Everton have been linked to Isco, Dele Alli and Luis Alberto.
Carlo Ancelotti has been able to turn around the Everton fortunes in just one year of tenure. Everton sit fourth in the table on Christmas and even though many may argue its too early to predict, one thing is sure, that the Toffees won’t endure another mediocre campaign and crash into the mid table.
Ancelotti has been able to make the most out of the squad even though some loopholes remain to be addressed. Unlike previous Everton managers who were trying to fit square pegs in round holes, Ancelotti has direct and realistic approach. The phase one of the rebuild is complete where key players like James Rodriguez, Allan and Abdoulaye Doucoure were signed and players such as Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Michael Keane emerged as leaders in the team.
The phase two of Ancelotti’s rebuild would now concentrate on further strengthening the side and solving the problems that have surfaced. James has been the chief orchestrator in the team with his creative genius knowing bounds. When he’s on the ball and in his zone, the imaginative things he does with the ball are surreal and leaves all of us in awe.
However, the Colombian has suffered due to the absence of a secondary playmaker in the team. The late resurgence of Gylfi Sigurdsson does offer hope but Everton need more than just occasional contributions. Andre Gomes is going through one of the darkest patches in his Toffees’ career leaving James alone to orchestrate the playmaking duties.
To ease some pressure off James’ shoulders, Everton may look to sign a secondary playmaker in the next transfer window. The Toffees have been linked to three attacking midfielders with similar profiles. Obviously, the Merseysiders won’t end up signing all three but I’ll take a look at which of the three has a realistic chance of ending up at Everton.