Everton could have answer to summer transfer priority with £25m midfielder

Everton have been linked with a move for Florentino Luis but what might the Benfica midfielder potentially bring to Sean Dyche’s side?

Sport Witness cite Portuguese outlet Record as claiming that Everton have been interested in the player since January and tried to get a deal done at the end of that window. They add that even though Kevin Thelwell was unable to get the move done then, the Blues have maintained a watch on the 24-year-old but they now face competition for his signature from Premier League rivals, Nottingham Forest.

In terms of Florentino’s style, Comparisonator’s Similarity Comparison calculates Trent Alexander-Arnold of Liverpool and Billy Gilmour of Brighton & Hove Albion as being the closest matches with scores of 74% each followed by Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg of Tottenham Hotspur – a player who Everton tried to sign under Carlo Ancelotti – on 73%.

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Comparisonator’s Virtual Transfer tool enables us to correlate Florentino’s statistics from this season against players already turning out in the Premier League in his position and Dyche would surely be impressed by several features of the Angolan-born ace’s work rate. Florentino’s score of 243 in the A.I. Defensive Index can be bettered by just three players, Liverpool pair Alexis Mac Allister (292) and Wataru Endo (264) plus Fulham’s Joao Palhinha (250).

Florentino’s 2.67 interceptions per 90 minutes in the opposition half tops anyone in the Premier League where the aforementioned Hojbjerg (2.06) is the leader. He’d also rank second for ball recoveries (11.41) behind Mac Allister (11.59), third for successful defensive actions (67%) after James Ward-Prowse of West Ham United (72%) and Vini Souza of Sheffield United (69%) and fifth for both interceptions (5.52), a category topped by Casemiro of Manchester United (7.52), and ball losses in his own half (2.29), a section that is led by Tom Cairney of Fulham on 1.62.

The last figure eludes to Florentino’s comfort in possession and when it comes to distribution, only Rodri of Manchester City (78%) can top his successful long pass accuracy of 75% while he would rank third for both successful passes in the final third (9.74) behind Rodri (12.46) and Hojbjerg (10.16) and successful forward passes (85%) after Ward-Prowse (87%) and Pascal Gross of Brighton & Hove Albion (86%). His range is further reinforced by being sixth for both successful passes (62.71), a section Rodri leads on 90.03, and successful progressive passes (83%), with Rodri again on top on 89%.

Florentino is also a determined competitor as displayed by winning 6.76 defensive ground duels per 90 minutes, a figure that beats Premier League leader Ryan Yates of Nottingham Forest on 6.68. With reinforcements in the centre of the park one of the priority positions for Everton this summer and the ECHO understanding that there is interest in taking Manchester City’s Kalvin Phillips on loan, Florentino offers a tantalising prospect in that area of the pitch but given that his current employees have slapped a €30million price tag on his head, you suspect he might only be coming through the entrance door at Goodison Park if Amadou Onana is sold.

*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.