After qualifying for the Europa League next season following a scintillating second-half display, Everton are set to have one of the most exciting transfer windows this summer as the Toffees’ billionaire owner Farhad Moshiri looks to give manager Ronald Koeman full freedom to bring in the players he wants.
Of course, retaining the services of players like Romelu Lukaku and Ross Barkley will be quintessential but the Toffees have well established their stature as a buying club now as was seen in the winter transfer window and Koeman has plans to continue that in the summer.
Scoring, quite surprisingly, hasn’t been a problem for the Toffees this season with Koeman’s side putting in 61 goals so far, nine more than Manchester United who have the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Wayne Rooney and Anthony Martial in their strike force. The attacking duo of Lukaku and Barkley has been phenomenal scoring 29 goals and managing 15 assists in the process. But, it cannot be overlooked what Everton’s condition would have been in the case of an early injury to Lukaku.
Their bench is extremely thin, especially in the attacking role. Except for Lukaku, Everton have only West Ham United loanee Enner Valencia as a feasible centre-forward. Lukaku has started 36 games this season, scoring 24 goals in them, playing a massive role in their seventh position finish. And whether Everton manages to hold onto him or not, a centre-forward is essential for them going into a hectic season.
According to reports, the Toffees are plotting a bid for Manchester City’s third choice forward, Kelechi Iheanacho. The 20-year-old Nigerian international has managed 19 league outings so far, where he has scored four goals and provided three assists. And with Guardiola bringing in the likes of Gabriel Jesus and Nolito, the City academy product isn’t likely to get first team action anytime soon.
Iheanacho has a vibrancy in the attacking third, something which Enner Valencia brings to the Everton side. However, with Jonathan Calleri returning back to La Liga side Deportivo Maldonado at the end of the season and repeated injuries to Andy Carroll and Diafra Sakho, Valencia will be called back to West Ham. While this makes Everton’s move for Iheanacho all the more important, the Hammers are also in the race to sign the Nigerian.
City have labelled their youth product at £20 million, a sum very much affordable by both the clubs. A centre-forward by nature, Iheanacho is mainly a poacher who specialises in converting the long balls into goals. Facing the goal backwards, Iheanacho excels in receiving the ball and finishing in the top drawer. Though he is not the strongest in aerial duels, his dribbling abilities and passing prowess more than compensates for that.
