Everton must re-ignite interest and make move for Pape Abou Cisse
Everton have gone through a horrible season where they narrowly managed to escape relegation and one of the reasons for that was their poor defensive unit.
As recently as January the Toffees were linked with a move for Olympiacos centre-back Pape Abou Cisse but the deal never materialised.
According to the Daily Star, the Senegal international is valued at £15 million this summer and is very likely to leave the Greek club.
The reports suggested that there has been genuine interest from a number of clubs in England in acquiring the services of the the 26-year-old.
Good business
Cisse can be classified as an underrated defender in European football in the recent past. In the recently concluded season with Olympiacos, the defender played 19 games in the Super League, scoring four goals.
Most importantly, he played 67% of the overall minutes in the league and collected only three yellow cards [Transfermarkt].
In the recently concluded Europa League, he was one of the standout players for Olympiacos where the 26-year-old averaged 2.1 tackles, 1.6 interceptions and 4.4 clearances per game. [Whoscored].
These instincts truly show that Cisse is a clean defender and doesn’t have rash challenges in his game.
His speed allows him to bring the defensive line up as he can neutralise many counterattacks single-handedly.
Despite having Yerry Mina, Michael Keane, and Ben Godfrey in defence, Frank Lampard knows that none of them can be relied upon for a full season, whereas Jarrad Branthwaite is inexperienced to play at the highest level.
Therefore, even with James Tarkowski arriving, the addition of Cisse makes total sense as it would not just improve their defensive organisation but also help in the evolution of their young defenders.
In other Everton news, the Toffees have submitted a bid to seal a major summer signing and the player is already on his way to England.
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