Everton were one of the top spenders during the last summer window but their subsequent poor season will limit them to some extent in their endeavours in this transfer window.
Until now they have made just one addition to their squad this summer. Marco Silva signed Richarlison for £40m from Watford FC. On the other hand, Davy Klaassen was allowed to leave the club after a dismal season where he made only three Premier League starts.
Everton is looking to bolster their weak midfield with Sampdoria midfielder, Dennis Praet. He has a £22m release clause which will expire after the first week of August. Sampdoria is looking to run through the expiry of that clause so that they could demand more money for Praet. It is believed that any bid over £26.6m will be considered seriously by the Italian club’s board to offload the player.
It won’t be easy for the Toffees to get their target midfielder as several clubs like Arsenal and West Ham are also interested in his services.
Dennis Praet – Stats
Praet made 32 appearances for Sampdoria in Serie A, scoring one goal and providing three assists. He also won three Man of the Match awards in the last season.
He is only 24-year old but has already played over 250 matches for Anderlecht and Sampdoria in which he scored 29 goals.
The young midfielder made his international debut for Belgium on November 2014 against Iceland.
What will Dennis Praet add to Everton?
Praet is a very composed and confident midfielder who likes to move forward to join the attack. Marco Silva needs an attacking midfielder after the departure of Wayne Rooney and Davy Klaassen. Both, Morgan Schneiderlin and Idrissa Gueye are defensive midfielders who lack the quality of shifting the ball quickly from midfield to the attack.
Everton’s lacklustre midfield needs a crafty operator and Praet can be a great addition to the squad. He is not a speedster and still needs to learn the physical aspect of the game. Having said that, he has a superb vision to create chances and likes to press the opponents when they have the ball.
Worth the money?
Everton will be required to pay in the region of £24m to £30m to secure the services of the midfielder. In today’s inflated market, splashing that amount is not a big deal for Everton. They do not have any quality playmaker in their squad and getting Dennis Praet at this price could prove to be a great deal for them.
Stats Courtesy: Whoscored
