Everton have lodged an £18m bid for Sunderland defender Lamine Kone and reports suggest the player is at Merseyside as negotiations are underway. Everton have got a windfall from the £47.5m sale of John Stones to Manchester City and are looking to overhaul their defence after an erroneous last season where they had better defensive stats than only 5 teams in the league.
While Sunderland will loathe losing Kone after the player impressed hugely upon his arrival in January, Moyes accepted their inability to keep players when an appropriate bid comes in. With Kone looking certain to leave we look at 3 options who are capable of helping the Wearsiders move north in the standings.
JASON DENAYER
This might be a surprise inclusion but this is an option mid-table clubs in the Premier League should look to approach. Denayer has for a long time being touted as the next big thing for City but inexplicably has not been given a fair run in the team. He has impressed on his loans at Celtic and Galatasaray and is rated highly by both the clubs. He is adept at playing at centre-back and right-back as well. While City have battled defensive issues for the last few years the youngster has been oddly overlooked and there are suggestions he should ask for a move away to kickstart his career. Even if City have him in their future plans, a loan move to a Premier League club will be beneficial for all the parties involved and Denayer will be impatient to show he belongs at the highest level.
PHIL JAGIELKA
The Premier League veteran has been reportedly asked for by David Moyes as a part of the deal involving Lamine Kone. The Scot wants a reunion with his ever-reliable defender and while there are doubts whether Everton will let him leave, it would be a major boost for Sunderland’s nervy defence.
With reports of Everton moving for Swansea captain Ashley Williams and Kone as well, Jagielka’s game time might get considerably reduced. In such a scenario the England International will welcome the opportunity to join up with his former manager.
PAPY DJILOBODJI
Sunderland have already moved for the Senegal international in order to strengthen their backline. Papy moved to Chelsea from Nantes only last summer and after playing a mere 58 seconds for the former Premier League Champions has made his exit. He spent a majority of last season on loan at Werder Bremen and after Sunderland paid £8m for him, Chelsea made a handsome profit of £5m on the player. The centre-back is good at intercepting key passes and is strong in the air which bodes well for his time at the club. He also likes to dribble out from defence and looks to pass the ball to a free player to facilitate counters attacks.
