Ronald Koeman has transformed the stature of Everton and has been deriving the most out of the calibre which his players have on offer and the results that have yielded this term are testamentary reminders of the same.
Having played 31 league games in the top flight of English football, the Toffees have accumulated 51 points and are placed 7th in the league table. They have unarguably constructed a pedestal for themselves to launch forward and aim for the lucrative European places next time around. The summer transfer window shall hold the key to the chances of their upward spiral and one of the players they could possibly focus on is Southampton’s Jordy Clasie.
Clasie is a central midfielder with a notable repute and despite being serially overlooked by Claude Puel while dishing out his tactical nous for the Saints, he stills remains in the good books of football fraternity. In 14 league games this campaign, the 25-year-old has registered 1 assist and per game on an average, he has made 1.1 tackles, 0.7 interceptions, 0.6 clearances and 0.1 blocks.
These statistics might not be the best ones, but he is someone who could strike the right chords and can perform much better if given a vote of confidence by his gaffer.
Fitness issues of James McCarthy and Muhamed Besic coupled with Koeman’s persistence with fielding central midfielders might urge Clasie to target an exit from St. Mary’s and assess his future under the tutelage of Koeman. Besides, he is also out of favour under Puel and that might just be the impetus needed by him in the summer.
Frankly speaking, Clasie still rests inside the bracket of players who sit in front of the backline and constructs a neat attacking setup and orchestrates the tempo of the game in a shrewd manner. He has a hard working nature, leaves no blade of the grass unattended and loves to tackle whenever the situations permit him to do so. He would not only add depth but he would inject quality in Everton’s midfield if a deal materialises.
The Dutch international has previously worked under Koeman and thus, these two are quite familiar with each other. Moreover, Clasie has also garnered experience in the top tier of English football and the problems of acclimatising would not be faced by him. The former Feyenoord midfielder’s move to the Goodison Park would thus make perfect sense and should benefit all the parties involved.
Statistics Credits: WhoScored.com
