Meet Pavel Sulc: The Lyon star 'inspired' by Wayne Rooney who Everton must sign
Everton fans wouldn't have a hard time falling in love with Pavel Sulc.
The Toffees' summer transfer window feels ready to burst into life at any moment.
David Moyes is looking to strengthen his squad in numerous areas across the pitch, and multiple irons are seemingly in the fire to do so.
Sulc's name has cropped up in Everton transfer circles before, and now the 25-year-old Czechia international has again been linked with a big-money move to Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Everton are putting a major emphasis on sharpening their cutting edge ahead of the 2026-27 season, with Hayden Hackney, Tyrique George and Merlin Rohl all signing permanent deals this summer.
And in Sulc, not only would they find a player who would very much aid that cause, the Lyon star has already potentially given Everton the advantage in the race to sign him.
Why Everton would be getting a confident Pavel Sulc
Goodison News has covered reports linking Everton with a possible £25million move for Sulc this summer.
Fellow Premier League rivals Leeds United have also been credited with an interest in the attacking midfielder previously, and have again been named as a possible suitor.
Sulc signed for Lyon last summer from Czech giants Viktoria Plzen, and would enjoy a fabulous debut campaign with the French outfit.
He netted 14 goals and provided seven assists in 38 total appearances, whilst he also played three times for Czechia at this summer's World Cup respectively.
And, speaking via The Irish Times in March of this year, Sulc made a big claim about his 2025-26 campaign.
"I would say that I’ve had probably the best year of my career so far," he said ahead of Czechia's World Cup qualification semi-final against Ireland.
In that same report, Sulc is also quoted speaking about his big footballing idol, and the identify of that player should now play a big part in Everton's sales pitch to him.
“I try to channel Wayne Rooney’s energy, that’s my inspiration,” Sulc said back in 2024.
So, offering him the chance to come and don the shirt Rooney used to shine in as a youngster could prove very tempting for Sulc.
Judging from his underlying numbers in Ligue 1 last season, he's absolutely more than ready to shine on the Premier League stage too.
How Sulc was among Ligue 1's best in 2025-26
Sulc may feel like 2025-26 was the best season of his career to date, but in terms of actual goal contribution production, it wasn't.
Indeed, he scored 20 times and provided 14 assists for Viktoria Plzen in 2024-25, and in the term prior to that, he netted 22 times and chipped in with a further six assists respectively.
Of course, Ligue 1 is a better standard than the Czech first division, respectfully, and so to still score 11 times and notch three assists in 27 league games last season does probably make it his most impressive year yet.
As per FotMob, Sulc took 44 shots on goal in Ligue 1 last term, whilst also creating 22 chances, completing 15 dribbles and taking 94 touches in the opposition box.
He was also a big factor in defence too, making 42 defensive contributions, winning 24 tackles, 42 recoveries and seven interceptions.
All of those above numbers ranked Sulc amongst the very best attacking midfielders in Ligue 1 in 2025-26.
Interestingly, 10 of his 11 Ligue 1 goals were from inside the box last year, which highlights his box-crashing ability, whilst three of those were also scored with his head despite standing a modest 5'10" tall.
Overall then, Sulc seems like quite the character on top of being a very exciting player, and should become an instant fan favourite among the Hill Dickinson Stadium faithful if he makes Merseyside his home this summer.