Daniel Feliciano

Thu 2 February 2023 18:10, UK

Everton are reportedly looking to sign former Real Madrid playmaker Isco in a free transfer after the deadline passed without a single addition.

Despite the sale of Anthony Gordon to Newcastle in a £45m deal, the Everton board failed to strengthen the squad at all after Sean Dyche’s arrival to the club as manager to replace Frank Lampard.

With the club sitting in 19th place in the Premier League with just three wins all season, additions were needed during the window even before any exits were confirmed.

However several players rejected the chance to move to Goodison Park, leaving Dyche with a weaker squad than Lampard had before he was sacked for taking the team into this place to begin with.

A report in The Times (1 February) suggested that the club could look at signing free agent Isco now that the deadline has passed to strengthen their squad.

The five-time Champions League winner has got a stunning CV in football and is regarded as one of the most technically excellent midfielders of his generation.

However the way his career has gone in the last few years shows that he is exactly the type of signing that Everton should be avoiding, no matter his past.

Isco has always been at his best playing in a number ten role with creative freedom, but he needs to be in possession more often than not with time and quality around him to really blossom.

Everton don’t have any of those things right now, and the fact they are likely to set up in a pragmatic way without the ball to be stronger defensively, he would go against everything we need.

His wages would be absolutely monstrous, he doesn’t fit the mould of what the manager likes to have in his teams and he’s unlikely to bring anything to the squad that we don’t already have.

Isco is the type of signing that has left Everton in this hole to begin with, and if we’re serious about a fresh start with the new manager then we shouldn’t even be looking twice in his direction – even with our limited options.