Everton must show ambition in January and sign Vasco da Gama wonderkid Andrey Santos
Everton need to sign a quality midfielder in the January transfer window, and they should move for Vasco da Gama wonderkid, Andrey Santos.
Le 10 Sport reported on 21 June that the Toffees were considering making a move to land the youngster who is being targeted by other heavyweight clubs as well.
While Frank Lampard will be exploring several options, the club must rekindle their interest in the highly-rated youngster who has got bags of potential.
The Toffees are likely to face strong competition from Newcastle and Chelsea, both are tracking the “highly rated” and “exciting prospect”, as per Fabrizio Romano.
“Chelsea are following Vasco da Gama wonderkid Andrey Santos, as are Newcastle,” wrote Romano for Caughtoffside.
“It’s not a done deal yet, they are interested but Chelsea are following many talents around the world. It’s still too early on this one.
“For sure, he’s a good player for present and future; very talented, highly rated. Whoever gets him will be signing an exciting prospect, but let’s see where he ends up.”
His future has not been decided yet, which means the Toffees can still enter the race, present a good offer, and bring him to Goodison Park.
The 18-year-old has got maturity beyond his years, and the Brazilian club are expected to demand a high transfer fee for him.
The defensive midfielder has made 42 appearances for Vasco, and he is being compared with Barcelona and Spain legend, Sergio Busquests [Goal Brasil], because of his playing style.
The defensive midfield is a highly specialized role, and a massive evolution has occurred in the past 20 years or so in this position.
Previously, defensive midfielders were meant to tackle and do nasty jobs, but players like Busquets have changed the concept of this role completely.
You need to have excellent technical abilities, a great passing ranger, and a strong tactical awareness to be a class defensive midfielder – something Everton are lacking badly.
The return of Idrissa Gueye may have added sentimental value, but he has been utterly poor so far. He keeps on giving away possession, mistimes his tackles, and cannot cover enough ground – put simply, he is not a long-term (or even short-term) solution for the club.
Amadou Onana, Tom Davies, Abdoulaye Doucoure, and others bring different qualities but the lack of a quality defensive midfielder is hurting the Toffees. It leaves the defence exposed.
It’s a different matter altogether that the partnership of Coady Coady and James Tarkowski, coupled with Jordan Pickford’s heroics in goal has been the saving face, in reality, the club need to address this key issue.
Enter the frame, young Santos. The Toffees have scouted him before and so they are aware of what he can bring to the table.
They must come up with a long-term plan to secure his signature. Given his vast potential, he can make an impact straight away, and of course, could turn out to be a dynamite midfielder in the future.
He would be a cracking addition if Kevin Thelwell can get the deal done ahead of other rivals.