Cut-price Umtiti could be the right defender for Everton

As the season nears its conclusion there is obviously mounting media speculation about Everton summer signings and interestingly the Spanish press claim Barcelona could be letting a number of players go including Samuel Umtiti.

So would the centre-back be the right player for Everton as the rumours of another defender being a priority for Carlo Ancelotti continue?

It’s been clear for a long time that Barca together with their La Liga arch-enemies Real Madrid are bascially skint and need to massively reduce their wage bills this summer, hence the decision to get rid of so many high-profile stars.

That of course was a prime motivation for launching the European Super League that the two Spanish giants were key members and drivers of.

A number of the players mentioned in this supposed cull have been linked with a move to Goodison Park including most recently Philippe Coutinho.

One other player who has been tentatively associated with the Toffees is central defender Samuel Umtiti. And according to this rumour the Frenchman could be available for a significantly reduced fee if these stories are correct.

He’s an excellent defender with the qualities needed at the highest level and has vast experience in both club and international football.

If the rumours have any accuracy to them then it does seem Ancelotti is keen to bring another centre-back in this summer and if that’s so then a player like Umtiti would be a much more affordable option than Khalidou Koulibaly for example.

One thing about Umtiti (apart from being left-footed which I think would be advantageous and was a reason why Ancelotti wanted Gabriel last summer) is that he has real confidence and ability on the ball. And that helps enable his team to play higher up the pitch and therefore press the opposition much more effectively.

This is something Everton really need to be able to do because none of the other centre-backs, apart from Ben Godfrey perhaps, seem truly confortable bringing the ball out of defence and winning it high up the pitch.

At the moment the Toffees simply can’t play this way and so are forced to play a deeply defensive, counter-attacking approach.

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This works well enough away from home and against those sides considered to be better teams than the Blues, on paper at least.

However, at home Everton have too often been caught between two stools not wanting to operate as they do away from home, but not good enough to be able to play with the pace and pressing game to dominate opponents at home.

This also leads to the team being to slow in possession and ending up playing a kind of tepid lacklustre game that inevitably breaks down as opponents press them more effectively.

This will then lead to the Toffees losing the ball in dangerous areas and then being exposed defensively. That siuation has got to change if this team is going to compete at the top end of the Premier League.

So these are considerations that need to be central as Everton look to reshape their team ready for next season. At least that should be a key consideration because I don’t think the Blues can progress unless they are able to find a way to play a more dynamic, quick and pressing type of football.

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Cut-price Umtiti could be right for Everton

By Matt Townsend | May 15, 2021

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