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More stories that Everton might sign another defender

By Matt Townsend

BERGAMO, ITALY - DECEMBER 17: Joaquin Correa of SS Lazio competes for the ball with Gianluca Mancini of Atalanta BC during the Serie A match between Atalanta BC and SS Lazio at Stadio Atleti Azzurri d'Italia on December 17, 2018 in Bergamo, Italy. (Photo by Marco Rosi/Getty Images)
BERGAMO, ITALY - DECEMBER 17: Joaquin Correa of SS Lazio competes for the ball with Gianluca Mancini of Atalanta BC during the Serie A match between Atalanta BC and SS Lazio at Stadio Atleti Azzurri d'Italia on December 17, 2018 in Bergamo, Italy. (Photo by Marco Rosi/Getty Images) /
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After another uninspiring performance in yesterday’s narrow FA Cup win over Lincoln City, Everton are apparently looking at signing another young defender.

The Sunday Mirror are claiming Everton are casting a close eye on the young Italian defender Gianluca Mancini.

The central defender has impressed so far this season and the paper says that the Toffees are one of several clubs thinking of making a bid for him.

Of course these stories are going to pop up all the time especially as player’s agents try to bump up any potential transfer fee, or secure a better deal in a new contract at their current club.

Signing another centre-back doesn’t seem like a priority for Everton at this time. The Blues have Michael Keane, Yerry Mina, Phil Jagielka, Mason Holgate plus Kurt Zouma on loan.

If the Toffees can sign Zouma permanently, (a big if), then there will probably be enough decent central defenders to compete for places in the team.

Keane, despite his mistake against Leicester, has been solid this season and Zouma is a strong, quick central defender who generally performs well.

I think that Mina has enough quality but maybe needs more time to get to grips with the Premier League and Holgate also has talent but he is still a young player who has struggled with his concentration and should improve.

And crucially I think that a stronger, more consistently performing midfield will help Everton defend better as a team.

If the Blues are looking at specific defensive reinforcements they should concentrate on right-back as a priority.

While Seamus Coleman and Jonjo Kenny have their qualities, neither has yet satisfied that they can provide the necessary consistent excellence long-term.

The most obvious candidate is the Crystal Palace right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka. The highly-rated 21-year-old is bound to be on several club’s radar come the summer.

He’s a very solid defender with abundant pace and is also developing into a fine attacker too. Despite his relative inexperience Wan-Bissaka also shows a fine level of maturity for his age.

But it’s very unlikely Palace will let him go for anything other than a huge fee, probably around £50 million or more. That would almost certainly price Everton out of buying him.

So are there any alternatives?

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One player who has the qualities Everton are looking for is Kenny Lala, who plays for Strasbourg in France’s Ligue 1.

The 27-year-old Frenchman is an excellent all-round defender who also contributes a great deal in attacking play as well. He’s made 6 assists already this season, which is an excellent return for a defender.

Here’s a player who could well be affordable and would provide Everton would the stability and balance on the right of the Blues defence alongside his outstanding fellow countryman Lucas Digne.

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