In a recent report, Football Italia has claimed that Everton are leading the race to land Juventus midfielder Sami Khedira, who could terminate his contract at the Allianz Stadium in January. It is understood that the Toffees have moved ahead of Tottenham Hotspur in the chase to acquire the German midfield ace’s services (via Football Italia).
Khedira’s Career At Turin Has Come To A Standstill
Khedira has not featured for the Old Lady this season and was a rotational player at Turin in the last campaign when he made 18 appearances for Juve, securing only one assist in various competitions.
The German midfielder failed to give a good account of himself in the last term, which was evident from his stats as well. The 33-year-old could only average 1.2 tackles, 0.3 interceptions, 0.9 clearances, 1.0 shots and 0.7 key passes per 90 minutes in the Serie A last season. However, he was often accurate with his ball-distribution from midfield after he completed 88.2% of his attempted passes in the Italian first division (stats via whoscored).
The Stuttgart-born playmaker needs to seek a move to another club in January if he intends to stay relevant in European football at this stage of his playing career. Khedira could be tempted with the opportunity to join his former manager Carlo Ancelotti at Goodison Park because he had previously revealed that he ‘always dreamed of a move to the Premier League’ (via Football Italia).
What Will The German International Add To Ancelotti’s Team?
Khedira has got a wealth of experience in his locker to fill in as a valuable squad player at Merseyside. Standing at 1.89m, he is an intimidating figure at the centre of the park and can still win his fair share of 50-50 aerial duels for his side.
The 77-time German international is a tough-tackling midfielder who can also unlock the opposition defence with a killer pass in the attacking third. However, father time is catching up with him, so there are some serious concerns over whether he can prove his worth in English football.
Ancelotti should only sign Khedira if he sees him as a sporadic option in his squad. Otherwise, the Italian tactician will be better off opting for a more proven playmaker as his current midfield department has sometimes lacked the invention to cut open the opponent’s defence in specific matches this season.
Khedira will undeniably add more competition for the likes of Andre Gomes, Fabian Delph, Allan, Abdoulaye Doucoure and Tom Davies at Goodison Park. He could also serve as an upgrade over Gylfi Sigurdsson who looks like a shadow of his former self these days. With all things considered, Ancelotti can benefit from adding a player of Khedira’s experience and winning mindset, especially if he is available on a free transfer this winter.
