Everton Opinion: Toffees should look at Gregoire Defrel as a utility squad player next season

According to claims from Italian outlet Corriere Dello Sport, as cited by Liverpool Echo, Everton have been credited with an interest in AS Roma forward Gregoire Defrel.

Everton are not the only Premier League to have been linked with a move for the Frenchman, though, with Javi Gracia’s Watford also believed to be interested in securing the services of the 27-year-old. (h/t Liverpool Echo)

Defrel, who currently plies his trade in the Serie A with Roma, spent this past season on loan at Sampdoria, where he accumulated 11 goals and 3 assists in 36 league appearances. And his impressive run of form is said to have caught the eyes of Everton and Watford, who are plotting a swoop to bring him to the Premier League this summer.

A youth product of Parma, Defrel spent time on loan at Foggia in Serie C earlier in his career before earning a move to Serie B outfit Cesena. Despite the Frenchman’s poor returns in his first two seasons at Cesena, the club secured promotion to the Serie A, and Defrel went on to play a key role in his first full season in the top-flight.

It was during the 2014-15 season that the Frenchman rose to prominence in Italian football, contributing with 9 goals and 5 assists in 34 appearances.

Defrel’s excellence during the 2014-15 campaign caught the eye of Sassuolo and the 27-year-old switched boats to join the fellow Serie A side. His stint at the Mapei Stadium proved to be a fruitful one, as the Frenchman went on to hit double figures in the Serie A for the first time during his second season at the club.

The Frenchman went on to register 23 goals and 11 assists in 73 appearances for Sassuolo over the course of two seasons before joining Roma on loan in the summer of 2017 with an obligation to make the move permanent.

The 27-year-old struggled for first-team opportunities at the Italian capital but a loan spell at Sampdoria this past season saw him rediscover his old form, and with his stocks currently on the rise, a move to the Premier League doesn’t seem beyond the realms of possibility.

Well, Defrel has spent five seasons in the Serie A with decent returns, and while he is certainly not a world-beater by any means, the Frenchman is currently in his prime years as a forward. Everton’s links with the 27-year-old is unlikely to get the fans at Goodison Park on their feet but, in all honesty, he could prove to be a useful addition to their ranks this summer.

To put things into perspective, Gregoire Defrel has carved out a reputation for himself as a well-rounded versatile attacker in the Serie A and he looks ready to complete the next big jump in his career.

Everton need to bring in some fresh faces to add more depth and quality to their attack and the acquisition of the 27-year-old would certainly provide manager Marco Silva with cover in multiple areas of the pitch.

He might not be the prolific centre-forward that the Toffees need to put a full-stop to the mediocrity of Cenk Tosun and Oumar Niasse but Defrel’s ability to play on either side of the pitch as a winger and in a No.10 role as the supporting striker should prompt the club to make a move for him.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin showed signs of promise but he is still in the developmental phase of his career and Everton cannot bank on him to deliver 15-20 goals next season, meaning that an experienced out-and-out centre-forward should be high on Silva’s recruitment list if Everton are to challenge for a European spot.

However, with the manager preferring a 4-2-3-1 system with two wide attackers and a central attacking midfielder to complement the centre-forward, someone like Defrel would be an excellent choice, given his versatility to play anywhere across that front four.

A sharp, agile and athletic wide player, who is also capable of leading the line as a centre-forward, Defrel’s wonderful dribbling ability, exceptional close control, lightning pace, incredible acceleration and body balance make him a player to watch out for in the final third.

A technically-gifted striker, who is also adept at holding on to the ball and linking up with his teammates in and around that penalty area, the Frenchman could possibly add that X-factor to Everton’s attack next season.

Richarlison and Gylfi Sigurdsson were the key contributors in terms of goals and assists in the Premier League this past season but Everton need to provide the likes of Bernard and Theo Walcott with more competition, given that their returns weren’t all that great the last term.

Hence, the Toffees should look at Defrel as more of a versatile and utility squad player rather than a specialist centre-forward.

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To sum it up, Gregoire Defrel is unlikely to cost Everton a fortune and the Toffees should not hesitate to go ahead with this deal, as the player of his calibre could potentially improve their squad depth and team dynamics massively next season.