Everton FC have been handed a major boost in their quest to sign Aymen Abdennour after the defender recently rejected a big money offer from an unnamed Chinese to keep trying his luck in European football.
The Merseyside club has been linked with the Valencia player for quite some time now but haven’t been able to thrash out a deal.
After the departure of John Stones to Manchester City, the Merseyside club invested in Ashley Williams but it was evident there were looking for another defender to bolster their ranks. Phil Jagielka is on the wrong side of 30’s and is running out of days in the top tier of the English competition especially at a club like Everton. They strive to be challenging for the Top 6 on a regular basis and their current crop of defenders are not enough by any means.
With the new owners willing to pump money for transfer activities, it is apparent that Ronald Koeman will look to form a core of his own choice.
Despite possessing big names like Romero Funes Mori, Phil Jagielka, Leighton Baines, Seamus Coleman and summer signing Ashley Williams, Ronald Koeman’s side have let in 21 goals in the league this season, which sees them sit in the 9th spot after 17 game weeks.
Abdenour started his career for Tunisian club Étoile Sportive du Sahel and has played for clubs like SV Werder Bremen, Toulouse FC and AS Monaco before joining Valencia CF in the summer of 2015. The Tunisian has since made 30 appearances for Los Che in the league. He had previously been a regular member of the Monaco side under both Claudio Ranieri and Leonardo Jardim.
It is rumoured that a handful of clubs including French Giants Olympique Marseille are after the signature of the Carthage Eagles’ defender, who has earned 49 caps for his country, finding the net on two occasions since 2009.
But according to the reports of Spanish daily El Mundo Deportivo, the 1984-85 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup champions are the favourites to secure the services of the 27-year-old in January. With the Everton manager deciding against the high price needed to try and lure star Dutch defender Virgil Van Dyk away from league rivals Southampton FC, it is likely that they will go all out for the former Monaco defender in the winter transfer window.
Abdennour favours a physical approach to defending and is known for his no-nonsense style of defending. His physical presence is likely to suit the much more boisterous pace of the Premier League and is likely to be a big boost to the back line for the nine times English First Division champions.
However, the Tunisian is not known to be the fastest on the field, which might prove to be an issue when it comes to fast moving English game. The faster Abdennour adapts to the English style of football, the more effective a signing he will be for Everton.
