Everton started life under Ronald Koeman pretty decently but their pleasure proved to be short-lived. The Toffees failed to beat struggling Swansea City at home on Saturday as the game ended 1-1. Just before the international break, Koeman’s side were thrashed 5-0 by high-flying Chelsea. Koeman will be a concerned man right now after his side’s recent slump in form.
For most Everton fans, the last summer transfer window was utterly disappointing. Everton did bring in a few quality players but it was evident that they could not do enough shopping. We, therefore, can expect the Toffees to be quite active in January transfer window. The Mirror claims that Koeman is closely monitoring the situation of Hoffenheim star Sebastian Rudy and a January move could be a possibility.
Rudy joined Hoffenheim from Stuttgart in 2010 and is in the final year of his contract with the Bundesliga side. Hoffenheim now have to decide whether to let the 26-year-old move in January or see him depart in the summer with his contract expiry. Everton could land the German international on a bargain in January but will face competition from a number of Serie A if reports are to be believed.
Rudy is a regular for the German national team now boasting 12 caps to his name. The biggest reason behind him being a regular in the German setups is his immense versatility. The 26-year-old is predominantly a central midfielder but can also be deployed as a defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder, right midfielder and a right back. Such an immense versatility deserves huge plaudits, doesn’t they?
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A complete and versatile player like Rudy would be a blessing for any team in the world. Gareth Barry is 35 now and does not have much football left in him. The Toffees need to find a replacement for the Englishman in the long run and Rudy would be an ideal candidate for that. The German boasts a solid defensive discipline even though he is not a big guy and can make the defensive midfield position of his own if he moves to Goodison Park.
Ronald Koeman is a manager who likes to tweak his tactics according to the needs of the games. Rudy’s versatility will give him the option to do that. On top of that, Everton full-backs are all injury-prone and Rudy being capable of playing right-back can be beneficial for the Toffees. If Koeman can pull off this deal off, this will be one hell of a coup.
