TFG ‘should sack Kevin Thelwell’ if Everton don’t hijack £1.5m Brighton transfer
Kevin Thelwell has no excuses not to sign Tariq Lamptey for Everton.
The 24-year-old is on the radar at Goodison Park [Graeme Bailey] as the Blues remain in the market for a new right-back before the 3 February deadline.
While Flamengo midfielder Carlos Alcaraz is jetting into the UK on Saturday (1 February) to become David Moyes’ first signing [Eduardo Borges] ahead of a loan-to-buy deal, one signing will not prepare the side for another potential relegation battle.
Although the lingering threat of PSR has halted the transfer plans, Lamptey is on the verge of leaving Brighton for Ajax in a jaw-droppingly low £1.5million move (Daily Mail, 31 January).
There is no conceivable world in which Everton is unable to match or even better Ajax’s agreement and solve a long-term problem within the squad.
Kevin Thelwell must prove his worth at Everton
The Toffees will undergo a factory reset at the end of the season regardless of where they end up, and Thelwell is likely not to be involved in the new long-term vision.
After a surprisingly active summer transfer window, only Iliman Ndiaye and Orel Mangala can be regarded as success stories on Merseyside despite the latter now expected to miss the remainder of the campaign through injury [Nieuwsblad].
Jesper Lindstrom and Jack Harrison have disappointed in their respective loan spells, with neither making a single Premier League goal contribution to write home about.
However, with 39-year-old Ashley Young the preferred right-back option at Goodison Park, the position remains a priority before the deadline.
Lamptey, despite only appearing nine times for Brighton in the Premier League, he is enjoying his most productive campaign with two goals and two assists thus far.
With extensive top-flight experience on the South Coast, the reported £1.5m fee is too good for the Toffees to walk away from and is a ridiculously low price for a player of his quality.
The Blues have begrudged the financial setbacks and PSR constraints for the longest time but now are easily faced with the bargain transfer of the window – Thelwell would be a hypocrite not to throw his hat into the ring.
In other Everton news, a Toffees offer has arose for Samuel Chukwueze amid last-gasp £11.7m transfer news.
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