Everton are leading the race along with rivals, Liverpool for the transfer of Chelsea midfielder, Ruben Loftus-Cheek. The 23-year-old was forced to find an escape in Crystal Palace last season after being denied a spot in Antonio Conte’s starting XI. With the managerial situation at Stamford Bridge still unresolved, he remains concerned with his future and is in search of regular football.
Loftus-Cheek is currently serving his country in the 2018 FIFA World Cup and came on to impress as a second-half substitute in England’s 2-1 win over Tunisia in the group stages recently. The Chelsea academy product added a different dynamic to Gareth Southgate’s team and worked in unison with Marcus Rashford to mount pressure on the opposition.
He also made 25 appearances for Palace in the last term and contributed with two goals and five assists. An injury to his ankle kept him out of action for a significant period but he still managed to make an impact, pulling Palace away from the relegation zone.
Standing at 6 feet 3 inches tall, the Englishman draws comparisons to Ivory Coast international, Yaya Toure and has the potential to one day replicate his exploits in the Premier League. However, for that, he will require more minutes in the first team which he is not promised at the Bridge.
Loftus-Cheek has always shown promise from the Blues youth ranks, having earned 40 caps for England’s U16, U17, U19 and U21 sides. In the 2014/15 season, he helped the club to the FA Youth Cup trophy and subsequently the U21 Premier League.
He is one of those rare breeds of attacking midfielders who has the technical prowess to go along with that massive figure of his. The Englishman has a creative eye and can be influential in both attacking or deep midfield positions.
He puts in a decent shift in defence and could easily walk into the Everton first team. The Toffees are set to offload some of their flop signings and unnecessary personnel this summer, including Morgan Schneiderlin.
Marco Silva will be left with Tom Davies, Idrissa Gueye, Beni Baningime and an injured James McCarthy in the position. The latter is still recovering from a double leg break and Mo Besic is also uncertain of his future at Goodison Park.
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Gylfi Sigurdsson has also struggled to replicate his talents from his Swansea City days and Wayne Rooney is pondering over a move to DC United. Davy Klaassen has flopped out since his move from Ajax last summer and is nowhere near the club’s first team. Loftus-Cheek could fill in as an immediate answer to all Everton’s previous season woes if he can hit the ground running.
