Everton eyeing a move for talented English left-back: A bargain for £7 million?

The transfer story

Everton have truly revamped their transfer policy over the past couple of years. Under the ownership of Farhad Moshiri, the club spent lavishly to bring in prolific talents such as Gylfi Sigurdsson and Nikola Vlasic under then manager Ronald Koeman. Now, Sam Allardyce seems to have convinced the board to help him the same way they did to his predecessor.

After purchasing the likes of Theo Walcott and Cenk Tosun, Big Sam is courting Championship fullback, Joe Bryan, according to reports. The Bristol City fullback has reportedly attracted attention from numerous Premier League clubs including Newcastle United. Everton want to add pace on the flanks and hence could make an official bid for Joe Bryan in coming days.

Joe Bryan – Fact file

Joe Bryan is a local Bristol Lad and grew up playing in the club’s youth academy. He signed his first professional contract in 2011 and after a couple of loan moves away he has become a regular for the Championship team. Bryan is a livewire down the left flank and makes some notable contributions on the other side of the pitch too. He is strong defensively and is a potent attacking threat on the wide areas.

This season, he has represented Bristol City 27 times in the Championship and has made heads turn with his consistency. The 24-year old has scored twice while assisting the same number of times in these 27 games. Defensively, the lad is strong and solid, as he has won a staggering 57% of his duels in the games. He has completed 39 of his 54 attempted take ons in these games. He has also won 68 tackles as well as winning 53% of his headed duels.

Joe Bryan is versatile enough to play higher up on the pitch as it gives him greater freedom while going forward. He keeps a calm head inside the box and his decision-making ability in the final third is pretty impressive. Bryan has created 24 goal-scoring chances and that ranks among the best among his teammates.

Majority of his defensive actions come via clearances as he reacts six times defensively in a match on average. Bryan completes 1.4 dribbles in each game, another indication of his attacking prowess whilst being a fullback.

Verdict

The left-back position has been a matter of concern for Everton as Leighton Baines is still recovering from a calf issue. His experience would have come in handy for the Toffees but sadly, that is not the case. Instead, Cuco Martina, who is a natural right back, has been employed on the left side of the pitch.

Undoubtedly, Joe Bryan would bring in a youthful exuberance and would be an upgrade to Everton’s current options. After spending lavishly, the board should do much to satisfy the gaffer’s primary demand as of now. However, it might turn out be interesting as Bryan is a local lad and it would take some convincing to land him at Merseyside. Reports indicate he’ll cost around 7 million pounds, which seems like a decent fee in the present day market.