According to Portuguese UOL, Everton are interested in signing Brazilian right-back Eder Militao, who currently plies his trade for FC Porto. Portuguese UOL further states that the Toffees have sent their scouts to keep a close eye on the 20-year-old.
The same source claims that Porto want a whopping €20million for the youngster, who was bought for a sum of €4million earlier in the summer.
A product of Sao Paulo’s youth system, Eder Militao started his professional career with his hometown club and moved to Porto this summer. He made his debut recently in the Primeira Liga and caught the eye with some impressive performances.
Expectations were high when Marco Silva took over Everton’s reins from Sam Allardyce in the summer. The Toffees made a bright start to the season, enjoying an unbeaten run of four games. However, back-to-back defeats at the hands of West Ham United and Arsenal seem to have knocked the stuffing out of the Toffees.
Everton have played some aesthetic free-flowing football in the final third but Silva’s men haven’t looked comfortable at the back. In fact, Everton have been guilty of squandering their lead in the earlier games, preventing the Toffees from collecting three points on a regular basis.
Another concern for the manager should be the growing list of injuries at the back. Phil Jagielka picked up a red card on the opening day of the Premier League which put him out of action for three games. To make matters worse, he was sidelined for a longer period due to an injury to his knee cartilage.
Michael Keane missed a couple of games due to a skull injury while new signing Yerry Mina is yet to regain full fitness after arriving at Goodison Park with an existing foot injury. Seamus Coleman was the latest addition to Everton’s list of casualties after the international break.
Hence, the constant unavailability of players hasn’t allowed Silva to field a settled combination at the back. As a result, Everton have lacked communication across the backline and that has led to their undoing on several occasions.
Primarily a right-back, Eder Militao has the versatility to play as a centre-back and a defensive midfielder. At the moment, Everton seem to be lacking in all these positions, making the young Brazilian an exciting proposition.
A fast and aggressive defender, his physical abilities give him an advantage while battling opponents. Although Militao is a big and strong defender, he is quite athletic for his posture. His ability to get off the ground quickly makes him very solid in the air. Despite being a shade over 6ft in height, his manoeuvrability is good for someone of his age and stature.
Militao is the ideal example of a modern defender. Along with his defensive capabilities, he has the pace and the agility to play with a lot of space which does come in handy during counter-attacking situations.
Not only does he have the instincts of a good defender at right-back position but he can also break up the play in the midfield with good tackles and interceptions. An excellent reader of the game, Militao is ever-vigilant to anticipate the attacking runs of the opposition.
To put things into perspective, Everton need more options at the back. Furthermore, reserve right-back Jonjoe Kenny hasn’t impressed defensively in the couple of chances that he has been given so far. To be honest, Everton first-choice right-back Seamus Coleman, who played the earlier games before his injury, was largely unimpressive as well.
Having said that, signing this versatile Brazilian youngster to bolster the options at the back should be a good move for Marco Silva.