If the latest reports are to be believed, then Everton are going to go after influential Japanese playmaker Shinji Kagawa in January. The Borussia Dortmund playmaker has currently fallen down the pecking order at Signal Iduna Park after the resurgence of Marco Reus from injury and the form of English playmaker Jadon Sancho.
Kagawa has his contract up until 2020, so the German heavyweights are looking to cash in on him by selling the 29-year-old in January. Pellegrini’s West Ham United are also said to be in the race to sign him.
Everton have not been afraid to spend big money in the past few transfer windows, and they have it in them to land this talented former Manchester United playmaker. The good thing is that Kagawa has got a decent experience of the Premier League because of his time in Manchester, and therefore, he should be aware of the demands of the league.
Marco Silva could be looking to add competition for places for someone like Gylfi Sigurdsson who has been a major attacking threat this season. However, the Icelandic international is known to be slightly injury prone and has missed a good chunk of the season in the past few years due to various injuries. Thereby going for Kagawa makes sense.
Usually, the Dortmund playmaker likes to play in the no.10 role but can even play down the left flank. However, he is not going to be one of those traditional wingers hugging the byline as he usually looks to get the ball on his favoured right foot and try to influence the game from the centre of the pitch.
When United landed him in 2012, they were blamed for going through with this move because of marketing reasons, but one has to say that Kagawa did go on to have few influential games in United colours under Louis Van Gaal. However, he turned out to be a flop signing overall and was later shipped back to Dortmund for a second spell.
The Japanese star has over 200 appearances for Dortmund and has provided them with 60 goals and 55 assists in his career. What makes Kagawa stand out is his intelligence in the final third and his ability to pick out a defence-splitting pass.
He can be a good fit for Everton and can thrive under someone like Marco Silva who is building an eye-catching team at the moment. They are yet not there but the Merseyside club definitely have it in them to challenge the monopoly of the top 6 clubs in the next few seasons. With Richarlison regularly playing upfront, maybe Silva thinks he needs another playmaker who can play down the left and Kagawa fits the bill well.
