Everton link to Chelsea starlet as Lampard becomes front runner

As we continue to wait for Everton to make an announcement on who will be the club’s new manager the Toffees are being linked with a move for a young Chelsea striker.

That player Armando Broja, is a player who is currently at Southampton and according to latest media reports Everton are one of several other Premier League clubs interested in him.

Broja has been impressing on the South Coast and the Saints are apparently keen to extend his season-long loan deal next summer.

But, other clubs including the Blues, Leeds and Wolves have all now been linked with the Albanian international striker.

The 20-year-old is a tall, powerful attacking player who has netted an impressive seven times in eleven starts at centre-forward.

In fact he looks like the sort of player who could theoretically replace Dominic Calvert-Lewin if the Everton number nine was to leave Merseyside.

There have been repeated rumours that the England player will move on and Arsenal are the club who are most likely to be his destination.

While of course as always these sorts of rumours don’t necessarily mean anything, it could well be the case that there is something to this. The outcome of this campaign particularly if the team are relegated, would be a factor too.

I’ve written in the past that I think while Calvert-Lewin has his strengths and certainly has developed considerably into a better centre-forward than he was when he first broke into the Toffees first-team, this might be a deal the Blues should consider.

After all if Arsenal are prepared to spend £60 million or so (the usual sort of quoted figure) then I think that’s a deal worth thinking about.

Calvert-Lewin is a striker who while quick, powerful and very strong in the air has a tendancy to miss too many good scoring chances and at times his direct style and qualities prevent Everton from adopting a more fluid attacking game.

If you are able to play on the front foot and with effective pace and width fine. However, often the temptation is for the team to relapse into playing a defensive and overly direct, long-ball game, which I don’t think is the way forward in modern football.

We’ve seen that too often this season already under Rafa Benitez and also Duncan Ferguson in the Aston Villa match. Even Carlo Ancelotti regularly resorted to it as well.

In addition, I am concerned at the amount of time he has spent out injured, especially during these past two seasons. Already, Calvert-Lewin has missed most of this campaign and he looked very rusty against Villa on his return.

It’s worrying that a player still only in his mid-twenties is this injury-prone and it’s obviously very difficult to build an attack around a player out of the team so often.

As I say, if Arsenal or another club want to put the sort of money on the table the Blues will rightly demand for the player, then maybe it’s a transfer that is in all parties interests.

And, here’s another dimension to all this. Could Frank Lampard if he becomes Everton boss possibly prove decisive in persuading a young forward like Broja (or even Tammy Abraham) to make the switch to Goodison Park instead of another rival?

Presumably, Lampard knows this player and with his obvious links to Stamford Bridge and his reputation for bringing through young players, that might swing it.

I’m not saying Everton should be going for this specific player, however if he continues to impress he does seem that he is the sort of player who might possibly be considered to replace DCL.

So, he could come under consideration in the summer, assuming the Blues are still a Premier League club and are looking to rebuild under their new manager.

I’ve said before too, that I’m not convinced Lampard is the right fit to take over as Toffees manager, but it appears he is now the overwhelming favourite with reports just emerging that he has been offered the job.

Well, if it is to be the former West Ham, Chelsea and England star I, while having my reservations, would be ready to back him to do well. In truth anyway, he simply has to succeed!

We will see. There is still no official news yet from the club to confirm these latest rumours as I write this and give clarity about who will be in charge when Everton take to the pitch against Brentford next Friday in the FA Cup.