Everton: 3 players Everton should sign in January to challenge for European football
Luis Alberto has flourished at Lazio, supplying to Ciro Immobile.
Luis Alberto
Source: Liverpool Echo
This one may raise some eyebrows, personally if we sign Luis Alberto we won’t be signing Dominik Szoboszlai and vice versa, but I think Everton are crying out for that secondary playmaker so I’m going to place both of them on my list.
Luis Alberto is the much safer choice, the Spaniard has been lighting up Serie A for Lazio for a few years now and has apparently had some clashes with the higher-ups at I Biancocelesti which could lead to his departure.
One issue with this transfer is also that is a former Liverpool player, joining them for Sevilla for around £7million in the 13/14 season. Liverpool didn’t realise the talented player they had though, sending him out on multiple loan spells until they sold him to Lazio for around £3.6 million in 16/17.
Trending. Everton ignite interest in 17 assist man ahead of the January transfer window. light
Alberto has been a steal for Lazio ever since with his most prolific season being the 17/18 season where he scored 11 goals and grabbed 14 assists. Due to the rise of Ciro Immobile who turned into one of the most deadly finishers in Europe, Alberto’s job has changed to more of a creator than a goalscorer. This can be shown by the 15 assists he registered last season second only to Atalanta’s Alejandro Gomez.
Even though he’s had troubles with the club owners, Alberto has still been great on the pitch for Lazio, even if they do lie a below expectations 7th in the table. He’s only managed to register 1 goal so far in his first 7 games, but his statistics show that the creativity is still there.
He’s currently averaging 2.7 key passes, he is tied 6th in the division, and he also averages around 1.7 dribbles, which similarly to Szoboszlai means he won’t require the ball too much and will more than likely accept a role as a secondary playmaker to play under Ancelotti.
Luis Alberto is a natural attacking midfielder and has even spent some time playing on the wing, which could mean that he could also replace James in that right-wing position which would allow James to move into the middle which is his preferred position.
Having a player of his talent would be amazing for the club since he would be able to step up and be the first-choice playmaker if James suffered an injury, God forbid, or if he got a suspension, so I believe this would be very smart business for Everton even if he is 28-years old.
How Much Would Everton Pay?
This one is a bit more difficult than the previous prediction. Due to his problems with the board, and the pandemic, I think this is a player that Everton could get cheaper, maybe Lazio would be willing to take somebody like Bernard or Sigurdsson plus cash in a swap deal, but for now, it’s hard to put an exact figure on it until more information is released.
He’s currently valued at £45million on Transfermarkt, but due to the previously mentioned issues I’m going to say Everton would be able to grab the Spanish playmaker for around £25-£30million, possibly even cheaper if they’re able to throw in one of the players that I mentioned.