Everton have been pretty good so far this season under the tutelage of Ronald Koeman. A look at the Premier League table will show us that they are seventh in the league with a positive goal difference as well. However, it did seem like there was a missing piece in the Toffees’ setup and that urged Koeman into getting the final piece of the jigsaw for fabricating a complete side.
Everton were very much proactive in the transfer market and successfully lured Morgan Schneiderlin into their side from Manchester United. The Frenchman was an outcast at the red half of Manchester ever since José Mourinho took charge, which saw him getting very limited amount of opportunities. However, Schneiderlin’s signing must excite Everton fans, for the hungry Frenchman can definitely be the vital cog in the machinery to revolutionise Everton’s season.
First and foremost, it must be mentioned that the midfielder is exactly something Everton lacked for quite some time; a midfielder at his peak with a notable sense of aggression who can break the opponents’ attacks and stand up to the challenge time and again. Frankly speaking, he is a progressive box-to-box defensive midfielder whose efficiency and calibre is simply riveting. He pulled the strings from the centre of the park at Southampton and there’s no reason why he cannot replicate the same in the blue shirt by linking up with the likes of Enner Valencia, Ross Barkley, Tom Davies and Kevin Mirallas.
The transfer has come at the right time, considering that the Merseyside club needs leaders on the pitch. Gareth Barry is waning with his age whereas Barkley and James McCarthy have been under intense criticism owing to their erratic displays. Everton needed something substantial this transfer window, and luckily, they got it. He presses the opponents relentlessly, provides a shield to the backline, marauds the team forward and leaves a lasting impression and influence in the midfield.
The game against Man City showed Everton can hurt anyone on their day. This transfer window incoming for Everton will unleash a new flair and aura in their veins and revolutionise the way they appear. Schneiderlin is undoubtedly a world class player who can cut defences apart, dictate the tempo of the game, integrate the team together and can also help to create more chances for someone like Romelu Lukaku. He was the complete package Everton were looking for quite some time.
Alongside Idrissa Gueye, Koeman will now have the luxury to implement Schneiderlin and morph an unparalleled central midfield partnership with the elements of mobility, passing, resilience, muscularity and guile.
Although Gueye is out of the side owing to his national team commitments with Senegal in the Africa Cup of Nations, it would be a treat to watch this pair in action together once he is back to the Goodison Park. Unarguably, Everton have added a potent weapon in their armoury and Schneiderlin can very well be the impetus which was sought by Koeman to build a platform for a much better side from here on for the rest of the season and even beyond that.
