After latest defeat Everton desperately need defensive help

With Everton crashing to yet another disasterous defeat at Norwich City in their last Premier League game, it’s very clear more help is needed at the back, whoever is the new manager.

Now that Everton have sacked Rafa Benitez and replaced him temporarily with Duncan Ferguson, there is some stability, at least for a short while.

We will have to wait to see whether having taken over from the Spaniard he ends up staying for the rest of the season or if the club do get a permanent replacement in quickly, as looks to be the board’s objective.

Regardless of this, might the big Scot have the opportunity and want to add to the squad if he can before the transfer window closes?

Last weekend’s awful loss at Norwich underlined the immense problems this Toffees team has defensively with another two goals conceded, essentially from individual errors at the back.

Micheal Keane had a truly horrendous match and his first mistake resulted in yet another unnecessary goal being given away cheaply, gifting the Canaries a lead they never relinquished.

Before this latest defeat and his subsequent firing, Benitez had added two new full-backs to his defence while losing another as Lucas Digne left for Aston Villa and there were rumours he would consider moving for another player before the end of the month, probably a midfielder.

On the evidence of the Norwich match, I think Everton’s priority now, if they are to bring anyone else in, should be another central defender and perhaps, if possible, a defensive midfielder too.

After his terrible performance at Carrow Road, Keane should really never be starting for the Blues again. Yerry Mina would be the obvious answer to replace him as he appears to have finally recovered from injury.

The problem is that he is very injury-prone and given his history it’s likely he will be out injured again for at least another short time before the end of the season, probably more than once.

So, relying on him to hold Everton’s defence together would seem a very dodgy strategy and it would make a lot of sense to try and get another central defender in.

That’s not going to be easy though given all the uncertainty over who is actually going to be the new manager beyond this weekend. And, getting a deal for a centre-back sorted in the next few weeks would anyway be very challenging even with perfect stability at the club.

There have been a few defensive midfield options linked to the Toffees. But, as for centre-backs, the type of defender they should perhaps be looking at is someone like Obite Evan N’dicka.

The Frenchman is a tall, powerful player who is very strong in the air and a solid defender on the ground too, particularly clearing the ball. He’s also confortable on the ball and is a lot like a younger version of Mina.

The Eintracht Frankfurt central defender has the sort of qualities the Blues really need more of and at 22 is an ideal age.

I very much doubt a deal for a player like this can be done, even if it was a priority, but if Ferguson stays in post beyond Saturday’s clash with Villa at least until the end of the month, perhaps he will be able to try and address this problem before the window shuts.