Everton supporters are starting to get excited ahead of the new season.
Star centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite signed a new five-year contract last week, which is great news for Evertonians everywhere.
Meantime, it is being widely reported that striker Thierno Barry travelled to Merseyside on Tuesday, ahead of finalising a £32.5m move from Villarreal.
Now, could David Moyes bolster his midfield options as well?
Everton targeting a new midfielder
Ahead of moving into their new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock, much of the positivity is rooted in Moyes, considering the Toffees won eight of 19 Premier League matches following his reappointment in January, including each of the last three.
The 62-year-old returned to the club 13 years after leaving for Manchester United, having enjoyed so much success during his first stint at Goodison.
2002/03
7th
59
2003/04
17th
39
2004/05
4th
61
UCL qualification
2005/06
11th
50
2006/07
6th
58
2007/08
5th
65
League Cup semi-finals
2008/09
5th
63
FA Cup Finalists
2009/10
8th
61
2010/11
7th
54
2011/12
7th
56
FA Cup semi-finals
2012/13
6th
63
As the table outlines, under Moyes, the Blues regularly finished in the top six of the Premier League, something they’ve not achieved for 11 years, and he enjoyed having countless top-class players at his disposal during this period.
One of the best players during Moyes’ later years at Goodison was Marouane Fellaini, more on the big Belgian shortly, so are Everton about to sign Moyes’ best midfielder since him?
Well, as reported by TEAMtalk, Everton have ‘made an enquiry’ to Juventus over the possibility of signing Douglas Luiz.
They add that the Brazilian ‘has been transfer-listed’ by la Vecchia Signora, with the Italian giants willing to sell him for half of the £43m fee paid to Aston Villa just 12 months ago, with Manchester United and Fulham also showing ‘strong interest’.
So, could Luiz swap Turin for Hill Dickinson Stadium?
How Douglas Luiz would improve Everton
The reason Luiz is on the market this summer is because, as described by Juventus legend Alessio Tacchinardi, the Brazilian’s transfer to I Bianconeri has been a “disaster”.
Since making the move from Villa, the 27-year-old has racked up just 877 minutes of action in a black and white striped shirt, starting just nine Serie A matches.
Before that though, brand strategy consultant Adam Gilks asserted that he was “one of the best sixes in the Premier League”, while Alex Keble of the Premier League added that he had become ‘the most important Villa player’ towards the end of his time in the Midlands.
So, let’s assess that assertion.
Minutes
2,993
41st
Goals
9
31st
Completed passes
1,800
23rd
Key passes
53
29th
Progressive passes
168
26th
Crosses
115
21st
Tackles
58
55th
Ball recoveries
184
27th
Fouls
51
10th
As the table outlines, during his final season at Aston Villa, Luiz ranked highly for most passing metrics, but also out of possession metrics too, namely ball recoveries, underlining his all-action style and hence, why Owen Hargreaves once described him as an “elite” defensive midfielder.
These statistics are certainly more impressive than those of any current Everton midfield options, namely Idrissa Gana Gueye, James Garner, Carlos Alcaraz or Tim Iroegbunam.
Thus, one would have to go back to Moyes’ first stint in charge to find an equally pivotal central midfield, and the star of the 2012/13 side was the aforementioned Fellaini.
After a sequence of impressive performances in 2010, Moyes asserted that “Marouane is probably the best midfielder in the country at the moment”.
Meantime, Barney Ronay of the Guardian outlined how Fellaini’s ‘sheer physical scale tended to generate a buzz’, but that he can be ‘unplayable’ at times, believing he remains one of the most unique players to ever grace the Premier League.
While, in terms of stature, demeanour and playing style, Luiz and Fellaini could hardly be much more different, but should the Brazilian arrive this summer, he would almost unquestionably be the best midfielder Moyes has worked with on Merseyside since the unmistakable Belgian.
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