Scouting For Koeman – Two Transfer Ins And Outs That Should Happen At Everton In The Summer

Two Transfer Ins And Outs That Should Happen At Everton

Everton have been doing quite well in their first season under Dutch manager Ronald Koeman. The Toffees have had a decent season so far, sitting in the sixth position in the league table.

They, however, did let go of a chance to heap more pressure on the clubs above them when they drew 0-0 away at West Ham United on Saturday afternoon. But a spot in the UEFA Europa League still remains a possibility for Koeman’s side in the upcoming season.

With a new owner at the club, there is a renewed sense of ambition at the Goodison Park and it looks like there will be a huge transfer outlay in the summer as Koeman goes about building a team that could challenge for the European spots on a regular basis. To that end, here are two transfer ins and outs that should happen at the Goodison in the upcoming summer:

Two Players To Sell

Ross Barkley

The 23-year old will enter the last year of his existing deal with Everton and is unwilling to sign a new contract extension. Koeman has come out in the media saying that the player will be sold if he doesn’t sign a new deal and it looks like Barkley is close to the end of his time at the Goodison.

After having started the season slowly, the English international has improved through the season and has been doing quite well in recent times. But a contract stand-off means Everton risk losing him for nothing in the summer of 2018. There are no shortage of suitors for the Everton academy product with title challengers Tottenham Hotspur touted as the most likely destination.

Despite entering the last year of his contract, he will get Everton a good return in terms of transfer fee which they can invest in their targets. There is still time for the transfer window to open, but by then if there are no signs from Barkley that he wants to ink a new deal, the Toffees will be better off selling him.

Oumar Niasse

The obvious name on the list. The striker joined the Toffees in the winter window of 2016, but only made five appearances till the end of the last campaign. Niasse wasn’t a part of the plans for Koeman and did not make a single appearance under the Dutchman. Having been made to train with the reserves, Niasse moved on loan to Hull City in January.

The Senegalese striker is doing a decent job with the Tigers and has netted five goals in 15 games for his loan club. However, it doesn’t look like Koeman is going to change his mind about the player and Everton would be better off selling him off and look to recoup as much as they can.

Two Players To Sign

Gylfi Sigurdsson

With Ross Barkley’s exit looming large, Everton will be in the market for a player to fill in his position and they might have the perfect man to do so in Swansea City’s Gylfi Sigurdsson.

The 27-year old has been in excellent form for the Swans who look set to drop out to the Championship. Sigurdsson has scored 8 goals this season in the league and has also set up 12 goals so far. Adept at playing anywhere in the three behind the attack, Sigurdsson has become one of the best attacking midfielders in the Premier League. He will be an excellent addition to the Everton side and will provide them with the right tools to chase the Champions League spots.

Anthony Modeste

Another player who could be leaving the club in the summer is star striker and golden boot award hopeful Romelu Lukaku. The Belgian marksman will enter the last year of his contract at the end of the season and has made it clear to the club that he sees himself at a bigger club from next season according to reports.

While Koeman would not like to lose his best player, he is planning for life without Lukaku and has been linked with a move for several strikers. One of them is FC Koln striker Anthony Modeste. The 29-year old is the third highest goalscorer in the German Bundesliga this season with 23 strikes from 30 games and has set up three goals as well. Very similar to Lukaku in the way he plays, the Frenchman comes in with plenty of experience at the top level and could ease the blow of losing Lukaku to quite some extent.