Michael Ball demands Everton board make striker signing, wants Frank Lampard to give Tom Cannon a chance
Michael Ball has demanded that Everton sign a striker during the January transfer window, and wants Frank Lampard to give Tom Cannon a chance too.
The Toffees were beaten in their return to Premier League action by bottom of the table Wolves at Goodison Park, making it one win in ten games in all competitions with just 12 goals scored in 16 games.
Lampard has openly admitted that he wants to add to his attacking department during the upcoming window, and ex-Everton defender and BBC pundit Ball wrote in his Liverpool ECHO column (28 December) that the club must gamble to bring someone in but also consider using their academy star Cannon in the first-team.
“As a sports agent, I know how difficult it is to recruit. But I’m first and foremost an Everton fan. Get a striker,” he wrote.
“Who that striker is, I don’t know. It’s a gamble, but it’s worth taking, because how much could we lose if we go down? We need to gamble on bringing someone in.
“But also, we’ve got Tom Cannon and he can’t do any more for the under-21s. He’s playing, he’s scoring: that’s what strikers do. I don’t care if he doesn’t touch the ball, he’s putting it in the back of the net. And if he’s doing that for the under-21s, he deserves his opportunity because with what’s in front of him right now, I’d be knocking on that door.
“But we also definitely need to bring in a striker. It may block Cannon for a while, but you can learn off someone. He can watch a signing in training and see what could be added to his game.”
Do it
Everton have to pull the trigger during the window and spend money to bring in a proven striker, or they face ruin and relegation by the end of the campaign.
12 goals in 16 games is a shocking record, and when you consider that the team has suddenly forgotten how to defend after starting the season so well in that regard too it’s just a recipe for disaster.
Cannon has been exceptional in the youth team and was performing well during the mid-season friendlies during the World Cup break too, so deserves his chance.
But Everton simply cannot afford to rely on him to be the difference maker at this level with no experience and with no idea about how he will adapt to men’s football in the long-term.
He deserves a chance to be in the squad and get minutes here and there, but a new striker who can lead this team out of a relegation battle must be the priority. Ball is spot on.