Everton have struggled with attacking options so far this season as the likes of Dominic Calvert Lewin, and Cenk Tosun have failed to produce the goods. As a result, Marco Silva has opted to play Brazilian Richarlison as the lone striker whereas he is at his best when he plays down the left. It is expected that the club could be after a striker in January and latest reports confirm that they are interested in signing Inter Milan and Brazil forward Gabriel Barbosa. Reports also convey that apart from the Toffees, Crystal Palace and West Ham United are also keeping track of this 22-year-old striker.
Reports from Goal Brazil confirms that the player is keen on a Premier League move over the other leagues and his influential agent Kia Joorabchian is trying his level best to land his man a deal in the English top flight. Barbosa is currently on loan with Brazilian outfit Santos. The deal is set to expire by the end of the year, and the player will be back in Italy to join Inter Milan.
However, he has failed to establish himself with the Italian giants and is already looking for a move-out. He is fondly called as ‘Gabigol’ and is regarded highly in Brazil. The 22-year-old has represented Brazil at almost all youth level and even has four senior caps to his name.
Like most Brazilian, Barbosa has a flair to his game and is quite eye-catching to watch with his quick feet and neat dribbling techniques. So far he has managed 16 goals for Santos having joined in the January transfer window and his versatility to play as a right winger should also appeal to Marco Silva.
The forward moved to Inter Milan in 2016 in a five-year deal worth €29.5m. However, he has failed to live up to expectations as he has just made ten appearances for the Italian outfit scoring only once. Due to his flamboyant playing style and his creative bag of tricks, he was dubbed as the next Neymar by some sections of the media. However, it is clear that he needs to go a long way before he can be compared to the former Barcelona star.
One never really knows what one can get by signing a talent like Barbosa as he has all the technical abilities but lacks application and work ethic to be successful at the top level. Everton can definitely be a good club for him as they have shown great ambition of late and under Marco Silva, they are playing some good brand of football. If the price is right, Barbosa is worth considering as he is still just 22 and can get his career back on track after falling out in the last 2-3 years.
