Everton are extremely lucky to still hang on to their eighth position in the league table. They have produced a series of poor performances in the past few weeks and the team isn’t improving on the pitch despite having one of the strongest squads in the league.
Ronald Koeman is apparently desperate to bring in new recruitments this January and one big quintessential need will be a striker. Everton have been linked with a number of forwards from across Europe and the latest one to emerge is Napoli striker Manolo Gabbiadini, as per Calciomercato.it.
The Toffees have also been previously linked with the Italian in the last summer but a deal failed to materialise then. After Napoli’s best forward Gonzalo Higuaín made a big money move to Juventus, Gabbiadini had the chance to establish himself as the first-choice and it is believed to be a big reason for the striker deciding to stay in Naples.
However, his season hasn’t been very good so far and Napoli is understood to have decided to dispose of him if a good offer comes in. After Arkadiusz Milik got injured in the opening few months of the season, the time was ideal for Gabbiadini to prove his mettle and own the number 9 position, but he has failed to impress consistently so far.
Everton will be all ears for the deal and reportedly are keeping tabs on him. The Toffees have their own concerns up front. Romelu Lukaku has been the only spark in their forward line and Koeman is looking for someone to ease his load.
As far as Gabbiadini ‘s attributes are concerned, he is a tailor-made forward for the Ronald Koeman style of football. A hard working player up front, the 24-year-old is technically and tactically concrete and can play anywhere in the attacking third.
Primarily a number nine, Gabbiadini’s vision and work rate could easily make him a useful number ten. Given that Everton have players like Mirallas, Barkley and Bolasie on the wings, he could really flourish in Goodison Park.
Since Gabbiadini joined Napoli in January of 2015, he has netted just 22 times from 70 games. While it doesn’t look like an impressive figure, it should also be noticed that he started most of his games from the bench as he had to play second fiddle to Higuaín. If given a regular chance, he could flourish in the more open Premier League.
Gabbiadini’s availability gives Everton the flexibility to switch to a two-man attack as and when needed. He is young and entering his prime and Everton could get the best of him. The former Sampdoria star could be a top player under Koeman and with most of Everton’s forwards faltering, he could easily break into the starting lineup.
