Everton deal for Zouma looks unlikely

New Chelsea boss Frank Lampard has expressed his desire to keep hold of Kurt Zouma and it now looks increasingly unlikely Everton will be able to sign the Frenchman.

Zouma had a stand out season on loan for Everton last term and Blues boss Marco Silva has been vocal in how determined he is to try to sign the player long-term.

But now it seems new Chelsea manager Lampard is equally determined to hold onto the defender.

This situation has been complicated for a little while now ever since it became clear that FIFA were going to uphold the Stamford Bridge club’s transfer ban.

With a new manager coming in, (always likely to be Lampard), at Chelsea there was always a risk that whoever it was would decide he couldn’t lose any of his existing players.

So given this situation who might Everton now consider to replace him.

First of all there is a player already on the Blues books; Yerry Mina. The Colombian centre-back had a debut season on Merseyside sabotaged by constant injury problems.

Evertonians haven’t seen the best of him yet. If he can stay healthy and fit this coming season it will, to coin a phrase, be essentially like having a new player that the club has just signed this summer.

But Mina’s injury problems may continue. Sometimes footballers pick up an injury or two and never really shake it off. I hope I’m wrong about this but we shall see.

What about other Premier League possibilities?

One player I’ve mentioned in past scouting reports, is Newcastle United’s Swiss centre-back Fabian Schar.

Schar had an excellent campaign last term for a struggling side that was often under a lot of pressure defensively, partly because of the negative approach of manager Rafa Benitez.

He scores well in terms of his overall defensive qualities. He is solid, consistent and does most of the basics competently. One thing that seems to be a strength and something Everton need more of, is concentration.

Too often in recent times the Blues have been let down by defensive blunders caused by players seeming to lack concentration.

On the downside Schar isn’t the best in the air although with defenders like Michael Keane and Mina there should be plenty of aerial ability at the back.

One other potential problem is his disciplinary issues. Schar picks up a lot of cards and this could be an issue.

There’s another possibility to consider who might be a bit more controversial a suggestion, is Liverpool’s Joel Matip.

The Cameroon international was a regular in the Reds side, although sometimes in and out of the team, for the past few seasons, until Virgil Van Dyke arrived in January.

Now he has been largely side-lined. Matip has his critics but overall I think he is a good defender with the skills to add to the Toffees backline.

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He’s quick, strong in the tackle and is actually pretty good in the air too. And his passing accuracy is excellent too. This is a skill increasingly important in the modern game. In addition like Schar at 27 he should be at his peak.

However Matip has sometimes been prone to be a bit inconsistent at times.

If Everton are to play with Keane, and it’s likely he will be a starter, then Matip will offer complimentary qualities. In fact he’s a bit like Mina and given the Colombian’s possibly fragile health it wouldn’t be a bad idea to have a player similar to him in the squad.

Maybe a cheeky bid for Matip to them lot on the other side of Stanley Park might be worth considering?