow for a much more interchangeable forward line with each of these players able to swap positions with each other and drop off to try to confuse and break down stubborn, well-organised defences. like Leicester City.
This is something I’ve argued several times should perhaps be the long-term solution to Everton’s attacking problems given how hard it is to find and sign a top quality centre-forward.
There is a trend towards playing these types of flexible forward lines, something Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea all do.
Everton don’t yet have attackers of the proven quality of Mohamed Salah, Raheem Sterling or Eden Hazard. But the investment in young talent like Richarlison and possibly players like Malcom or Eden’s brother Thorgen might reap good results later on, provided the club and fans, can be patient.
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But that’s a big if and as everyone knows its true that there are no guarantees these players will fulfil their potential.
Remember though that Salah was hardly a roaring success in England at first when he joined Chelsea, Sterling struggled to live up to expectations after his breakthrough at Anfield and even Eden Hazard took time to make the impact he has had too.
We don’t know if anything will come of this or if it’s just agent-fuelled rumours, but given recent transfer activity it does very much seem to be in line with the recent dealings of Silva and Marcel Brands.