Gbamin return to fitness could be key for Everton in transfer strategy

In all the huge upheavels and the month-long saga of finding Carlo Ancelotti’s successor as Everton manager, one player’s continuing injury nightmare has been almost forgotten in the drama.

This feels like a bit of a broken record but Jean-Philippe Gbamin has a good claim to be the unluckiest player in modern Everton history. Since he signed in the summer of 2019, he has suffered a string of major injuries that have sidelined him for practically his entire time at Goodison Park.

I can remember another player who had terrible luck with injury during the club’s mid-eighties heyday. That was Adrian Heath.

Heath was emerging as a very promising young forward in 1984 and he scored arguably the most important goal in the club’s recent history when he equalised in a League Cup tie at Oxford United in January that year, which kept the Blues in that competition.

Everton were in crisis at the time and Howard Kendall looked as though he was close to the sack. But from that point on the Toffees turned their fortunes around and went on to reach the League Cup and FA Cup finals that season and climb to seventh in the First Division.

As every Evertonian knows the club then went on to enjoy the greatest single season in their history in 1984-85 as the Blues won the League title and the European Cup-Winners-Cup and could and should have won a treble, but lost the FA Cup final to Manchester United.

Halfway through that great campaign Heath was in fine form developing an excellent strike partnership with Graeme Sharp and scoring goals regularly and he looked likely to get an England call-up too.

Then came a first division match at Goodison Park against Sheffield Wednesday in December. Heath was badly injured in that game following the sort of tackle that modern players can hardly imagine being allowed.

The luckless Heath missed the rest of the season and watched as his team-mates went on to enjoy all that end of season success. Although he recovered his fitness and played a key role in Everton’s last championship winning season in 86-87, his career never really recovered.

Well there’s a bit of history. Returning to the present and Gbamin, the former Mainz midfielder has to hope he has finally overcome his unreal run of bad luck as he prepares for the new season.

So do Everton, as the player that Marco Silva signed to replace Idrissa Gueye could play a key role in helping new manager Rafa Benitez sort out his transfer priorities and get off to a good start when the season commences, something he will certainly need.

We’ve previously looked, several times, at how a healthy and fit Gbamin could have given Ancelotti important additional options and the same is true for Benitez.

Gbamin can play in midfield and at centre-back both positions in the current team where the Toffees need further reinforcement.

As mentioned above, the Ivory Coast international was originally signed to take Gueye’s role in the side and in fact one of Everton’s main problems over the past couple of years is that they’ve never managed to replace the midfield dynamo since he left for PSG.

Ancelotti made improving the midfield his first priority last summer and did so by signing Allan and Abdoulaye Doucoure last summer, both of whom did well last season. But they each suffered injuries, especially Allan, and he’s also the wrong side of 30 so isn’t a long term solution, plus Ancelotti’s departure may make him re-consider whether he will stay on Merseyside.

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Gbamin can provide that extra steel, mobility and energy in midfield and is adapt at playing a deep holding role, which would allow Allan and Doucoure to play in a bit more of an advanced position that would make the most out of their strengths.

If he can stay fit he might then save Benitez a small fortune in transfer fees and would also fit in easily with Benitez’s favoured 4-2-3-1 formation.

The Blues have also been linked with a succession of central defenders already this summer and both Ancelotti and Benitez are coaches who like to build from the back with a solid defensive base.

But with fees of around £50 million being quoted for alledged targets like Ben White and Kalidou Khoulibaly, signing another centre-back would blow a big hole in the club’s likely more limited transfer budget.

Again, Gbamin could help there too. He has regularly played in central defence in his career especially in international matches so he could be an option to support the existing defenders.

A fit and healthy Gbmain (who as we’ve said before would effectively be like a brand new signing) could then help enable Benitez to focus on the areas of the team that really need addressing. They are right-back and the need for more attacking width and pace.

It would be a big gamble to rely on him given that injury history, but then this has been a summer of big gambles by Everton hasn’t it?

Gbamin return could be key for Everton.. and Benitez

By Matt Townsend | Jul 4, 2021

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