In a recent interview with Fiorentina.it, KRC Genk full-back Daniel Muñoz’s agent, Diego Carannante mentioned that Everton turned down the chance to land his client this summer. It is understood that the Belgian outfit were demanding €15m for their prized asset which the Toffees did not come close to matching in the recently concluded summer transfer window. Carannante said,
“We were offering the player (Munoz) to Rafa Benitez’s Everton, but then we also talked about it with Fiorentina.
“Fiorentina liked the player but didn’t have the budget to buy him because there was a difference of €5m (£4.3m) between the €15m (£12.9m) that Genk were asking for and the €8m (£6.9m) of Fiorentina.”
Munoz’s Impressive Form At The Luminus Arena
The 25-year-old enjoyed a good run of form in Belgian football last season when he caught the eye for his excellent contributions as Genk’s first-choice right-back. Munoz made 44 appearances for the Belgian outfit in the previous campaign, scoring one goal and grabbing seven assists in the process across all competitions.
The Amalfi-born defender gave a good account of himself by averaging 3.2 tackles, 2.4 interceptions, 2.6 clearances, 0.6 shots, 0.8 key passes and 0.6 dribbles per game in the Belgian Jupiler Pro League last season. He was also a tidy distributor of the ball from the right-back position after completing 84.2% of his attempted passes in the top tier of Belgian football (stats via whoscored).
Did The Toffees Make The Right Call By Declining The Chance To Recruit Munoz?
Munoz is developing himself into a solid defender at the back as he can time his tackles well to make some important interceptions inside his half. He can clear his lines when in danger of being exposed on the defensive end of the pitch. The Colombian right-back has got a great work ethic and can cause a few problems for the opposition by making a few energetic runs down the right flank. Munoz even added a bunch of assists to his game last season which goes to show that he is maturing into a top player.
However, Everton’s decision to turn down the chance to sign the South American talent this summer seems to be the correct one at the moment as there are some serious question marks over whether he can adapt to the physical nature of English football and maintain his good form in the Premier League.
Still, if Munoz continues to perform at a high level for Genk after the international break, Rafael Benitez would be wise to engineer a cut-price move to secure the services of the Genk star who has still got three years remaining in his current contract.
