The preseason hasn’t gone well for Everton, who have only won one match. This isn’t the best preparation for Sean Dyche’s team, which is trying to avoid relegation for another year and climb the Premier League standings. The Toffees’ opening match of the season ended in a 3-3 draw against the Irish club Sligo Rovers, with Dyche’s team coming back from a 3-1 deficit thanks to a late brace from exciting young striker Youssef Chermiti. They also lost 2-1 to League 2 team Salford City, despite a goal from James Garner.
That was followed by a disastrous 3-0 away loss to Coventry City; however, the trip to Deepdale on Saturday to play Preston North End proved beneficial, as the visitors triumphed 3-0. Next up, they take on Italian powerhouse AS Roma in an enticing match at Goodison Park.
Everton will undoubtedly be eager to put together a run of solid performances in the opening weeks of the season to aid in their ascent up the league table following a busy summer in the transfer market. They’ve been connected to an attacker lately who might give them a competitive advantage this year.
Serie A winger targeted by Everton
The man in question is Samuel Chukwueze, a winger for AC Milan and a Nigerian international. The 25-year-old, who had a difficult debut season for the Rossoneri, may be offloaded this summer as the team seeking to turn a profit on the player looks to sell.
Everton is the team most likely to be interested in signing Chukwueze this summer, as was reported earlier this week in Spain. They are also reportedly “leading the race to sign him.”
The report suggests that there are other English top-flight teams interested in acquiring the services of the Nigerian international, who has 38 caps for the Super Eagles. However, Everton are the club best placed to sign at the current stage.
In terms of a price, the report suggests that Milan would like to make this a profitable deal. Thus, they would like more than the £17m plus add-ons they paid for him just last summer. It is stated that Milan would accept an offer between £38m and £42m in order to commission a sale this summer.
Why Chukwueze would be a good signing
There is no denying that the 2023/24 campaign was a tough one for Chukwueze. In his debut season in Milan, the 25-year-old featured 24 times in Serie A, scoring just once and registering only three assists. However, he did play at AFCON with Nigeria and suffered a hamstring issue at the end of the campaign.
Football scout Antonio Mango still thinks he is a “superstar,” even if he struggled at times last season and only showed glimpses of his talent. Maybe a move to Everton can help him reach his full potential. He has the build of a quick-footed, direct, two-way winger who enjoys taking on defenders.
He undoubtedly reminds me of Nico Williams, one of the top young players in European football right now. According to FBref’s “similar players” model, if Everton signs Chukwueze this summer, they might acquire a player that is unmistakably similar to the winger for Athletic Club.
In actuality, their FBref metrics also show how comparable they are. Their ball carrying statistics are remarkably close, to start. Williams beats Chukwueze by a small margin with 5.7 progressive carries per ninety minutes, although Chukwueze averages 4.6. This demonstrates how agile they are with the ball, darting forward to challenge a defender.
Chukwueze outperforms Williams in one area: his inventive passing. The Euro 2024 winner is slightly slower than the Nigerian, who averages 4.51 progressive passes and 1.95 passes into the final third. Rather, the 22-year-old averages just 2.63 passes into the last third and 2.63 passes as a progressive.
The two have a lot in common, and if Chukwueze joins Everton this summer, he would provide a great dynamic to a team that doesn’t currently have someone with Chukwueze’s profile.
Additionally, he might collaborate riskily with Dominic Calvert-Lewin. The Toffees striker only managed seven goals in 32 Premier League games throughout his difficult season.
But, he has the potential to be a lethal Premier League striker in his prime. With Chukwueze’s forward-thinking attitude, that team might really get going and assist the Englishman score more goals in the upcoming campaign.
Although a deal might be quite costly, he does not make a lot of money each week—according to Capology, he makes £84k—so in that regard, it wouldn’t be excessively costly. Everton would be wise to take advantage of this signing as it may enable them move up the table and contend for greater honors once more.
