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Everton may move for Athletico right-back

By Matt Townsend

MADRID, SPAIN - APRIL 27: Santiago Arias (L) of Atletico de Madrid competes for the ball with Waldo Rubio (R) of Real Valladolid CF during the La Liga match between Club Atletico de Madrid and Real Valladolid CF at Wanda Metropolitano on April 27, 2019 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images)
MADRID, SPAIN - APRIL 27: Santiago Arias (L) of Atletico de Madrid competes for the ball with Waldo Rubio (R) of Real Valladolid CF during the La Liga match between Club Atletico de Madrid and Real Valladolid CF at Wanda Metropolitano on April 27, 2019 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images) /
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After letting Jon-jo Kenny leave for pastures new in Germany for a season-long loan, Everton could now make a move for Athletico Madrid right-back Santiago Arias.

According to reports in the Liverpool Echo, the club might be reviving interest in a player who Everton Director of Football Marcel Brands wanted to bring to Goodison Park last summer.

Brands took the Colombian star to PSV Eindhoven when he was heading up player recruitment at the Dutch club, so there is an obvious link there. He is another of those South American talents that Brands specialises in finding.

Given all the recent arrivals there is an increasing South American flavour to the Toffees team these days, giving the Blues side an increasingly international look.

Brands wanted to bring Arias to Everton last summer but in the end the right-back opted for a move back to Spain and signed for Athletico Madrid.

But that move doesn’t seem to have worked out all that well for him with the Colombian having been benched towards the end of the last campaign. And so given all that he might be interested in a transfer to the Premier League and also in being reunited with Brands.

Right-back is a position that the Blues do need to strengthen as although Seamus Coleman did finish the season strongly, he perhaps isn’t the player he was a few seasons ago.

We’ve previously mentioned this and the fact that if the Toffees are to progress the club needs to continue to improve all the positions in the team.

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Brands and Marco Sliva must keep adding a better calibre of player where there is room for improvement, as happened last term with Lucas Digne’s arrival for example.

Arias is a player with a number of strengths according to Whoscored.com. And he would seem to offer the sort of qualities both defensively and in attack that Everton would need, although he didn’t make a lot of assists last season, something he could improve on.

In other news it seems as though the protracted transfer of Andre Gomes is near to a conclusion with the player ready to sign permanently. The fee is around £25 million or so.

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