Why Everton should plot a January swoop for Michy Batshuayi

Back in January, the Guardian had claimed that Everton were interested in signing Chelsea striker Michy Batshuayi on a permanent deal. However, a deal didn’t go through and the centre-forward joined Crystal Palace on loan until the end of the season.

Michy Batshuayi, 25, had a disappointing loan spell at Valencia but he impressed on loan at Crystal Palace, scoring five goals in 11 games. Now back at Chelsea, the Belgian international hasn’t played much in the Premier League as he would have liked to as manager Frank Lampard has preferred Tammy Abraham ahead of him.

That has seen the 25-year-old striker make only four cameo appearances in the Premier League this term. Considering Batshuayi’s current situation at Stamford Bridge, Everton would be smart to reignite their interest in him during the January transfer window.

Everton are in a bit of bother at the moment having lost three back-to-back games in the Premier League. Marco Silva is under tremendous pressure and he is currently doing everything he can to avoid the axe from the club. Should he sustain the testing period, the Portuguese tactician should bolster his striking options as the likes of Moise Kean, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Cenk Tosun are clearly not enough to help the Toffees achieve a spot in Europe.

Kean and Calvert-Lewin are young with high potential, so the duo need time before they start firing 15-2o goals a season. Tosun is frozen out of the first-team and chances of him being offloaded in January are very high. Silva certainly cannot rely on two young strikers to consistently deliver the goods for Everton. That’s why signing Batshuayi would make complete sense.

Batshuayi can shoulder the goalscoring responsibility for Everton and contribute in the final third with a better effect. Not only is he good aerially, but also possesses a good burst of pace through the ground. The Belgian international of Congolese descent can hold the ball up, run down the channels and create spaces for himself as well as his teammates with his intelligent movement.

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Blessed with plenty of power and physicality, the ex-Marseille hitman is a good finisher in front of goal and would give Silva a much-needed focal point in attack.

Verdict

With less than two years of his contract at Stamford Bridge still remaining, it’s unlikely the Blues will let Batshuayi leave on loan in January without agreeing on a new deal, while a permanent departure from west London remains very much an option.

Hence, Everton shouldn’t think twice about making a move for Batshuayi and Silva would benefit a lot from this signing.