Ancelotti dismisses prospect of signing a centre-back this summer
Carlo Ancelotti has played down speculation that Everton could look to sign a new centre-back when the transfer window opens this summer.
Everton have been linked with a handful of defenders in the past few weeks, most notably Napoli’s Kalidiou Koulibaly and Bologna’s Takehiro Tomiyasu, both of whom were said to have caught the eye of the Italian manager.
The Blues currently have Michael Keane, Ben Godfrey, Yerry Mina and Mason Holgate jostling for a starting spot, but speculation had suggested that Ancelotti was ready to move Mina out in order to secure a marquee signing.
Koulibaly appeared to be a natural target for the Everton, with Ancelotti previously raving about his former player, declaring him worth £130million (€150m).
However the Toffees boss has now played down such talk, suggesting that he is happy with the options currently at his disposal on Merseyside.
Asked about whether the Koulibaly speculation would see him explore defensive options in the transfer market, as reported by the Liverpool Echo, Ancelotti said: “Honestly, I have a lot of good memories of Koulibaly. He was a good player, a good guy, a good friend.
“But, if you see our squad there, we are really well covered because we have four centre-backs who are young, with a lot of talent and different characteristics between them.
“And so, in that position, we are really covered for the future.”
No surprise there
As much as Koulibaly would prove to be an immediate improvement on the options that Ancelotti currently has at his disposal, having been dubbed “extraordinary” by former teammate Pepe Reina, a summer move for a centre-back never made much sense given the options already at the club.
Holgate and Godfrey are both young and still developing, while Keane and Mina are young enough that Everton don’t need to concern themselves with replacing them any time soon.
Should the Toffees have a clear weak link of those options then maybe Ancelotti could have explored finding a solution to that problem, but each defender has shined individually over the course of the current campaign.
Of course this could all change if a club launched a sizeable offer for one of Everton’s centre-back quartet that forced them to consider it, but as things stand it doesn’t appear as though the club are receiving plentiful offers.
The Blues have other priorities that need addressing this summer, so it makes sense for Ancelotti to put centre-back speculation to rest.
In other Everton news, Everton want to sign £25.9m-rated star that Champions League manager called the ‘complete player’.
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