Liverpool Echo journalist shares Everton transfer stance on Jesse Lingard to Goodison Park deal
Liverpool Echo journalist Chris Beesley has shared what Everton insiders have said regarding talk of a possible move for Jesse Lingard.
The former Manchester United player has been a free agent since leaving fellow Premier League side West Ham at the end of last season.
Lingard has previously been touted as a target for the Toffees, most notably 18 months ago as a possible stop-gap replacement for Richarlison.
Sky Sports News reported on Saturday (13 January) that Lingard has cut ties with his previous agents as he grows tired of finding a new club.
However, Beesley reported for the Liverpool Echo [13 January, 10:46am] that the Merseyside outfit have no plans to sign the Englishman this month.
Beesley said: “Earlier in this January transfer window, I compared Jesse Lingard to Juan Roman Riquelme in how he gets repeatedly linked with a move to Everton although there seems to be rather less appetite on Merseyside for the former Manchester United man than there was for the Argentinian when he was subject to intense speculation over a potential switch to Goodison Park.
“Like the South American playmaker though, Lingard appears destined never to don the royal blue jersey.
“Latest reports say that the 31-year-old has cut ties with his agent but while Everton were actively pursuing a move for Lingard back in the summer of 2022 when they had just sold Richarlison, believing that the player ticked several boxes for them as a proven Premier League performer available for a modest financial outlay, the response at Finch Farm has been much cooler this time around.
“Both manager Sean Dyche and club insiders have batted off claims that Everton could be preparing a move for the free agent who failed to seal a switch to Saudi Arabia at the start of this season following an underwhelming spell at Nottingham Forest.”
Avoid
Bringing in a player with recent Premier League experience on a free transfer – albeit with what you would suspect are fairly sizable wages – sounds a no-brainer on the face of it when you factor in Everton’s need for new attacking players.
However, Lingard has not done anything of note on a football field since the second half of the 2020-21 campaign when starring on loan at West Ham.
For those four months or so, the ex-England international was one of the best players anywhere in the Premier League as he scored and assisted a combined 13 goals in just 16 outings.
A disappointing season back at Old Trafford followed, before then flopping at Nottingham Forest last season, where he turned down the chance to sign a long-term deal in favour of a 12-month contract.
Lingard has made plenty of questionable calls over the past few years, the most recent being his failed attempt to find a team in Saudi Arabia, and it is clear why Everton will not actively pursue this move.
In other Everton news, a journalist says one Toffees player should be “thankful” after what was said in public this week.