Rui Silva set to exit Granada after January links to Everton
Reported Everton goalkeeper target Rui Silva has rejected a contract offer from Granada and will be leaving the Spanish club in the summer.
Spanish news outlet Estadio Deportivo reported in January that Everton were in the running to sign the 27-year-old Portuguese shot-stopper.
Silva has played an integral role in Granada climbing out of the Spanish second division and reaching the Europa League knock-out stages but is now heading towards the exit door.
As quoted by One Football, sporting director Fran Sanchez has stated Rui won’t be renewing in the Summer, saying: “Until the last moment we tried, but a few weeks ago his representatives told us that he was not going to renew.
“While Rui wears the Granada shirt, I defend him to death. His commitment is one of honour from the first day he arrived.
“He is giving an extraordinary performance and we will enjoy it until the last day he is in Granada.”
Rui to the rescue?
Everton’s goalkeeper woes have been well documented this season. It’s something the club need to fix if they want to be genuine contenders for the Champions League places.
Jordan Pickford signed for a club-record fee £30m in June of 2017. There’s no doubting he’s a good shot-stopper, but several mistakes have led to him coming under question.
A manager with standards such as Carlo Ancelotti won’t continue to stand for his unforced errors. It’s no surprise he’s looking around at alternative options.
Rui has kept twelve clean sheets this season in La Liga and Europa League. Compared to that of Pickford, who has just three clean sheets in all competitions this season.
Maybe the Portuguese keeper is the answer to Everton’s keeper problems.
In other Everton news, Victor Anichebe has said he wants to see James Rodriguez play in a more central role.