Everton are understood to be prioritising attacking players in this summer's transfer window but who should the Blues go for?
Three member of the ECHO sportsdesk have had their say...
Matt Jones: Finding a footballer who can hit double figures in the Premier League is an almighty challenge for even the flushest of clubs in the division. Doing so without a substantial transfer kitty is close to impossible. And yet, that's the task facing Everton this summer.
Given any player with a proven record of finding the net in the Premier League will be beyond the Blues due finances and recent relegation battles, they may need to widen the search across Europe to find an antidote to their goalscoring woes. One forward frequently linked with the Blues is Boulaye Dia, who would seemingly tick a lot of boxes.
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He netted 16 times and laid on six assists in Serie A last term, helping unfancied Salernitana finish well clear of the relegation battle. Indeed, only Napoli's Victor Osimhen (26) and Lautaro Martinez (21) - both linked with huge moves this summer - scored more in the Scudetto campaign than the Senegal international.
Dia has shown himself to be tidy in possession and sharp link player too, something Everton have lacked at the point of the attack without the fragile Dominic Calvert-Lewin. The 26-year-old may be a little wary under high balls and could take some time to adapt to the pace of the English game, not to mention Sean Dyche's direct brand of football. But in the current circumstances, he might just be the best Everton can get.
Chris Beesley: Everton manager Sean Dyche was of course spotted at Glastonbury last week but maybe we all thought Chris Sutton had been there too and perhaps taken some mind-expanding substances when he declared that the Blues should make an audacious attempt to bring Romelu Lukaku back to Goodison Park.
However, the often outspoken pundit is right in his sentiment of ‘go big or go home.’ We might never know whether Tammy Abraham would have ended up joining Everton had it not been for his horrific ACL injury in Roma’s final game of last season having been linked with a move to the Blues but the club somehow have to find the funds to get a proper striker in this summer rather than rummaging around in the bargain basement.
They say ‘never go back’ in football and it’s a mantra I’d often advocate but you sometimes have to make exceptions for a player of this class. Of course he’s more likely to go back to Internazionale again but they said Everton wouldn’t get Lukaku a decade ago.
Perhaps the Belgian needs to eat a big slice of humble pie and the polyglot’s penchant for loose talk on international duty understandably didn’t go down well but as a footballer, he’s by far the Blues’ best striker of the Premier League era. Others didn’t like him because he didn’t shake his fist as much as Duncan Ferguson or run around as much as Denis Stracqualursi but Everton haven’t been the same since ‘Big Rom’ departed and maybe they need to find the next one if such a player exists?
Connor O'Neill: Viktor Gyokeres is in demand this summer after a stunning season in the Championship saw him record 33 goal contributions (21 goals and 12 assists) for Coventry City. The striker only has one year remaining on his contract and looks set to leave the CBS Arena in this window.
Everton face another crucial summer in the transfer market as they attempt to trim a bloated squad and bring together a group that will be fit for purpose. Sean Dyche’s squad needs upgrading and rebalancing, and the club cannot afford to gamble on its top-flight status by neglecting its forward line again.
That is why Everton should make a move for Gyokeres. Goals win games, and the Swede’s goals for Mark Robins’ side pretty much led the Sky Blues to the Championship play-off final. The Blues didn’t win enough games last season, and that nearly cost them their place in the Premier League.
Gyokeres, according to The Analyst, often pulls defenders out wide and attacks the space in behind the opposition, but he also has the strength to hold the ball up and await teammates to support the attack. The fast thinking forward is exactly the type of player Everton need.
