According to Italian news agency Calciomercato, Everton are facing a stiff competition from Italian giants AS Roma in landing the highly-rated Atalanta midfielder Franck Kessie this transfer window. Reportedly, Roma have made a player-plus-cash offer in order to beat off competition from the likes of Everton and Chelsea.
However, although the Toffees have very closely monitored the Ivory Coast international, who have been touted by many as the next ‘Yaya Toure’, with the addition of Morgan Schneiderlin to their midfield now, Koeman doesn’t seem to be very keen on chasing the player any longer.
Goodison Park has a thick core of midfielders at the moment with the likes of James McCarthy, Schneiderlin, Gareth Barry, Idrissa Gueye, and Darren Gibson and not to forget the young Tom Davies. Moving for another player might seem insensible at the moment, but Koeman should weigh up other realities as well.
Schneiderlin has been brought keeping in mind Barry is at the dusk of his playing career. The 35-year-old English midfielder is nearing his end and Koeman has surely found the perfect replacement for him in the French international. McCarthy has seen very little first team action this season and is most probably departing either this transfer window or the next. Gibson has hardly been a quality player at Everton and his lack of league action sums up his future at the club.
Hence, it leaves Koeman with only three potential midfielders in Gueye, Schneiderlin and Davies for the next season. And Kessie has the potential to better all the three. The 20-year-old has played 14 games for Atalanta this season, scoring five goals and has seen is stock rise vehemently.
At 180cm, Kessie is really domineering in the aerial duels and his close ball control has earned him a lot of praise from all across Europe. Serie A is stated to be superior in footballing technique than all other leagues and the fact that he is a regular there says a lot about his technical prowess.
Kessie brings strength and composure to the midfield, which is a very rare blend to find in the Premier League. Although the pace of English football would be difficult for him to adjust initially, he could be a real player if nurtured properly.
The fact that Manchester United and Chelsea are also interested in him also speaks highly of his quality. It’s reported that Atalanta are open to leaving the player to any club offering big money in order to persuade them to sell.
