With the appointment of Marco Silva, this was supposed to be Everton’s time to shine among the Premier League big boys. Bringing in Richarlison, Yerry Mina, Lucas Digne, Andre Gomes and a few others only intensified the pressure on the former Watford boss. But then the season started and Everton picked up only six points in their opening four games.
While Everton did have periods of success, they’ve struggled to create as much as an impact. To make things worse, they watched their forwards struggling to find the back of the net and their midfielders have struggled to create goals. Safe to say, it’s gone from bad to worse for the Toffees. They currently are placed 11th, ten points behind sixth-placed Manchester United and three behind seventh-placed Leicester City.
They should ideally target securing a Europa League qualifying spot but at the moment, it seems like a tough ask. However, Portuguese news outlet A Bola has linked Sporting star Bruno Fernandes with a move to Merseyside and things are looking up.
The 24-year-old star has also been linked with a move to their Merseyside rivals Liverpool (h/t A Bola). The Reds are looking to add more creativity to their side but it’s Everton who need the Sporting star more, given their own creative troubles. When it comes to assists this season, Bernard leads the list with four followed by Gylfi Sigurdsson and Lucas Digne with three each.
That spells trouble for Everton. Given Fernandes’ form for Sporting, he could make an incredible impact for the Goodison Park side. So far, having made 26 appearances for Sporting, Fernandes has scored 14 goals and produced a further 9 assists in all competitions. Not only does the attacking midfielder have more goals than any Evertonian, but he’s also produced more assists.
What could prove to be a major roadblock for both parties, however, is the fact that Fernandes has a reported release clause of €100million inserted into his contract. This makes him a little out of Everton’s price range. After all, that sum is not small by any measure. One might also call it overpaying for someone who could struggle with the pace and physicality of the Premier League.
But right now, Everton do not have other options. The need for creativity is dire and Bruno Fernandes might just be the answer to their woes. Thus, the Toffees should go all out and beat Liverpool to acquire his signature.
