Why Everton must make a move for Napoli midfielder Allan in the summer

In January, the TuttoMercatoWeb (h/t The Daily Mail) had claimed that Everton were interested in signing Napoli midfielder Allan. However, no deal materialised during the January transfer window and he stayed put at the Serie A club.

Allan, 29, has made 21 appearances for Everton across all competitions this season. He has been in and out of the side under Gennaro Gattuso, failing to rediscover his best form. The TuttoMercatoWeb (h/t The Daily Mail) suggested that Napoli were willing to allow the 29-year-old to leave in January following the additions of Diego Demme and Stanislav Lobotka.

That being said, Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti must rekindle his interest in Allan when the transfer window opens in the summer.

The Toffees have enjoyed an upturn in fortunes under Ancelotti, winning three of their last five league games. This has seen them climb up to 9th in the table with only five points separating them from the top four.

Everton have had loads of injury problems this season, especially in the midfield department. Summer signing Jean-Philippe Gbamin may not play again this season after his latest injury setback. He has undergone two thigh operations after damaging a muscle in training just two games into his career at the club.

The Merseysiders also lost Andre Gomes to a fractured dislocation to his ankle against Tottenham in November. However, the Portuguese has miraculously returned to training and will play a behind-closed-doors game as he steps up recovery to full fitness. (h/t BBC)

Gylfi Sigurdsson has been very poor this season and Fabian Delph has been in and out of the team. Tom Davies’ form has also dipped of late, meaning there’s enough room for improvement as far as the Toffees’ midfield is concerned. That’s where the signing of Allan would make sense.

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Allan joined Napoli from Udinese back in 2015 and has made 200 appearances in five years. He may be pushing 30, but the Brazilian is a quality central midfield player who’ll add some much-needed depth to Everton’s midfield ranks. Having played close to 400 games in his club career, he doesn’t lack experience either.

Verdict

The 29-year-old worked with Ancelotti at Napoli, so the 60-year-old tactician would be aware of Allan’s strengths and weaknesses. Going by his quality and experience at the highest level, Allan would definitely bolster Everton’s midfield ranks. Thus, the Toffees must go for the Brazilian in the summer.