Everton are being linked with a summer transfer move for Harry Winks but what might the Tottenham Hotspur player offer Frank Lampard?
The Daily Telegraph reports that Winks is among a list of targets being drawn up by Blues boss Lampard, including the likes of Conor Gallagher and Billy Gilmour at his former club Chelsea.
However, the article reckons that budget restrictions might ensure that Everton, at least initially, take Winks on loan rather than buying him outright like they did with Dele Alli in a highly-structured deal on deadline day of the winter transfer window.
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Winks, 26, played 30 games for Spurs during the 2021/22 season but featured in just half of their Premier League matches despite no injuries being reported.
In contrast, Fabian Delph received the highest average score in the Everton squad among players who had turned out more than once in the ECHO’s player ratings for 2021/22, but fitness problems ensured he featured in just a quarter of their matches, and the 32-year-old now looks set to be released when his contract expires later this month. Therefore, let’s take a look at how Winks shaped up last term alongside Allan and Abdoulaye Doucoure, the Blues’ two main central midfielders.
In a head-to-head with Allan, Winks seems to offer a completely different option. He tops the Brazilian in all of Comparisonator’s offensive and passing categories but the Everton man is ahead of him for each defensive parameter. Winks is not only attempting many more passes per 90 minutes (59.04 to 37.49), he’s completing them, too, with 52.45 successful passes per game to 30.72.
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Winks was receiving passes almost twice as much (51.54 to 25.83), which looks indicative of how Tottenham played compared to Everton, while he tried and made many more key passes (1.81 and 0.81) than Allan (0.23 and 0.08). The Blues player is ahead, though, when it comes to work when not in possession with 4.73 ball recoveries to 2.8, 5.5 interceptions to 3.79 and 12.7 successful defensive actions to Winks’ 8.12.
When putting Winks head to head with Doucoure, it’s more of a mixed bag. Offensively, they each have different areas of strength.
The Tottenham man has more successful dribbles (1.26 to 0.88) and successful attacking actions (1.81 to 1.37) but the Everton ace gets in more shots (1.01 to 0.36) and shots on target (0.43 to 0.18). As a result, Doucoure has the edge for expected goals (0.11 to 0.02) but Winks for expected assists (0.17 to 0.09).
Like Allan, Doucoure offers more defensively with his 4.58 ball recoveries per game, 4.42 interceptions and 11.16 successful defensive actions, and it’s only Winks’ marginally better retention that gives him a more successful return in this section (4.33 ball losses to 4.38). Again, Winks sweeps the board on passing with Doucoure making 35.23 passes, 29.35 of which are successful, receiving 26.7 passes per game, trying 0.29 key passes and making 0.16.
Doucoure has the edge over Winks when it comes to one-on-one situations, though, as he wins 3.11 offensive duels to his 2.62, 4.32 of defensive duels to 2.62 and 1.73 aerial duels to 0.54. Lampard has called on his players to “enjoy the football” but it remains to be seen whether these returns from Winks are deemed sufficient to change the way Everton play while improving the side.
- Comparisonator is a football data comparison tool from 271 professional leagues around the world which compares players and clubs by utilising over 100 different parameters. Click here for more details.
