Everton step into the final two weeks of the summer transfer window with the priority to sign a striker that can supplement Dominic Calvert-Lewin and take charge when the 25 year old is unavailable. Several names have been floated as potential targets and now Blackburn Rovers striker Ben Brereton Diaz is the latest name to join the long list of forwards that Everton are targeting.
Calvert-Lewin’s injury rattled Everton’s plans for the season and showed a grim picture to Frank Lampard in the first two games. The need for a proper No.9 has never been higher as Calvert-Lewin continues to recover from his knee injury that put him out for six weeks. The Toffees do have Salomon Rondon as a backup striker but the Venezuelan’s poor record doesn’t assure the fans or the manager.
The Toffees have been toothless in attack against Chelsea and Aston Villa. The presence of a prolific forward could have changed the course of the game. Anthony Gordon was deployed as a striker, playing out of position, which is why Everton lacked incisiveness in the attack. Everton need to sign a new forward but they do not have an abundant amount of money to spend on.
With Richarlison gone, the major goalscoring responsibility now solely lies on the shoulders of Calvert-Lewin. Previously, the talismanic duo would be there to support each other and if one did not score, the other one would, which maintained a fair balance. The Merseysiders need a young and reliable goal scorer to take pressure off Calvert-Lewin.
Everton have shown interest in Ben Brereton Diaz
According to Sky Sports journalist Alan Myers, Everton have shown interest in signing Diaz from Blackburn Rovers. The Chilean striker has kicked off his campaign in fine form, scoring two goals and providing one assist in the first three games of the Championship. Blackburn signed the 23 year old from Nottingham Forest in 2019 and since then Diaz has been spearheading the Blackburn attack.
French side OGC Nice submitted a bid of £10 million for Diaz which was rejected by Blackburn. The Blackburn forward has a market value of £14.4 million as per Transfermarkt, and the Championship side will want to command a higher fee to let go of their prized asset.
Diaz is not the only striker in Lampard’s shortlist. The list contains names of Armando Broja of Chelsea, Che Adams of Southampton, Neal Maupay of Brighton, Viktor Gyokeres of Coventry and others. From France, Serhou Guirassy, Bamba Dieng and Ludovic Ajorque have been touted as strikers that are on Everton’s list.
Chelsea forward Broja remains the first choice target but there has been little progress in talks for the Albanian which has forced the Merseysiders to evaluate other options. At this point, it looks very unlikely that a new striker will arrive before the game against Nottingham Forest, leaving Lampard with no choice but to either play Gordon as a striker or bank on Rondon and hope that he delivers.
Should the Toffees sign Ben Brereton Diaz?