Marcus Bent claims Everton will sign a midfielder and winger this summer
Former Everton striker Marcus Bent has revealed that he’s spoken to people at the club who have told him which positions they’re looking to strengthen.
Bent has been told that the Toffees are keen on signing a central midfielder and a wide attacker this summer.
Everton are yet to secure European football for next season, and it could go a long way in convincing players to sign the dotted line at Goodison Park in the coming months.
Last summer, despite no continental competitions to play in, Everton roped in the likes of James Rodriguez, Allan, Ben Godfrey and Abdoulaye Doucoure, in what was one of the best windows they’ve had in years.
This time out, the club are likely to go back into the market as Ancelotti will be looking to close the gap between them and the top four.
Speaking to Football FanCast about the club’s transfer plans, Bent said, “Speaking to people at the club, they’re not going to be changing anything at the back or the goalkeeper. The main source and direction they’re going in is a pacey, central midfielder and a pacey winger.”
Need changes at the back too
Sixth place is likely to get a Europa League berth and that’s what the Toffees would be targeting but they could see themselves finish seventh and qualify for the inaugural edition of the UEFA Conference League.
That’s unlikely to be the ideal scenario for Carlo Ancelotti’s men, but the club would like to finish as high as possible, and qualifying for any European tournament would come with added revenue.
Bent said that we’re looking at a winger and central midfielder, but anyone who’s watched us play this season knows that we’ve been porous at the back and if we are to bridge the gap with the Champions League sides we need to sign a quality centre-back.
Names like Kalidou Koulibaly and Gleison Bremer have been linked of late, and both of them would be an upgrade on the current options we’ve got.
Another position we need to strengthen is right-back. Seamus Coleman has his best days behind him and it could be the ideal time for us to sort out a long-term replacement for the Irishman.
We know Ancelotti has got the pulling power to get big names over the line and we’re hoping we have a successful window like we did last summer and realistically challenge for a top-four finish next season.
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