Marco Silvestri of Hellas Verona in action during the Serie A match between AC Milan and Hellas Verona at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on February 2, 2020 in Milan, Italy. (Getty Images)
According to TuttoMercartoweb (h/t Sky Sports), Everton have Hellas Verona goalkeeper Marco Silvestri on their radar.
29-year-old Silvestri has been earning rave reviews in Italy after his impressive displays in between the sticks for Verona. The Italian shot-stopper is the league’s second-best keeper with nine clean sheets to his name from 25 games.
He is only one behind leader Gianluigi Donnarumma of AC Milan, who has managed ten so far. Silvestri’s eye-catching form in goal has seen Verona climb to an impressive eighth in the table after achieving promotion last summer.
However, Silvestri’s fine form was very clearly evident in the last season itself wherein he helped them qualify for promotion play-offs with eight clean sheets in Serie B (including playoffs).
The Italian shot-stopper seems to have notched up his game to another level since gaining entry into the top-flight and has grabbed the attention of Premier League sides Everton and Southampton, who are in search of new keepers (h/t Sky Sports).
Meanwhile, the Toffees are in need of a new face to guard their posts with the side conceding as many as 46 goals from 29 league games. The poor form of their first-choice goalkeeper Jordan Pickford had seen the side drop to a poor 12th in the league.
An England regular, Pickford managed just six clean sheets this season compared to his impressive 14 and 10 respectively in the seasons before. Pickford was at the receiving end of criticism after his on-field blunders cost many a game for the Toffees this season.
Apart from Pickford, Everton just have another backup keeper in their mix – veteran Maarten Sketelenburg. Jonas Lossl, who was signed last summer, has been loaned out to Huddersfield Town. Despite, Pickford’s dodgy displays, Ancelotti chose to stick with his main man rather than opt for veteran Sketelenburg, who is 37 already.
Hence, it is clearly evident that the Toffees need a new goalkeeper amongst them to increase their prospect of a better display next season. Moreover, Silvestri is not someone new to England.
Having impressed for Championship outfit Leeds United before, Silvestri would not take much time to adjust to the new surroundings in Goodison Park. The Italian was a regular during his time in England, playing an overall 98 games for the Peacocks and managing 23 clean sheets in the process.
With just two keepers in their current squad, it is clear that Everton are in dire need of a new goalkeeper, and who better than Silvestri, who has been raising eyebrows in Italy with his standout displays.
Moreover, a seasoned campaigner, Silvestri has proven himself both in England and Italy making him a perfect fit at Everton if at all a move happens. Thus, signing him would offer manager Carlo Ancelotti plenty of depth in the goalkeeping department.
