The future of Jean Philippe-Gbamin at Everton is in doubt after AZ Alkmaar captain Teun Koopmeiners has admitted that there is interest from England.
Everton have been recently linked to a number of midfielders as Marcel Brands and Carlo Ancelotti mull over strengthening the Toffees midfield. Midfield is the weakest position for the blue half of Merseyside which has been bothering them from quite a few seasons. The injuries to prominent midfielders have made it a lot worse than it was estimated to be. Andre Gomes is currently their best midfielder and is a brute force when he is at the top of his game. Tom Davies is quickly learning the art under Ancelotti and is another Everton youngster excelling at his game.
However, same praises can’t be heaped for £25 million signing Jean-Philippe Gbamin. The Ivory Coast midfielder has had a terrible time since moving to Goodison Park last summer. The 24 year old’s Everton career was hampered before it could lift off as Gbamin suffered a hamstring injury that would keep him out for at least six months.
After, spending months on his rehabilitation, Jean-Philippe Gbamin was inching closer to return. The forced shutdown did facilitate him as he got increased time to work on his fitness. Just when Everton announced that the Ivorian was fit to train and could feature once the league resumes, Gbamin suffered another horrific injury in training. The Achilles tendon injury meant he would not feature for the Toffees this year again.
You feel for the 24 year old midfielder who had come to England with high hopes but unfortunately his time in the English Top Flight has been forgetful. However, a club cannot be managed based simply on sentiments and the Toffees are considering a replacement for Gbamin. Everton have been given a major boost as one of their targets, Teun Koopmeiners has admitted that there’s significant interest from Premier League.
According to FootballOranje, AZ Alkmaar captain Teun Koopmeiners admitted in an interview that a transfer to Premier League is not ruled out as English teams have approached him. The 22 year old defensive midfielder remains a target for Everton and West Ham United.
"That’s right, but there is still nothing on the table at AZ, so to speak. So it remains to be seen how that will turn out."
Koopmeiners has had a brilliant season with AZ Alkmaar which has seen them going toe to toe with Ajax with both sides tied at 56 points. Sadly, the Eredivisie has been cancelled and no champion has been announced so Alkmaar will not have the chance to overthrow Ajax from the throne of Eredivisie.
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Teun Koopmeiners is extremely similar to Jean-Philippe Gbamin. He is defensive midfielder by trade, but can deputize in central midfield as well as the centre back position. He is a brilliant passer of the ball and has the knack to shoot from long range. The 22 year old has scored 11 goals and assisted 2 in 25 Dutch Top Flight games this term. All signs predict that Koopmeiners is a highly talented Dutchman and Everton must try and sign him.
Now, it is true that at the moment there are no takers for Gbamin but the Toffees are certainly to have a plan for the Ivorian if the 24 year old doesn’t leave Goodison. The expectations of him being a starter every week is a little too much to ask for, but the former Mainz player can be a great squad player if he manages to remain fit.
Will Everton sign Teun Koopmeiners?