Looking for some transfer rumours?
With just a few days left of the transfer window and Finch Farm seemingly becoming a leak-free place we are left to a few scraps of rumours. Here are the strongest including the original sources where we could find them and the likelihood of them actually happening.
Enjoy.
Evan Ferguson
Much-coveted wonderkid who broke through at Brighton and has been labelled the next big thing in Premier League striking circles. The Irish international is only 20 but is physically dominant, with the ability to win headers and hold the ball up matched with excellent finishing ability. He has all the attributes to be a top striker.
Injuries mean he has missed some key development and he seems to have fallen out of favour at Brighton with Danny Welbeck preferred as the team’s striker option. He has scored just once in his last 14 games and has missed plenty with injury.
The I Paper has been the first to confirm Everton are interested in Ferguson and it could be a permanent deal. Although the quoted price of £40m would need to include extensive performance-related payment for Everton to even consider the deal. West Ham are also circling so thisOthers would be a tough transfer to get over the line.
Santiago Castro
The Argentinian 20-year-old at Bologna was first linked to Everton back in October by the usual clickbait sites. Since then he has established himself as one of the top striker prospects in Italy, earning comparisons to Carlos Tevez because of his physical presence, hard work and ability to drop back and play in the 10.
Tenacious and strong, he has all the attributes to slot into Everton’s system and with admirers across Europe he would be a coup for the club if they were to secure his signature.
There is no definitive source for this rumour and according to Gazzetta.it Inter actually lead the race. File under agent shenanigans.
Giorgi Chakvetadze
Chakvetadze – that’s easy for you to say – is the latest talent to come out of Georgia and would be an interesting profile for Everton. A speedy winger or attacking midfielder, he is a dribbling machine with the ability to get the ball up the pitch and beat his man. Alongside Ndiaye he has the potential to absolutely transform Everton’s counter attack threat.
There are two downsides; his goal and assist figures are quite poor and that hints at a lack of end product. The other is that the only source for the rumour I could find was ‘Transfer Feed’. Despite that, Moyes is a fan of recruiting from the Championship so you never know.
Carney Chukwuemeka
Chukwuemeka made the terrible decision to join Chelsea and now at 21 is struggling for game time in one of the world’s biggest squads.
He’s definitely a talent. A powerful and skilful box-to-box midfielder who would be an ideal replacement for the injured Oriel Mangala, Chukwuemeka also has plenty of Premier League experience and would relish being thrown straight into the side. Moyes is rumoured to be a fan and the most recent report from L’Equipe suggests he is Everton’s main target after giving up on Strasbourg’s Habib Diarra, who could be heading to Brighton.
Everton would need to agree a return of Armando Broja to secure Chukwuemeka on loan.
Hamza Igamane
Igamane has looked promising for Rangers after signing in the summer but given he has only been there six months his value would be far beyond what Everton would like to pay. The Liverpool Echo has confirmed Everton are not interested in the Moroccan, who has 13 goals this season, at the moment.
Patson Daka
Daka arrived at Leicester with a fantastic record in Austria but it has never really worked for him. Even in the Championship he was very much seen as a backup striker and is currently behind Jamie Vardy in the Leicester squad.
He’s not particularly highly rated by Leicester fans and it is no surprise he is available to buy, according to the I Paper. While it does mention Daka in the same article as Everton’s links to Ferguson it does not commit to actually say Everton are interested and it feels like a a tenuous link at best.
Others
Hammers Way, the same clickbait site network as Goodison News, has a bizarre claim that Brian Brobbey has ‘brutally’ turned down Everton to wait for a West Ham move. Which is interesting because Everton have not actually bid for Brobbey as per the Liverpool Echo.
Links to Angelo Preciado, the Ecuadorean who famously used a corner flag as a weapon in a brawl in Argentina at the age of 18, have faded. The 27-year-old Slavia Prague winger is rumoured to be available for £5m.
Similarly links to Dewsbury-Hall have quietened, mostly because it would mean Everton striking a deal to send Broja back.
Kyle Walker-Peters rumours have also stopped. Everton’s new focus on attacking options probably means this one is not happening.