View: Do Everton still need midfield reinforcements in January?
Everton appear to have lost out in their pursuit of Ecuador midfielder Moises Caicedo, but do the Toffees really need midfield reinforcements this month?
Ecuadorian outlet Diario Extra reported earlier this month that the Blues had jumped over Manchester United in the race for Caicedo, with the 19-year old looking likely to choose between the MLS and Merseyside as potential destinations.
Now the Brighton & Hove Independent claim that the Independiente del Valle midfielder looks set to join Brighton this month, with both Everton and Manchester United having fallen by the wayside.
With that in mind, do Everton need to continue pursuing midfield targets this month?
Everton currently have four fit midfielders who can operate in the centre of the park: Tom Davies, Andre Gomes, Abdoulaye Doucoure and Gylfi Sigurdsson. Fabian Delph and Allan are both out injured, while no return date has yet been provided for long-term injured man JP Gbamin.
Despite the fact that Everton have seven players on their books who can drop into a midfield role, few have proven to be consistent performers for the Blues, with new signings Doucoure and Allan the two key to the club’s league success this season.
Sigurdsson and Delph have both been subject to plenty of criticism in the past, much of which has left question marks over their respective long-term futures at the club, while Gbamin’s injury has been so lengthy that it is impossible to predict how he will perform once he eventually returns to first-team action.
At just 19-years old, Caicedo could have represented a smart piece of business to both strengthen Everton’s current squad while also keeping one eye on the future, but even without that option available it would be productive for the Blues to continue pursuing options.
Marcel Brands recently claimed that it was unlikely that Everton fans would see the club making any signings before the January transfer deadline, but with Champions League qualification spots still very much up for grabs, fans would likely want to see Everton give it their all to return to the continental stage.
Bolstering the midfield group would likely give Everton an additional boost in their end of season push, making further reinforcements something that should very much remain on the agenda at Goodison Park.
In other Everton news, Andy Burnham has sent a message about the Blues’ title chances this season.