China have announced themselves on the footballing stage after some big money moves for a lot of top European players. After Oscar and Carlos Tevez, it is Fiorentina forward Nikola Kalinic, who has been netted by them. Reportedly, Chinese club Tianjin Quanjian have agreed a £38.5m fee for the Serie A forward and biggest blow has been inflicted on Merseyside club, Everton.
Everton were monitoring the player for long and a move was on the cards before the sudden lump sum deal totally swept them away from the equation. Ronald Koeman is desperate to add some firepower up front, after the first half of Premier League season exposed their deficiency in the attacking third.
The pressure on Romelu Lukaku has been tremendous. The Belgian has started 19 games for the Toffees and cannot solely rely on their star striker in the second half of the season. Hence, Kalinic, who has scored eight goals in 18 Serie A games so far, this term, looked like a perfect backup for the team.
Although it’s a gut-wrencher for Everton, Fiorentina are the real winner in this deal. The Italian side had paid only 5 million pounds to sign the 29-year-old Croatian international from Dnipro just 18 months back.
However, the transfer window has just opened and there’s time till it closes. We look at 3 alternatives Koeman could look for now.
Gregoire Defrel
The French hitman has been in good form this season, scoring six goals in 16 appearances for Italian side Sassuolo and could be a perfect backup option for Everton. His sudden burst of pace and witty, sharp turns has been worrying opponents in the Serie A and his presence up front would really help Everton.
He has the knack to come deep and create chances for the team. A versatile attacker, he is equally effective on flanks and has shown immense creativity and pace.
Łukasz Teodorczyk
More like Lukaku, Teodorczyk’s attribute is his consistency in front of the goal. His displays have already attracted many top European clubs. His dominating physique will help him sustain himself in the Premier League. His spell at Anderlecht this season has been nothing short of outstanding.
The Polish attacker excels in the air and has won an average of 3.8 aerial duels this season in the Europa League. Alongside the likes of Kevin Mirallas and Ross Barkley, he could be a lethal player up front.
Moussa Marega
He has been linked to Premier League clubs like Sunderland, West Ham United, Stoke City and more. The FC Porto striker has been a revelation this season in his loan spell at Vitoria de Guimaraes. He is more known for his brute force in front of the goal and at 183cm, he could also be a decent aerial threat.
With an unparalleled stamina, Marega could be of great use to Everton and Koeman could use him to hold the ball up front while the attacking midfielders join in on the counter.
