Why Everton should avoid cashing in on Bernard in January

According to La Roma 24 via Sport Witness (h/t Liverpool Echo), the agent of Everton star Bernard has admitted that his client could seek a move away from Goodison Park in January after having a deadline day move to AS Roma blocked by the Toffees. 

The Brazilian’s representative has also added that the attacking midfielder could be sold outright for around €7million during the mid-season trading period. However, contrary to those claims, it has been reported that Everton never received an official bid for Roma and the 28-year-old has been reminded of his importance to the squad.

Profile

Bernard started his professional career with Atletico Mineiro in his native Brazil and won two state league titles, as well as the Copa Libertadores in 2013, before making his move to Europe with Ukrainian giants Shakhtar Donetsk. 

The diminutive playmaker went on to accumulate 28 goals and 35 assists in 157 appearances for Shakhtar in all competitions, winning as many as nine major domestic honours over the course of his five-year spell in Ukraine. Bernard joined Everton on a free transfer back in the summer of 2018 and has since registered 6 goals and 7 assists in 68 outings for the Toffees.

The 28-year-old won the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup with Brazil and was also a part of the Selecaos squad that reached the semi-final of the 2014 FIFA World Cup staged in their homeland. 

Bernard offers Everton some quality depth in the attack

Everton grabbed the headlines on several occasions in the summer window as Carlo Ancelotti used his managerial reputation to bring in some top-quality players like James Rodriguez, Allan and Abdoulaye Doucoure to enrich his squad. 

England U-21 centre-back Ben Godfrey joined in a £25m deal to provide more defensive cover while Swedish international goalkeeper Robin Olsen was also roped in on loan before the deadline to provide No.1 Jordan Pickford with more competition between the sticks.

The Toffees have enjoyed a sensational start to their PL campaign, winning all of their four opening league fixtures comprehensively. Everton currently sit atop the standings and while it’s only the beginning of the campaign, the fans will surely be delighted with how things have unfolded for their team, both in the transfer market and on the pitch.

Richarlison and James Rodriguez have combined brilliantly with top-scorer Dominic Calvert-Lewin in the final third, with Everton scoring an impressive 12 goals in the PL so far.

Indeed, those three players are expected to continue as the mainstays of Ancelotti’s attack but it goes without saying that the Toffees will need others to step in as well moving forward.

Bernard might not have started a league fixture so far but that doesn’t mean he won’t have a part to play, considering the long and hectic schedule of a 38-game season in the PL. Add to that the rigours of playing in the domestic cup competitions and the Brazilian is likely to get a look in whenever Ancelotti opts to rotate his squad to recharge the batteries.

Everton have already trimmed their squad by sanctioning loan exits for Theo Walcott and Moise Kean before the summer deadline. They now have Bernard, Gylfi Sigurdsson and Alex Iwobi as their alternative options in the final third, so losing the Brazilian midway through the campaign would rob the Toffees of some valuable depth.

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Verdict

A three-time Champions League-winning manager, Ancelotti knows the importance of having a well-structured squad with more than one quality player in each position. Everton’s squad depth will surely be put to test later on in the campaign when fixtures come thick and fast and they can’t afford to be let down by an injury crisis in their pursuit of a much-awaited return to Europe.

Bernard might not have set the Premier League on fire over the past two years but he’s still a valuable asset to the Toffees as a key squad player. That said, Everton should avoid cashing in on the Brazilian in January.