Thomas Lemar of Club Atletico de Madrid looks on during the Liga match between Deportivo Alaves and Club Atletico de Madrid at Estadio de Mendizorroza on October 29, 2019 in VitoriA - Gasteiz, Spain. (Getty Images)
As per Le10 Sport (h/t Liverpool Echo), Everton are keen on signing Atletico Madrid flop Thomas Lemar this summer.
Having risen through the ranks of SM Caen, Lemar, 24, came to prominence during his time at Monaco. In his three seasons with the French outfit, he made 127 appearances, scoring 22 goals and providing 33 assists. He was instrumental in Monaco’s Ligue 1-winning campaign in the 2016/17 season.
Lemar was also a part of the French squad which won the 2018 World Cup and was one of the best players at that time. However, a move to the Spanish capital hasn’t been productive and the midfielder has fallen down the pecking order under Diego Simeone. However, he has shown his quality before and Everton should take a chance with the Frenchman by bringing him to England.
One of the key reasons for Everton’s inconsistency this season was the lack of goals. The Merseysiders managed to score just 44 goals in 38 games, with 26 of them coming from strike duo – Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin. Apart from them, no one managed to score 4 or more goals.
And the reason for the fewer number of goals is the lack of creativity. Gylfi Sigurdsson was meant to be their creative head but the Iceland international failed miserably. He managed to score just twice and set up just 3 this term. Young Anthony Gordon has just made a stride to the top but he is inexperienced. Thus, a creative player is a must in the summer.
In that regard, Atletico’s Lemar would be a viable option. The French international may have failed in La Liga but he has shown the ability to perform at a high level, as evident from his Monaco days.
In his last two seasons with Monaco, he was the one who ran the show for the French outfit, scoring 9 goals and providing 12 assists in the Ligue 1-winning season. He followed it with 10 assists in the following campaign.
And if he is able to get back to his best and replicate the same form he showed with Monaco, he could be a crucial addition to Ancelotti’s squad.
The former Monaco man is just 24 and has a long future ahead of him. And if Ancelotti can revive the talented youngster, he could get the best out of Lemar. The Frenchman can go on to take over from Sigurdsson as their creative head.
