Everton transfer gamble needed to solve attacking woes after Salomon Rondon exit – Pundit
Everton could be on the verge of a huge transfer gamble as they desperately search for attacking reinforcements after the departure of Salomon Rondon, according to pundit Michael Ball.
The Toffees have netted just 11 times this season – only better than Wolves – which has left them languishing a solitary point above the Premier League relegation zone heading into the festive period.
Frank Lampard’s paper-thin forward line is in desperate need of replenishing in the winter window, with Dominic Calvert Lewin no longer trusted to play weekly due to his injury record and Neal Maupay failing to score the goals required of him.
Venezuelan international Rondon mutually agreed to terminate his contract at Goodison Park last Friday (16 December).
In his column for the Liverpool Echo, ex-Everton stalwart Ball outlined that a potent centre-forward would cost Lampard and Farhad Moshiri a seismic amount, but this gamble may need to be taken.
He said: “Can we afford to bring in someone like that to the club? I don’t think we can afford not to because how much is it going to cost the club financially if we were to get relegated?
“The club have thrown money at the problem in the past but at the wrong people. It would be a huge gamble by the club if they decided not to bring in another new striker in January.”
Gamble needed
It doesn’t matter how it’s done, but Everton needs bodies brought into the club in January to sharpen up their blunt attacking line.
It is remarkable that the Toffees have managed to survive this season with the attacking deficiencies laid bare by Ball, with no proven goalscorer available to them, and instead relying on the likes of Anthony Gordon.
Yes, Calvert-Lewin scores goals for fun when fully fit, but the Englishman can no longer be trusted to play for the Merseyside club on a regular basis due to his unfortunate relationship with the Goodison medical table.
What Maupay has added to Lampard’s side since his summer move is still an unknown, so the club must spend big to get a potent finisher in the new year.
The likes of Ben Brereton Diaz from Blackburn Rovers or Senegalese international Boulaye Dia would both be viable options for Everton, but their availability is yet to be discovered.