Since Ronald Koeman took charge of Everton the going has been good for the entire team. This season they will finish 7th as compared to last season’s 11th; a drastic improvement one might say.
However, with stories of unrest regarding contract negotiations surging among players, it is more than likely that a few key players would leave the Goodison for the lure of playing in the Champions League.
The Lukaku Situation
The hot discussion topic recently has been Lukaku’s unwillingness to pen down a new contract. The star striker wants to play Champions League Football and feels he won’t get that at Everton.
With 24 goals and 6 assists in 36 Premier League matches, he would be tough to replace.
Is Sandro the Solution?
With Lukaku more than likely to leave Goodison Park, it is being said that Ronald Koeman has already lined up a potential replacement in Sandro Ramirez of Malaga FC. Sandro has been a star striker for Malaga this season scoring 16 goals in all competitions.
He already has collected 2 La Liga titles, 2 Copa del Rey trophies and 1 Champions League medal with Barcelona before moving to Malaga in search of regular playtime.
Sandro has the pace, composure in front of goal and the physicality that is much required in a Premier League striker. He has shown through his time in Barcelona and Malaga that he has immense potential to be one of the best.
The former Barcelona man is currently on a three-year deal with Malaga which would expire on 2019. However, Malaga seem keen to hold on to their star player. But a lucrative offer could see him in the blue of Everton.
The player is currently valued at 8 million euros (transfermarkt) in the transfer market. But with his current blazing form and contract status, it would not be surprising to see Malaga ask for more than twice (or thrice) the player’s market value.
Everton are financially well off compared to most of the mid-table clubs. They splashed 28 million pounds to acquire the services of Lukaku from Chelsea back in 2014, so it seems highly unlikely that they would be cagey about big price tags this summer.
On the other hand, one must not forget that many Spanish strikers have not been able to adjust well in recent years. The likes of Soldado, Negredo, and Aspas are some of the examples.
But still, it would be unfair to be pessimistic so early. After all, Ronald Koeman is a great manager and Lukaku’s goal scoring spree this season only goes to show how far he has developed under the Dutchman.
The Everton fans could only hope that the same would happen with Sandro Ramirez if they can sign him.
