Lucas Digne
Everton are expected to clinch a £14m deal for Barcelona‘s French left-back Lucas Digne, who has fallen down the pecking order at Camp Nou. New manager Marco Silva must purchase a new left-sided defender, bearing in mind that first-choice Leighton Baines has gone past his prime age.
The good thing for Everton is that Digne is ready to leave Barcelona in order to clock up regular game time elsewhere. He has been under Jordi Alba’s shadow for two years, which clearly hasn’t helped him grow.
The 25-year-old is a quality player who is certain to showcase his real talent when given a chance to play frequently.
Here’s why signing Digne will be the best move for Everton this summer:
Digne is a well-rounded full-back who possesses abilities on both sides of the pitch. He is not only an imperious runner with the ball but is also a diligent defender in wide areas. The 25-year-old’s pass success rate of over 85% over the past 2-3 years epitomizes his strength in possession. He also can pick out crucial key passes or supply telling crosses into the box to cause trouble among opposition defenders.
The Frenchman has an impressive average tackle and interception rates as well, recording 1.7 and 1.1 per game respectively in the Spanish League. Furthermore, he has the physicality required to cope with the intensive passage of plays in between games, which will be quite useful in the Premier League.
Overall, Digne has the qualities to make a difference at Goodison. Marco Silva could work wonders with a player of his calibre next season. In the Portuguese’s somewhat rigid playing system, Digne can thrive by moving forward on every given occasion and concurrently make recovery runs when needed.
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Signing a talented player, who is eager to prove himself, might work for Everton in Digne’s case. The Frenchman hasn’t played much in Catalonia but he should be eager to perform at the highest level. It will simultaneously improve his reputation, which was quite high when he first arrived at the scene.
Stats Courtesy – Whoscored.com
