Could Dele Alli be back on Everton wishlist
Fresh media reports claim that Everton might still make a late move for Dele Alli as the Tottenham and ex-England star is apparently available for transfer this month.
Alli has been on the fringes of the Spurs squad for a while now and he has been repeatedly linked with moves away, including to Everton.
This story claims that the Toffees might well make a move late in the transfer window and try to sign the 25-year-old just before the window shuts.
The midfielder certainly has some significant strengths that would in theory make him well-suited to a defensive midfield role at Goodison Park alongside players like Allan and Abdoulaye Doucoure.
It has long been an obvious need for the Blues to reinforce the midfield and add more steel and industry to the engine room. And, with injury-plagued Jean-Philippe Gbamin now free to leave and Tom Davies also still hurt and absent, another player is certainly needed there.
Rafa Benitez has apparently made it a priority too for this month’s transfer window and has already made an abortive move for Newcastle United’s Sean Longstaff, a player he’s long admired.
It’s likely that he will go back for Longstaff and given the player’s situation with his contract finishing in the summer, he could well still become an Everton player in the next few weeks.
However, of the two I think Alli would on balance be a better bet. Certainly if he could possibly rediscover his form from a few years ago when he was an England regular – as Jesse Lingard did at West Ham last season – then he would be a significant asset in the middle.
Another Tottenham midfielder who is rumoured to be available for transfer is Tanguy Ndombele. The Frenchman is it seems surplus to requirements now under Antonio Conte.
Ndombele is also a defensive midfield player, the same age as Alli and a footballer who cost Spurs a hefty fee when they signed him.
Recently, though he has struggled for game time and fallen behind other ball-winning players in Spurs’ centre like Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.
The Frenchman would seem an even more desirable option than Alli, at least in terms of his all-round ability and especially his willingness to carry the ball from midfield.
At his best he’s certainly a powerful and athletic footballer and would more than adequately replace what the Toffees had hoped to get from Gbamin.
However, I don’t know if Ndombele will be keen to move on loan move and anyway Tottenham would want a significant fee for him, especially as his contract runs until 2025.
Talking of loan moves, it is looking increasingly probable that Anwar El Ghazi will become an Everton player for the rest of this campaign.
This is an unexpected deal that emerged just a day or so ago and has moved quickly as with the other transfers done by the Blues so far in this window.
Originally, the rumour was he would be a makeweight in the transfer of Lucas Digne to the Midlands club. That doesn’t seem to be the case however, and his move to Merseyside is unrelated to Digne.
El Ghazi is a player who wasn’t probably on anyone’s radar as far as new signings for Everton were concerned and I imagine his arrival won’t exactly excite many supporters.
It’s a slightly strange signing for sure, particularly as he’s not managed to get much game-time recently in what is an equally average Villa side.
Mind you, there are no guarantees when bringing in new players however high-profile and expensive they are as this club’s record over the past few years and transfer windows, abundantly proves. There is apparently no obligation to buy either so it’s not a big gamble financially.
And in addition, top quality forwards aren’t very likely to be joining the Toffees in this window, given Everton’s league position and restricted finances.
El Ghazi might not be a headline-grabbing star but he is a big, powerful wide player who can score goals and does have excellent crossing ability, something that Benitez wants more of as he seeks to get the best from his two first-choice forwards, particularly Dominic Calvert-Lewin.