In a recent interview with Space Viola (via TuttoMercatoWeb), Fiorentina midfielder Amir Richardson’s agents Emmanuel Lacroix and Sebastien Szwarc revealed that Everton were monitoring their client earlier this summer. Lacroix and Szwarc said,
“Everton, Ajax and Fenerbahçe were monitoring his situation with great interest, which is completely understandable given his young age and considerable potential.
“Amir had talks with all the coaches of the interested clubs, but the first to contact him was Raffaele Palladino [Fiorentina manager], with whom he had a video call. From the very beginning, the strong interest on his part clearly emerged.
“After that conversation, Amir confided to us that he felt at ease and that in addition to his use on the pitch, we also discussed other aspects. Interest from other clubs showed later, but Amir was keen to keep his word to Palladino.
“We had contact with Roberto Goretti [Fiorentina technical director] after Diego Tavano, the intermediary of the operation and our partner, informed us of Fiorentina’s strong interest.”
Richardson’s Decent Season In Ligue 1
The 22-year-old experienced a solid season at Stade de Reims recently and put in a run of decent displays for them at the centre of the park. Richardson netted three goals and registered one assist in 28 matches for the French club in the previous campaign across various competitions.
The Moroccan midfield ace deserves some credit for averaging 1.2 tackles, 0.5 interceptions and 1.0 clearances per 90 minutes in Ligue 1 football. He was even careful with his ball distribution based on his pass completion rate of 83.5% in the top tier of French football (stats via whoscored).
Should Everton Boss Sean Dyche Go Back For Richardson?
Richardson loves a tackle and can scan the danger well to secure the ball back for his side in the middle of the park. He usually clears the danger when the opposition are on the front foot and is a tidy passer of the ball as well.
Richardson would have added more quality and depth to Everton head coach Sean Dyche’s midfield. At 22, he has the potential to be a world-class player in his position someday. Thus, it makes sense for the Toffees to go back for him this January or at the end of this campaign. However, only time will tell whether he can prove his worth in Premier League football if Everton end up signing him in the future.
