Report – Everton keen on swoop for South American winger, talks held
Everton are interested in signing Santos winger Yeferson Soteldo, according to reliable journalist Nicolo Schira.
The reporter states that the Toffees are keen to land the 22-year-old Venezuelan international, and have held preliminary talks with JC Peres, president of the Brazilian outfit.
Schira shared the information via his personal Twitter account.
Soteldo has already accrued 17 caps for his country, scoring once in the process, and was a regular for Santos last term, making 34 appearances in all competitions and scoring 10 in the process.
The wide man generally operates on the left hand side, and is something of a diminutive figure, coming in at around 5’2″ tall.
Would Soteldo be a good signing?
First and foremost, we need to address his height.
At just 5’2″, he is unusually small for a professional footballer, and it’s hard not to see his small stature as a potential stumbling block in the physicality of the Premier League.
Any potential fears should be allayed by a quick look at the Venezuelan’s stats though.
Last season, he averaged a dribble success rate of 50.4%, as per Wyscout.
As a point of reference, Bernard, Everton’s resident little wide man, averaged a completion rate of 38.5%, as per Wyscout.
Soltedo has an end product too, averaging 3.63 accurate crosses per game compared to Bernard’s 2.1.
Whether or not this deal happens remains to be seen, and it should be emphasised that it is very much in the early stages at the moment, but one thing is for sure, Soltedo’s height shouldn’t be a factor in deciding whether or not to make a move.
In other Everton news, Ancelotti wants to be reunited with serial trophy winning star at Goodison Park.