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Everton may bid for Balde as Gnonto hands in transfer request

By Matt Townsend

Troyes' Bissau-Guinean forward Mama Balde (L) fights for the ball with Ajaccio's French midfielder Mathieu Coutadeur (R) during the French L1 football match between AC Ajaccio and ES Troyes AC at Stade Francois Coty in Ajaccio on the French Mediterranean Island of Corsica on February 26, 2023. (Photo by Pascal POCHARD-CASABIANCA / AFP) (Photo by PASCAL POCHARD-CASABIANCA/AFP via Getty Images)
Troyes' Bissau-Guinean forward Mama Balde (L) fights for the ball with Ajaccio's French midfielder Mathieu Coutadeur (R) during the French L1 football match between AC Ajaccio and ES Troyes AC at Stade Francois Coty in Ajaccio on the French Mediterranean Island of Corsica on February 26, 2023. (Photo by Pascal POCHARD-CASABIANCA / AFP) (Photo by PASCAL POCHARD-CASABIANCA/AFP via Getty Images) /
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With a few weeks of the transfer window remaining speculation is still rife about players targetted by Everton with stories claiming the club are now ready to bid for Mama Balde.

This rumour comes on top of the latest twist in the Wilfried Gnonto saga with the Italian forward now having apparently handed in a formal transfer request to try and force a move to Goodison Park.

And that follows another report that Everton are said to have put in a £12 million bid for Southampton’s Che Adams within the last 24 hours.

Balde is the latest attacker playing in Europe that the Toffees have been linked with. The Troyes forward had a fine season last term scoring twelve goals for the French Ligue One side.

He is a pacey and powerful player who looks as though he might well fit in reasonably well to the demands of the Premier League.

Everyone knows the Blues need goalscorers and fast if this campaign is not to descend very quickly into another struggle and potential relegation fight. Could Balde be another option to consider?

Everton face Aston Villa tomorrow with huge question marks over who will score those goals following last weekend’s 1-0 defeat to Fulham, which once again underlined the problem.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin is currently fit and healthy (as of Saturday lunchtime anyway!) and surely must start tomorrow at Villa Park, although of course no one knows how long he will last before another injury strikes.

Youssef Chermiti, signed for nearly £15 million, is in all probability a long way off being able to contribute immediately so the burden still falls on Calvert-Lewin and anyone else who can chip in with a few goals.

Balde could be available for as little as 6 or 7 million quid, which is not a large fee so potentially making this a good deal to do.

Sean Dyche is said to be making a singular pitch to his targets to try to persude them to join Everton basing it on a desire to revive one of England’s great football clubs and return it to past glories.

Well, it is an interesting approach. Let’s hope it works and the Toffees can get at least another couple of players in who can solve the team’s goals problem before it is too late.

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