Middlesbrough have signed Everton’s Muhamed Besic on loan for the remainder of the season. The Bosnia international arrived at the Merseyside club back in 2014. The versatile player can also play as a centre back or a right back. However, he has just been given 555 minutes of football and made only nine appearances for the club.
When Farhad Moshiri and his Everton board backed Ronald Koeman to bring in an arsenal of signings that has seen the club spend an amount close to £182 million, everybody expected the Toffees to join the elite sides in the English Premier League. Despite spending so heavily, they have failed to score regularly and the side was once threatened by relegation.
Tipped by many to challenge the ‘top six’, the Toffees were expected to fight for a European spot this time. Currently, Everton are fighting a battle of rejuvenation after having been to hell and back in the early few months of the season. The club has in no way been able to throw any challenge to the top six in the first round of the Premier League.
As their form slumped down through a never-ending spiral, it saw the hammer fall on their ex-boss Ronald Koeman. Koeman’s sacking did little to change the club’s fortunes as they became the league’s bashing boys. However, as the fans and pundits stood awaiting for Everton to disappear into the lower leagues, the board appointed Sam Allardyce as the new manager.
Big Sam has a history of turning around fortunes for a club in crisis. The former England manager has become a specialist of sorts in the league when it comes to saving teams from relegation having done it with Sunderland and Crystal Palace in the previous two seasons.
Goodison Park has changed from a depressing arena of uncertainty to a place of tentative hope.
The Middlesbrough midfield has been exposed on multiple occasions this season and a defensive addition was necessary. Besic can provide the necessary depth into the squad behind the likes of veteran midfielders like Grant Leadbitter and Stuart Downing. His distribution abilities along with an ability to make the crucial interceptions all over the pitch will allow Tony Pulis’ men to hold onto the possession more.
Pulis is also a manager who is known around the English game to adopt a strong backline. His gameplay mostly boasts of a structure squad which can knock in goals on the counter. The 25-year-old’s arrival will help implement the plan better.
