Everton line up move for Aston Villa midfielder Marvelous Nakamba
Everton are set to make a move for 27-year-old Aston Villa midfielder Marvelous Nakamba, according to the Daily Mail.
The newspaper claims Everton, alongside Premier League rivals Crystal Palace, are “ready to test their resolve by launching moves” before the transfer window shuts at the end of August.
The Zimbabwe international is understood to “feature highly” on the wanted lists of Rafa Benitez and new Palace boss Patrick Vieira.
Cast-offs?
Nakamba has made 42 Premier League appearances since moving to the Midlands from Belgian outfit Club Brugge in 2019, but 14 of those outings have been as a substitute [WhoScored].
He only played 751 league minutes last season as he struggled to displace Brazil international Douglas Luiz and Scotland star John McGinn, though he did start the final two games of the campaign and put in impressive displays in 2-1 wins against Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea.
He showed glimpses of his potential during his first season with Villa as well, with Arsenal legend Ian Wright hailing the 15-cap international on BBC MOTD [02/11/19] after a narrow loss to Liverpool.
“When you look at someone like Nakamba…I was very impressed with Nakamba today,” Wright said.
However, do we really want cast-offs from Villa?
Perhaps he has forced his way back into Dean Smith’s thinking after his end-of-season performances, but he’s not exactly overawed spectators since moving to England in 2017.
He would offer energy in the midfield but Everton already have Allan and Abdoulaye Doucoure in the engine room, with the likes of Tom Davies and Andre Gomes as back-up options.
Is Nakamba much better than Davies? Even if he is, there’s probably not too much distance between the pair, with the England Under-21 international much younger and he already has an affiliation with the club.
We’ve signed Andros Townsend, Demarai Gray and Asmir Begovic as squad signings in recent days, and now we need to make moves for players that can instantly challenge for a starting spot.
We’re not sure if Nakamba is that player.
In other Everton news, the Blues are in work permit talks over a deal for this Dutch defender who was seen at Finch Farm recently.
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