Everton’s pursuit of Ernest Nuamah has had a boost after French media reported Lyon are still short of the 175m Euros needed to avoid demotion to Ligue 2.
Foot Mercato journalist Santi Aouna announced four days ago Everton were ‘close’ to signing Nuamah and that was followed by confirmation from several Everton insiders including the usually reliable El Bobble account, which said Everton were indeed interested in Nuamah.
The news came on David Moyes’ first day at the club, which suggested it was Director of Football Kevin Thelwell who was targeting Nuamah. That makes sense, as Everton were also strongly linked in the summer.
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If that is the case Moyes would have to take some time to decide if Nuamah is the right profile for Everton. On paper he is. A left-footed right winger with pace to burn, he is an expect dribbler and would help Everton become more effective on the counter attack. However, Moyes is famously cautious when it comes to player’s personality and drive, and it is likely he would want to assess the player properly before spending Everton’s limited resources.
The situation may be made easier by Lyon’s money problems. Under the guidance of Eagle Football and one-time Everton prospective buyer John Textor, the club has hemorrhaged money even after selling its women’s team and other sports clubs.
Lyon were provisionally relegated to Ligue 2 a few months ago with a player recruitment ban on top. Textor needs to raise 175m Euros to ensure Lyon avoid the punishment and L’Equipe reports today Textor says he has raised around 80% of that through player sales, wage reductions and the imminent sale of the lease of the training ground at Meyzieu.
However, there is still some need for wiggle room and that could put Everton in a strong position to negotiate a deal for Nuamah.