In a recent print edition, Record mentioned that Everton will face stiff competition for Sporting CP midfielder Matheus Nunes this summer. It is understood that the Toffees will have to rival a few undisclosed Premier League clubs in the race to recruit the Brazilian midfield ace during this summer transfer window (transcripted and translated by Sport Witness).
Nunes’ Decent Form At José Alvalade Stadium
Nunes had a brilliant season with the Portuguese giants after he produced a handful of solid displays for them at the centre of the park. The Rio de Janeiro-born sensation scored three goals and provided three assists in 39 matches for Sporting in the previous campaign across various competitions.
The 22-year-old performed well to average 0.6 tackles, 0.5 shots and 1.2 dribbles per game in the Liga NOS as his contributions were enough to help the Portuguese outfit win the league title last season. Nunes even interchanged possession quite well with his teammates from midfield, as evidenced by his pass completion rate of 84.5% in the Portuguese top tier (stats via whoscored).
The promising youngster has taken good strides towards improving himself over the past 12 months. Thus, he could be a clever addition to the Toffees squad if Rafael Benitez decides to bring him on board before the transfer window slams shut at the end of next month.
Should The Toffees Step Up Their Pursuit Of Nunes This Summer?
Nunes has moderate pace under his belt and can make some encouraging runs with the ball from midfield. He usually works hard for his team and can orchestrate a few meaningful openings for his teammates in the opposition half. We can expect Nunes to bring some energy and dynamism to the Toffees midfield. He will even enhance the overall depth of the Everton squad for the coming seasons.
The Brazilian midfield ace did well to add some goals and assists to his game last season. However, he is still quite inexperienced at the highest level and would need time to settle into life at the blue half of Merseyside if Everton manage to win the race for his signature during this summer transfer period.
Nunes has what it takes to compete with the likes of Allan, Tom Davies, Abdoulaye Doucoure and Andre Gomes for a regular starting place at Goodison Park next season. Therefore, Benitez should think about stepping up his pursuit to secure the services of the talented midfielder ahead of the new campaign as he will help the Merseyside club compete across all fronts in the years to come.
