Goodison Tactics: All-action Khedira should not be written off by Everton fans
Juventus midfielder Sami Khedira has been heavily linked with a move to Everton in recent weeks and supporters should not write him off just yet.
TalkSPORT’s Kevin Hatchard believes a deal to bring the German to the Premier League could happen this month, with his future in Turin looking bleak.
Khedira is a player that Ancelotti knows all too well having previously worked with the former World Cup winner at Real Madrid.
Due to turn 34 later this year, a deal to sign Khedira may not prove to be all that popular with all Evertonians, but the experienced, all-action midfielder would be bringing much more than just a cool head to this Toffees squad.
The former Madrid man can often be wrongly pigeonholed as a deeper midfielder, someone who likes to dictate play much closer to the defence, but that is very much not the case.
Despite his age and recent injury record, Khedira is a player who likes to break into the opposition box and take up positions much closer to the central striker.
Below, we see Khedira’s heatmap from last season’s Serie A campaign courtesy of Wyscout, where he played mostly off the right of a midfield three.
It highlights how much ground over on the right flank that Khedira can cover. In the role that many Italians may like to call the ‘mezzala’, Khedira would often offer support to the striker or the right-sided winger.
Below, we see an example from the opponents minutes of Juventus’ meeting with Atalanta during the 2019/20 season to see the sort of positions he would typically pick.
His willingness to get in and around the box could certainly help Everton and offer more support to the likes of Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who has looked isolated in the final third in recent weeks.
Support around the striker and quality service has been a real issue for Everton lately and it goes some way to explaining Calvert-Lewin’s bad run in front of goal.
Below, we see a smart run by Khedira on the blindside of Atalanta’s no.11. It is a selfless piece of movement, as he does not gain possession of the ball, but he does keep the defender occupied and allow Gonzalo Higuain to peel off and come short to collect the ball in the space previously occupied by the German.
A visible trait in Khedira’s game is his ability to pick and choose the right time to make those lung-bursting runs into the final third.
At the age of 33, this is invaluable and will be even more important if he were to make the move to the Premier League at this late stage of his career.
Here, we see the smart movement from Khedira, who spots a gap from the halfway line in the Atalanta defence.
He follows up a brilliant run towards the box with a delicate backheel flick to open an eventual goalscoring opportunity for Higuain.
Another trait to Khedira’s game is his willingness to support the right-sided winger when lining up in a 4-3-3.
For Everton, that could be James Rodriguez or possibly even the returning Seamus Coleman.
Overlapping full-backs has been a common trait for Everton this season and Khedira’s willingness to get beyond either his winger or full-back could be a useful weapon for Carlo Ancelotti to have in midfield.
Only time will tell if Everton can complete a deal to sign the Juventus midfielder and whether or not he succeeds on Merseyside remains to be seen.
However, what is clear to see is the fact that Khedira should not be written off because of either his age or his injury record.
Everton would be getting themselves a willing runner who has the quality to match in the opposing half.
In other Everton news, Brandon Williams’ unique ability could make him perfect Everton signing in Jan