Manager personally calls £22.5 million Everton ace to convince him over a transfer

Everton acquired the services of Allan from Napoli in the summer of 2020 at the behest of Carlo Ancelotti. The Italian boss played a key role in attracting the Brazilian to Goodison Park. Now, despite Allan being well settled, talks of a move to Lazio have merged.

Allan has been quintessential to Everton’s midfield ever since his arrival. An enforcer and a trusted player to break opposition play, the Brazilian is the backbone of the Everton midfield. Along with Abdoulaye Doucoure, the 31 year old operate from the heart of the midfield and have become a formidable pair.

While Doucoure provides box to box movement and tenacity, Allan sits as a guardian ahead of the defence and is known for his press breaking runs. The midfielder is also excellent at winning the ball back through pressuring or simply going in with a brave tackle.

At Napoli, Allan and Jorginho formed a key partnership that kept the Napoli engine running. When Ancelotti left Everton, murmurs began whether Allan and James Rodriguez would also contemplate a move. As it turned out, Rodriguez did leave the Toffees but the former Napoli man has found himself well established in the system and was happy in Merseyside.

Maurizio Sarri wants to reunite with Everton midfielder Allan

In terms of statistics, Allan is one of the top midfielders in Europe let alone the Premier League. The Brazilian has a tackle success rate of 82% and registers 3.15 tackles per 90, featuring in top 9% of midfielders in Europe. He also records 31.4 pressures in the game, which is the best in the Premier League, featuring in the top 1% in Europe. (stats via FBref)

According to Il Messaggero (via Football Italia), Lazio manager Maurizio Sarri has personally called Everton midfielder Allan to convince him to join the Biancocelesti in the winter transfer window.

Sarri worked with Allan at Napoli and the Italian tactician brought the best out of the Brazilian during their years in Naples. The Toffees are said to be open to loaning him out for the rest of the season but Allan’s high wages are said to be a stumbling block in the deal.

If these reports are to be believed, Everton are probably wrong to allow Allan to leave even if it’s for a short loan spell. The Toffees are already scarcely stocked in the midfield. Tom Davies’ injury and Jean-Philippe Gbamin’s inconsistency makes the problem worse. Everton are interested in Sean Longstaff but there has not been a concrete breakthrough in those talks.

Lazio are looking to sign midfielders as Allan and Matias Vecino are on Sarri’s shortlist. The Royal Blues are still in the market to strengthen the squad but letting go of the 31 year old who is an instrumental part of the team, might not be a wise decision.

Will the midfielder leave Merseyside to go back to Serie A?