Everton linked with Napoli stars
Inevitably with just a few days to go before the January transfer window opens, Everton are again being strongly linked with several players manager Carlo Ancelotti had under him at his previous club, Napoli.
One of those players being touted for a possible move to Everton and the English Premier League, is the Napoli playmaker Lorenzo Insigne.
Reports in the Liverpool Echo claim that Insigne is one of Ancelotti’s top priorities in terms of any possible January moves. According to the paper the Italian international would also not be averse to being reunited with his former manager.
Insigne is a versatile and very capable attacking talent who can play wide left or more centrally and delivers both goals and assists.
The 28-year-old is at his best though when coming in from the left-hand-side of the pitch or playing in a deeper creative role. Effectively then if he signed, he would be directly competing with another new signing, Alex Iwobi, who also tends to play in those positions,
One factor that might make this possible transfer less likely is the fact that Insigne has another two years left on his contract so it would take some serious dough to bring him in.
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Another Napoli player who Ancelotti is known to admire is the Belgian attacker Dries Mertens. This one might have a bit more legs to it, as Mertens is out of contract in the summer so Napoli could be tempted to cash in on him while they can.
Mertens also seems a very solid all-round performer with a number of qualities including his defensive contribution. He plays centrally or on the right hand side of midfield, which is an area where Everton have been trying to strengthen for a while.
The Belgian would offer quality and experience up front and could add another dimension to the Toffees otherwise young and inexperienced attack.
In truth though, given how well the Blues attack has been performing recently, especially Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Ancelotti might not feel it necessary to go into the transfer market for a forward at all and instead concentrate on finding defensive reinforcements.