Everton will have to beat two European giants to land 17 assists man
Everton will have to beat Juventus and Inter Milan in the race to sign Lazio midfielder Luis Alberto.
A number of reports originating from Italy suggest that Everton boss Carlo Ancelotti wants to raid his homeland in search of a midfielder and eyes a move for Lazio’s Luis Alberto. The inadequacies of Andre Gomes and Gylfi Sigurdsson have got Everton screaming for better player quality in the midfield.
At this point, the third midfield spot is one of the weakest areas in the team that needs to be reinforced. Gomes has failed to impress long term with a small spurt of form occasionally. Sigurdsson’s stock seems to be crashing day by day after repeated failed performances in any role.
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The shortcomings of Gomes and Sigurdsson have prompted Everton to go into the market in search of a secondary playmaker. Lazio’s Alberto seems to be the man in focus. According to Citta Celeste, Lazio want to sell their 28 year old if the price matches their valuation. Ancelotti is a big fan of Alberto’s work and has recognized him as a partner to James Rodriguez for sharing the load of playmaking duties.
However, Everton won’t have an easy road ahead of them for signing the Spaniard. According to Gazzetta Dello Sport, Serie A giants Inter Milan and Juventus have also entered the race to sign the Lazio playmaker.
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The recent feud between the club board and Alberto has seen relations hit a low between the hierarchy and the player, giving an opportunity for other teams to take advantage and sign the 28 year old.
Inter Milan are open to selling Christian Erikesen after less than a year of arrival and instead aim to sign Alberto. Antonio Conte’s Nerazzurri operate in a back three, mostly a 3-5-2. Lazio under Simeone Inzaghi have always been a 3-5-2 based team, meaning Alberto is well versed with the shape and functionality.
Juventus on the other hand seem to miss the midfield genius with Arthur, Adrien Rabiot not completely able to supply goal creating chances from the middle of the park. An addition like Alberto in the spine of the team, will definitely aid Juventus as they try to catch up to league leaders AC Milan.
The Spaniard is a brilliant buildup player and creates goal scoring opportunities for his fellow teammates. His 16 assists in the league last season, 1 behind Atalanta’s Alejandro Gomez attests the above notion.
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Everton’s genuine interest in the Lazio talisman is not a surprise but prizing him away from the likes of Inter and Juve will require a herculean effort from the Toffees board and a lot of Ancelotti’s pulling power. While this all is being executed, the transfer fee will also need to be looked at as Lazio won’t sell cheaply.