Everton made January approach to sign Carlos Alcaraz before £12m-plus Southampton transfer
Everton were among three Premier League clubs who made an approach to sign Carlos Alcaraz from Racing Club in January before he joined Southampton, according to Dom Smith.
The Evening Standard journalist, taking to his personal Twitter account (6 October) shared that the Toffees along with Brighton and Crystal Palace all made an approach to the Argentinian outfit before Southampton sealed the £12.3m deal [Daily Mail, 11 January].
Palace, AC Milan and Benfica made moves to sign him over the summer after Southampton’s relegation but the Argentinian sensation chose to remain at St Mary’s but an exit in January is still possible with Brentford interested in his signature.
Smith tweeted: “Exclusive: Brentford remain interested in Southampton’s Carlos Alcaraz after they tried to sign him before he joined Southampton.”
“Crystal Palace, Brighton and Everton tried last January too.
“Crystal Palace then approached this summer, along with AC Milan and Benfica.”
Missed opportunity
With Southampton now plying their trade in the Championship, Alcaraz could certainly be forgiven for feeling he picked the wrong team during the January transfer window.
Up his move to St Mary’s, the Saint were a sinking ship then which made his multi-million-pound decision all the more strange.
But on Everton’s part, it’s seriously a missed opportunity given their desperate need for a creative midfield component all throughout Sean Dyche’s tenure at Goodison Park so far.
Alcaraz is a player of superb qualities and potential and he’s already showcased how good he can become at the club, even enjoying some impressive cameos in the Premier League before Southampton’s relegation. He registered four goals and two assists from 18 games
It’s shame those talents are being highlighted further in the English top flight but that doesn’t mean he won’t move in January and given Everton’s struggles to score and create, Alcaraz could end up becoming a marquee acquisition in the winter should they join Brentford in the race.
They can’t miss out again, surely?
In other Everton news, the Toffees could face new takeover problems after one 777 Partners’ club suffered a transfer ban