Why signing this £60m Premier League star could be a season-defining move for Everton

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When Everton signed Wayne Rooney, Gylfi Sigurdsson, Yannick Bolasie, Davy Klassen, Theo Walcott, Cenk Tosun, Nikola Vlasic and Sandro Ramirez last season, many thought the Toffees could finally bridge the gap between themselves and the top-6.

Months later, for Walcott and Tosun, it hasn’t worked the way Evertonians would have hoped. Almost all the players have underperformed and the managerial change hasn’t helped either. It was a dull season at Goodison Park.

The signings failed to succeed. The positions in which the Everton board invested in weren’t great either. They bought too many central attacking midfielders. The wingers they bought have struggled to either get game time, or perform well, or both.

Theo Walcott looked like the real deal after arriving from Arsenal in January but slowly fizzled out. He has just 3 goals and 3 assists to boast of. Nikola Vlasic has struggled to get into the matchday squads at times but he is also better when playing through the middle. Yannick Bolasie has struggled to come back to where he left and his performances haven’t been the same after the knee injury.

Plus, more than half of these players are in their late-twenties, meaning that they already have had their best years. There is very little room to develop them and the resale value might not be very high too. A change is needed.

Theo Walcott has faded away after a bright start at Everton

A reshuffle is expected at the Goodison Park. Hopefully, for the Blues, Marco Silva takes charge at Everton after a boring second half of the season under Sam Allardyce. The Blues rank rock bottom for shots on goal and chances created under Big Sam.

One player that can help solve Everton’s problems in the final third can be Wilfried Zaha. After two seasons of under-achievement and money wasted in poor acquisitions, it’s time for Everton to sign the player that they need and deserve. This move will also help the owners and the board earn some of the fans’ trust back.

Wilfried Zaha has been utilised on the wings or up top by Roy Hodgson at Crystal Palace. Zaha scored 9 and assisted a further 3 in 29 apps for Crystal Palace. The Eagles didn’t even win a point without him in the starting XI.

He was even voted the Premier League’s Player Of The Month for April. He is direct, can maintain width or even cut inside when required. He can also counter-attack, cross, build up the play, cross it in and even score goals. In a fluid Everton team, Zaha would shine.

The Everton board must make better signings this season, both for immediate and long-term success. Zaha is currently 25, who clearly has the potential to grow a lot while also fire consistently. He has also completed the second most number of take-ons in the Premier League with 119.

The Ivorian also makes 1.8 key passes per game and is fouled 2.6 times per game by the opposition. His trickery and athleticism make even the best defenders nervous.

He made a big move to Manchester United in 2013 and it didn’t work out well. But Zaha has developed a lot since then and he is now ready to play for a bigger club than Crystal Palace.

“Me going to a big club when I was like 19 or 20, I didn’t know what to expect, how to behave, whatever. I was just a youngster who wanted to do tricks, I didn’t even care about end product really. I’ve learnt a lot in terms of my all-round game. I’m totally different now. I’m definitely more mature and more strong-minded.” – Zaha (quoted by Sky Sports)

A deal to land him could cost £60m and other top clubs such as Liverpool and Manchester City are also reportedly in for the Eagles star. However, the move to Everton seems like the best option for both parties.

Zaha will be a permanent first-team starter at Goodison Park while he may be used in a rotation role at the other big clubs. Zaha loves a challenge and there’s no better destination than Everton.

 

Vedansh Nathani

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