Everton are reportedly joining the race to sign Juventus forward Tim Weah, with other clubs, including Tottenham, also logging interest.
The American could be interesting to Everton for a number of reasons, but the versatility he's shown as a player during his tenure at Juventus has to be chief among them. The Italian giants have used Weah not only as a center forward, but also as a winger on both sides of the attack, and, perhaps most notably, as a right back and a wing back.
In other words, Weah practically fills all the positional voids that Everton are looking to fill in one player. That isn't to say that the Toffees can just sign him and be done with it, but adding him to the mix would present David Moyes with a lot of options in terms of how the manager utilizes the player.
That's why it is difficult to look at Weah's output, 5 goals in 30 matches (18 starts), and immediately scoff at them. If the Brooklyn-born Weah were playing exclusively as an attacking player, then this goal output would be concerning (although he did score 5 on an xG of 3.4).
But when lined up as a fullback, he's shown a unique skillset that makes him a very modern version of the position, scoring goals and setting up his teammates for opportunities at an impressive rate. He's still got some work to do defensively if the plan is to convert him to that role full time, but his athleticism could allow him to be a top player there.
It isn't something that has been embraced for him across the board, as his appearances for the USMNT still exclusively see him lining up as an attacker, and it is also fair to assume that he'll continue as a movable chess piece as opposed to converting full time to one position over the other.
Weah, who is the son of George Weah, a former Liberian international footballer who once served as president of his home country, would be the next in a line of American Everton players, many of whom have been beloved by the club and its supporters.
And with a market value of €17 million, Weah's ability to move around the pitch would make him a good deal for the club, provided they can convince the player to join.