Ronald Koeman is looking to bring in more quality in his wing play before the transfer window ends on Tuesday. Although in the likes of Kevin Mirallas, Ademola Lookman and Aaron Lennon, Everton have a decent blend of experience and youth at their disposal, the Dutch boss doesn’t look satisfied with the quality.
Against Crystal Palace, Koeman opted to play wing-backs for the extra edge from wide play with Mirallas and Lukaku as strikers. The setup was neither fluent nor effective and the only goal of the match came right at the end from wing-back Seamus Coleman, bringing into light Koeman’s lack of faith in his wingers.
Chelsea have brilliantly pulled off the wing-back stunt because Conte has Eden Hazard, Willian and Pedro to make things happen up front, which is not the case with Everton. With Deulofeu now loaned off to AC Milan, Koeman is eyeing a late effort to bring in Dynamo Kiev winger Andriy Yarmolenko.
According to The Sun, Everton are one of the Premier League sides willing to bring in the 27-year-old Ukrainian international this January. A right winger by nature, Yarmolenko can play on both the flanks with equal deft and produce some of the perfect crosses.
A prolific goal scorer, Yarmolenko has scored 29 goals in 67 international caps for Ukraine so far and played over 300 games for Kiev. He has scored four goals this season in the domestic league of Ukraine and was the only bright aspect of the team in their Champions League campaign with three assists. With a shot accuracy of 71% and average passing accuracy of 85%, Yarmolenko could be a potent signing for Everton, who have a target men like Romelu Lukaku and Enner Valencia waiting to prey on the perfectly measured balls.
What makes him more interesting is his 9-million-pound price tag. The 27-year-old has been linked with a move to England for several years now but never made the switch. And it is safe to say that given their league position and financial prowess, the Toffees could outbid the competition now.
However, Yarmolenko’s substantial wage could be a hindrance for any club willing to buy him, which pretty much explains the lack of interest from many other European clubs and Everton could soon join that list. Dynamo Kiev keeps their best player with a handsome pay of £100,000-a-week and Everton’s best player, Lukaku, currently earns around £90,000 a week.
