Everton opinion: Everton should sign Nicolas Pepe
According to a report by the Liverpool Echo, Everton are looking to make a real statement of intent by signing Lille’s Nicolas Pepe. The Ivorian is currently taking part in the African Cup of Nations and any decision on his future will probably take place only once his tournament ends.
The Ivorian has been fantastic for Lille in the last two seasons and was arguably the best forward player in the Ligue 1 after Kylian Mbappe. This is why he’s been linked with a myriad of clubs this season like Merseyside rivals Liverpool.
Pepe’s value would have shot up after his exploits last season and there’s no doubt that Everton will have to break their transfer record to get this deal over the line.
Everton will be making a massive statement of intent if they can convince Pepe to play for them and then actually get his signature over the line. Pepe is lightning-quick and loves to cut in from that right side onto his left foot.
He has very little backlift on his shots, which is why the opposition is often not prepared for what he’s going to do next.
He scored 23 goals and provided 11 assists in all competitions last year and is probably looking for his next big move.
At Everton, he won’t get any European football and that would be a bit of a problem for Everton. They must convince Pepe that with his signature, they can shoot up as favourites to make that 4th spot with Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea going through massive transitions.
Farhad Moshiri has great plans for the Toffees and has got Marco Silva at the helm of his project. Last year wasn’t the worst for the Toffees, as they finished 8th in the table after a really bad period mid-season. Marco Silva will need to do a lot more.
The likes of Lucas Digne, Richarlison and Gylfi Siggurdson inspired most of Everton’s best performances last year. They took the creative and the goalscoring burden for their teams and can’t be depended on so heavily for yet another season.
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Conclusion
If Everton can somehow manage to capture the Ivorian, they’ll have made a massive upgrade to their squad and can look at making a serious push for the top-four places. It’s ultimately up to Nicolas Pepe though.