Everton told to sign new forward by Danny Murphy as ‘fear factor’ claim made
Danny Murphy has urged Everton to sign a new forward in the January transfer window as the Toffees crashed out of the FA Cup against Manchester United.
Everton are believed to be after Aston Villa striker Danny Ings as Frank Lampard looks to add some much-needed firepower to his squad (Alex Crook, White & Jordan show live on talkSPORT, 4 January, 10:18).
Murphy believes the Toffees create enough chances but has claimed they will be facing a “tough” end to the season if they fail to land a new forward.
“I think the performances at Manchester City and Manchester United show that [the players are playing for Lampard]. I think the fear factor at home is too much for some of the players,” said Murphy (Match of the Day, 01hr 23m, 7 January).
“They’ve not got enough firepower, they create some decent chances but they’ve not got enough up top. They need a forward desperately or they’re going to have a real tough season.”
Not looking good
Lampard is certainly not blame-free when it comes to Everton’s poor run of form, but the board will be the ones who shoulder most of the criticism which is being thrown the club’s way. The 44-year-old’s decision to change formation against Brighton after the impressive performance against Manchester City didn’t quite make sense.
This group of players have shown time and time again that they’re far better suited to playing a more conservative style of football, instead of the more expansive possession based game Lampard wants to adopt. Although the Everton boss will likely face the consequences of the poor form, the board have not given him the best environment to succeed.
Even the signing of Ings wouldn’t be a change from what has become the norm at Goodison Park. He’s a proven goalscorer, but realistically he’s entering the latter stages of his career and will provide the club with little to no sell-on value when he’s allowed to depart.