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La Liga Leaks: Scouting for.. Everton

Introducing..

Everton are such a difficult team to fathom. Under David Moyes they managed to break the ‘Sky Four’ but then dropped to 11th the following season. They steadied the ship afterwards and established themselves as a top seven side before Moyes took the Manchester United job. Roberto Martinez was the new man in charge and after leading them to an impressive 5th-place finish in his first season, he followed it up with two 11th-placed ones and subsequently lost his job. New owners, new manager and a bucketload of cash mean Everton are ready to challenge for the European places again.

Problem areas

Everton said goodbye to Tim Howard this summer but there’s a case for saying he overstayed his welcome. Despite his heroics in that Round of 16 match against Belgium at the 2014 World Cup, local fans had grown tired of his error-prone ways and were delighted to see him ousted by Joel Robles before the season ended. Maarten Stekelenburg looks set to compete for the no.1 shirt so they’re probably done with goalkeepers.

The biggest concern surrounds the future of John Stones. Last summer saw Chelsea make a play for his services and this year it’s Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City leading the charge. Ronald Koeman would love to count on the young Englishman but if his head is truly elsewhere I could see them cashing in should a £40m+ offer materialise.

At the time of writing this, Idrissa Gueye hasn’t completed his move to Everton but it only looks a matter of time before it officially goes through. However that doesn’t mean the Toffees won’t continue to strengthen the middle of the park as Gareth Barry isn’t getting any younger.

Up front a lot of Everton’s business will depend on what happens with Romelu Lukaku. Once again it seems he could be on the move with former club Chelsea sniffing around, amongst others. It’s a big test for Koeman to prove he’s capable of getting Everton back on the right track in order to stop his star striker from leaving. If he can’t, he’ll have a major hole in his starting XI come the start of the season.

Who could they sign?

At centre half there are plenty of options but I guess, key for Everton, is trying to get someone in to replace John Stones instantly. Someone like Deportivo’s Sidnei would be a good choice but his weakness in the air is what opposition attacks would exploit. So we’ll discard him. Another option could be Diego Reyes. Technically he doesn’t belong to a La Liga club but he did spend last season on loan at Real Sociedad. He has a similar profile to Stones in that he’s tall, comfortable on the ball and happy to play it out as opposed to whacking it up field. Now back at parent club Porto he could be available but there are still issues with the young centre back, notably with his concentration, so he might be one to look at in terms of back up as opposed to a clear starter.

And that brings us onto Iñigo Martinez. Now I know, he isn’t tall for a centre half, but maybe going like-for-like isn’t what Everton need to do. Maybe they should look to build a new partnership at the back and for that Martinez would be ideal. He’s outgrown Real Sociedad and has all the natural traits to become a strong leader at a club. Comfortable with the ball at his feet or battling strikers for a header, his calmness and intelligence would add an extra dimension to Everton’s backline.

I know I’ve mentioned Ignacio Camacho a few times already in this series, and he would prove to be a fantastic addition to most Premier League sides, but I’m going to pick someone different for the midfield option here.

Sebastian Cristoforo hasn’t had the best of luck since signing for Sevilla three years ago. The now 22-year-old missed practically two of his three seasons on the books at the club due to successive injuries. The most notable of which was a cruciate knee ligament injury that saw him miss the entire 2014/15 season. After a cautious start he eventually established himself as a key member of the starting XI in the second half of the season, but was restricted to primarily league appearances.

It’s natural to see the combative midfielder seem a little rusty after so long out but there were glimpses of the huge promise which prompted Sevilla to sign him in the first place. Cristoforo loves the physical side of the game, getting in the opposition’s faces and being a general nuisance. He isn’t going to ping 40 yard passes across the pitch like Barry can, but he will add steel to the middle. The more he plays the more we should see him open up, as well as pick up runners from deep better. Not great in the air but, again, it’s something which will improve the more he’s out on the pitch.

Up front is where it gets a little more complicated as I know, should Lukaku depart, Everton fans would demand a big name to replace him. However they could do much worse than to check out Eibar’s forward partnership from last season: Sergi Enrich and Borja Baston. The duo scored an impressive 30 goals between them for a side not noted for its cutting edge in attack. It was their physical nature that proved overwhelming for a lot of La Liga defences.

Sergi Enrich isn’t your standard target man at 5’11” but he’s actually really good in the air. It might take him a few games to get used to the physical nature and pace of the English game but he’s got other attributes that would aid his transition. Enrich is a tireless runner but also silky on the ball too. He blends that natural Spanish flair with good old-fashioned hard work.

His former teammate Baston, now back at parent club Atletico Madrid, is as tall as Lukaku but lacks the strength and raw power the Belgian possesses. He isn’t someone who loves to have time and space on the ball but more of an out and out finisher. Prolific at youth and reserve level he transcended that into La Liga last time out, notching 19 goals in all competitions. He’s a threat from set pieces and, like Enrich, knows how to put in a shift defensively. At 23 there’s still a lot of potential for more growth but Everton would perhaps need to switch up their direct style, but I’m guessing Koeman will be doing that anyway.