It seems Everton haven’t finished their business in the winter transfer window yet. After the addition of Morgan Schneiderlin from Manchester United and Ademola Lookman from Charlton, manager Ronald Koeman is now eyeing yet another move for a midfielder in Ludogorets Razgard’s Jonathan Cafu, according to reports.
The Toffees currently have one of the best midfield in the Premier League, which has a perfect blend of experience and youth and another addition seems needless at this time, especially with James McCarthy returning from injury. However, this looks more like a backup for Ross Barkley in the number 10 role.
With the likes of Idrissa Gueye, Gareth Barry, McCarthy, Schneiderlin, Darron Gibson, Tom Davies and the injured Muhamed Besic in the squad, the central midfield and defensive midfield is more or less sorted out. And although Barkley has been quite impactful in his position, Koeman doesn’t have even one natural backup option for his position.
Cafu has impressed one and many in his attacking play for Ludogorets this season, especially in their European campaign where he scored two goals and provided four assists in 6 Champions League games. He came into the spotlight in their close 3-2 defeat to Arsenal in the group stage game.
An academy product of Desportivo Brasil U19, Cafu has come through the ranks of many Brazilian sides like Boavista Sport Club (RJ), Esporte Clube XV de Novembro (SP), Capivariano Futebol Clube (SP) and Associação Atlética Ponte Preta before he was picked up by Sau Paulo in 2015. After just six months of impressive displays, Ludogorets bought him.
The 25-year-old has established himself as a key player for the Bulgarian side, scoring 19 goals in 54 appearances during his two seasons with the club so far. An attacking midfielder by nature, he can also play as a centre-forward and has some serious dribbling abilities. His brilliant finishing prowess was evident in the Champions League games.
Landing him, however, won’t be an easy task for the Toffees as Sunderland are also eyeing a move for the player. The former Everton boss, David Moyes, is also said to be interested in bringing the Brazilian to the Premier League.
Everton’s financial stability will undoubtedly be a great advantage as the player commands a fee of around £8m and the club landing him would have to go through the troubles of a work permit because he holds a Bulgarian passport. Playing alongside the likes of Kevin Mirallas, Romelu Lukaku, Aaron Lennon and Ross Barkley up front would definitely help him in flourishing in England.
