Sam Allardyce may have made a decent start to his time at the Goodison Park but he has his work cut out, if he is to finish in the top half of the points table, come the end of the season. The manager has helped them climb to the 10th place bit he will need them to be consistent, to finish in a similar position.
So it does not come as a surprise that Allardyce is already thinking about adding options to his squad and The Mirror has today revealed four of his top transfer targets. Watford’s Troy Deeney, Sevilla’s Steven N’Zonzi, and West Brom’s Jonny Evans are high up his wish list but one player interestingly linked with a move to the club is Crystal Palace full-back Patrick van Aanholt.
The Dutch international made his first top-flight appearance in Europe with Stamford Bridge outfit Chelsea but he managed just a couple of appearances and five loan stints at five different clubs, before he was off-loaded to Sunderland in 2014.
He did not take long to establish himself at the Stadium of Light and made 82 appearances in the first team, before Sunderland went down last season. He decided to stay back in the top flight and signed for Crystal Palace, but has not consistently been their first choice this season.
He has eight starts this season at left-back and left wing-back but is yet to pick up a goal or an assist. However, he has been solid with his defensive duties and has been effective on the left side of the backline.
An attacking minded full-back, whose understanding of the game allows him to stay ahead of his opponents, Van Aanholt will definitely add a cutting edge to Everton’s flanks but may not particularly be a necessity at the back.
Leighton Baines has been the first choice for Ronald Koeman before and Sam Allardyce now and he has honestly been one of their best players this season. He also has an able backup in Cuco Martina and unless Everton sell either name, Van Aanholt is not such a necessity at the club, at the moment.
At 32, Baines may be nearing his end and Everton might be looking for a long-term replacement and van Aanholt, at 27, is a decent option. But Allardyce has many other issues to solve at the club and if Van Aanholt is someone he wants to buy, he can wait till the summer. But do you think they should sign him up in January?
