Why Everton should plot a January swoop for Lewis Dunk
Back in November 2018, the Express had claimed Everton were looking at Brighton’s Lewis Dunk ahead of a potential January swoop. However, a deal didn’t go through during the January transfer window as he stayed put at Brighton.
Lewis Dunk, 27, has been on the books of Brighton his entire professional club football career so far. He has proved himself in the Premier League and has shown that he can succeed in the top tier of English football.
The Englishman has been one of the consistent players for the Seagulls since their promotion to the Premier League a few years ago.
With the 27-year-old at the top of his game, Everton should reignite their interest in the Brighton-born defender when the transfer window reopens.
It is no secret that Everton are keen to spend in January as they desperately try to tighten up their defence. Marco Silva’s side have looked somewhat vulnerable at the back in the opening eight games of the new Premier League season.
Failure to sign Kurt Zouma and the release of Phil Jagielka left the Everton boss with Yerry Mina, Michael Keane and Mason Holgate as the only options in central defence.
The partnership of Keane and Mina haven’t worked at all, with the duo having let the team down on a regular basis with their poor positional awareness and lapses in concentration.
With Holgate the only option to call upon, the Merseysiders’ problems at the back don’t come as a big surprise.
Hence, it stands as a no-brainer for Silva to bring in at least another centre-back to shore up his backline and increase the competition for places. To that end, signing Lewis Dunk would be a smart move.
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Dunk has been one of the best centre-backs outside of the Premier League’s top-six in the last couple of seasons. The 27-year-old is a no-nonsense defender, with strong tackling skills and reading of the game.
He is imperious in the air and never hesitates to put his body on the line. The Brighton-born is aggressive, a real leader and organiser of the back, whilst can also play out from the back.
Verdict
Defensively strong, comfortable on the ball and with Premier League experience, Everton could do a lot worse than Dunk. Everton will have to pay a lot for convincing Brighton to sell their star defender mid-season, but Dunk has all the potential to be a feature in their defence for years ahead.