View: Ancelotti could make huge mistake by ignoring midfield targets
Having recently revealed his transfer plans for the summer, Everton boss Carlo Ancelotti could be on the verge of making a massive mistake.
The Blues are expected to once again invest heavily this summer as the Italian manager continues to build a side worthy of challenging for a space in the Champions League.
Everton’s pursuit of a new right-back has been widely reported, while the Toffees have also been linked with a number of central midfielders, centre-backs and wingers over the past few months.
Talking about midfielder Jean-Philippe Gbamin, who suffered a fresh long-term injury last week despite having only just made his long awaited comeback, Ancelotti outlined some of the positions he would not explore making signings for ahead of next season. [Guardian]
One such position was central midfield, with Ancelotti explaining that Everton don’t need to replace Gbamin because he has “the quality and the potential” to play.
Understandably with Gbamin having sustained another long-term injury some had raised concerns that Everton could look to replace the Ivorian, but the club’s search for a new central midfielder should go beyond just that.
Having played just seven times this season due to frequent injury, Fabian Delph’s future as an Everton player is uncertain. The 31-year old has little over a year left on his contract and his impact on Merseyside has been minimal at best.
Andre Gomes has also experienced turbulent form for the Blues this season, impressing one week and cutting a disinterested figure the next, often earning criticism from the Everton fan base.
Allan missed two months of the season over the winter period through injury and Abdoulaye Doucoure’s fractured foot injury in March left Everton bereft of energy, with no player possessing the same work rate as the Frenchman.
Over the course of the season Everton have experienced injuries and inconsistent performances in midfield, and all this came before Gbamin was even considered to be an option, indicating deeper problems in that area than the 25-year old’s recent set-back.
The Toffees need to pursue midfield targets this summer, not to replace Gbamin in the squad but to deepen Ancelotti’s options and to improve the level of quality currently available to the Italian.
Everton’s aim is to crack the top four in the next few years with Ancelotti at the helm, and if they are planning on doing so they’ll need to keep improving their squad across the board, and their midfield is no exception to that.
In other Everton news, an ‘outstanding’ star is keen on signing for Everton as Marcel Brands is given price to seal big deal.
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