Tony Scott urges Everton to complete ‘no-brainer’ Jesse Lingard move despite Sean Dyche admission
Liverpool Echo journalist Tony Scott has labelled a move for Jesse Lingard a “no-brainer” for Everton, despite admitting that he isn’t a Sean Dyche signing.
Reports emerged from talkSPORT on Tuesday (2 January) that the Toffees were considering offering the England international a short-term contract until the end of the 2022/23 season as a “lifeline” back to the Premier League.
Since departing Nottingham Forest at the end of the season, Lingard has been without a club despite training with both West Ham and Al Ettifaq, but despite the recent lack of football, Scott thinks Everton should move to sign the midfielder.
Speaking on the All Together Now Podcast (2 January, 26:50) he said: “I just don’t see him as a Sean Dyche player. For Everton, you could look at it and go, hang on we’ve got a player here, he’s not going to cost us a penny, he’s got talent, and he’s scored goals in the Premier League. Why not give him a three, four-month deal?
“Would you rather have him coming off the bench or Danjuma? You look at some of the kids that have been coming off the bench this season, I wouldn’t know them if I fell over them.
“If it’s a short-term deal, it’s an absolute no-brainer, but I can’t see it being a Sean Dyche signing, far from it.”
No-brainer
Everton aren’t blessed with too much quality in their side currently and while the starting XI at Dyche’s disposal is strong, he is very rarely able to introduce a difference-maker from the bench due to the limited depth in his ranks.
Instead, the Toffees boss has had to consistently turn to relatively unknown youngsters in the closing stages of matches as he looks to grind out results, or complete late turnarounds. While that has brought some success with Lewis Dobbin this season, it is always a roll of the dice.
Lingard would offer a more experienced head from the substitutes bench and while his recent form has been poor, he has shown in the past that he can be an effective force both in the Premier League and at an international level.
No transfer fee will be required to secure his services and his wages will have likely dropped since his time with Nottingham Forest. If a short-term deal can be agreed on reasonable wages, it could be a good deal for Everton, even if not a no-brainer.
In other Everton news, the Toffees are set for a surprise financial boost as Antonee Robinson continues to be linked with a move away from Fulham