Everton’s late resurgence was shockingly thwarted last week when Leicester City ousted them from the FA Cup third round. Already out of the EFL Cup, Ronald Koeman will now be solely focussing on getting his team a top 6 finish this season, and the biggest concern for him would definitely be his inconsistent attackers.
In Romelu Lukaku, Koeman has a brilliant striker, who could make a goal out of nothing at times, but his dry spells are really long and the gaffer has no options to fall back in such circumstances. Enner Valencia’s emergence has definitely added some vibrancy to the team, but he never looked like a major threat to the opponent. While his aggressive approach helps opponents in making mistakes at the back, but his sharpness in front of the goal has been a question for many.
Koeman is very much wary of it and a lot of forwards are linked with a move to Goodison Park in the past few weeks, although no particular deal has yet been finalised. And the latest name to get added to their shopping list is AS Monaco’s forward Valere Germain, according to L’Equipe. The French publication reports that Everton are one of the clubs monitoring the player along with Southampton.
The 26-year-old has netted five times and assisted thrice in his 18 appearances for the club since returning to the team after his loan in OGC Nice. Germain has come up through the ranks of ASPTT Orléans, US Orléans, LB Châteauroux, before getting picked up by Monaco’s B team in 2011.
He has played a significant role in helping Monaco get to the UEFA Champions League knockout stages, scoring 3 goals and providing 1 in the tournament. A centre-forward by nature, Germain’s attacking mentality also enables him to work on the left wing. With a deadly right foot, he has exhibited some brilliant passing in Ligue 1 this season.
However, what makes Germain a suitable candidate for the Premier League would be his defensive attributes. At 180cm, he has a more or less competitive frame to endure the physical pressure of the league and does really well in holding on to the ball and winning 43% of his aerial duels.
With a 78% passing accuracy, Germain could be an effective player on the left flank for Koeman, where he is solely dependent on Kevin Mirallas. With the reverse fixtures coming up soon, Everton will have to aim victory against weaker sides and squeeze valuable points in big games. They already surprised Arsenal at Goodison Park last month when they came from behind to beat them 2-1. The Toffees surely have the quality to finish higher in the table and Germain will work as a catalyst.
