Everton need a forward so who might they get?
There are only hours to go in the January transfer window and as Saturday’s dismal defeat at home to Newcastle United underlined, Everton are in need of forward reinforcements. So who might or could they get in before the window shuts?
The performance against the Magpies was pretty awful in every respect and one thing that was certainly evident was the lack of alternative attacking options on the bench for Everton boss Carlo Ancelotti to call upon as his first-choice forwards were misfiring.
Now it seems as though both Bernard and Cenk Tosun will leave the club before the window shuts joining Moise Kean currently on a season loan at PSG and Ellis Simms the young striker who has gone to play in League One for the rest of the campaign. So the need to bring in at least one other forward is even more pressing.
One player who would have fitted the bill is Bayern Munich youngster Joshua Zirkzee but Everton appear to have lost out to Parma for his signature.
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The Toffees were strongly linked in the media with a move for the Dutch striker but whether this interest was genuine is obviously hard to know. At any rate even if they did want him, the Blues don’t seem to have been pulling out the stops to get a deal over the line.
There are other players who would suit what Everton need and might be avaialble for a loan deal ideally for the rest of the season.
Let’s start with the least likely to happen but a player who would be a great addition as he has previously played in the Premier League and was one of the most effective if controversial strikers in the game: Diego Costa.
The ex-Chelsea forward has of course all the attributes for English football. He’s physically intimidating, great in the air and has an excellent goal-scoring record. With these qualities he would suit Everton’s style, especially the longer-ball game the Toffees often deploy at times.
Costa hasn’t had much playing time recently at Atletico Madrid and so just might be interested in going elsewhere for more football, at least until the end of the season.
While it’s very unlikely he would come to a club outside the Champions League places, lets remember that because their manager is Ancelotti the Blues persuaded James Rodriguez and Allan to come to Goodison Park, something that would have seemed absurdly fanciful just over a year ago.
Across the Spanish capital is a young Brazilian forward Vinicius Junior who has plenty of talent but obviously has a battle to get into the star-studded Los Blancos team consistently.
While as with Costa he’s not likely to come to Everton, again Ancelotti’s appointment has changed the Toffees profile hugely. And Real Madrid are strapped for cash though and so might be open to a loan to a Premier League club to get his wages off their books for a few months and give him some further experience.
Junior is not a striker, he plays on the left where his compatriot Richarlison usually lines up for the Blues. In this scenario if Dominic Calvert-Lewin was out again for any length of time, Richarlison could move to centre-forward and Junior would be able to come in for him as well as offering another option to come off the bench.
Finally another young forward who is a compatriot of Zirkzee and probably the most realistic sort of target is Justin Kluivert. The Dutch player was linked with Everton a while back and he is a versatile forward who is able to play across the front line.
Kluivert is perhaps the sort of player who just might offer the best option for a short-term loan as he’s a young footballer trying to establish himself with something to prove and could well be hungry to show what he can do.
All of this is ifs, buts and maybes of course. Given past public statements it doesn’t look as though the Toffees will be signing anyone before the window closes, although Ancelotti has recently hinted he would be more open to that if Tosun left the club.
With Tosun now confirmed as gone, I think it’s imperative the Blues try and get another forward in for the rest of the campaign. A lack of alternative attacking options so clearly exposed at the weekend, could prove crucial to the outcome of Everton’s season.