Everton are hoping to sign River Plate midfielder Santiago Sosa, who is currently away on national duty with the Argentina U-20 side.
The Toffees are willing to pay a total sum of £13.35 million to sign the 20-year-old, but are facing the issue to obtain a work permit for the Argentine defender as per the Daily Mail.
What does Sosa bring to the table for the Merseyside club? Here is a detailed SWOT analysis of the River Plate midfielder.
Strengths
Sosa is a versatile midfielder who predominantly features in a defensive midfield role, and can play in centre-midfield and connect the defence to attack if the needed arises.
The 20-year-old has a wide range of skills; from his passing range to his game awareness which help him intercept the ball at a high rate and distribute it to his teammates to keep the game ticking.
River Plate midfielder has a progressive nature to his style of play as he always looks to make a forward pass rather than passing it back, which is a positive sign for any young bright talent.
His tackling prowess is also excellent, and he never shies away from his defensive responsibilities.
Weaknesses
The Argentine doesn’t have any significant weakness, but being only 20, he is yet to be exposed to the bigger leagues which might test his abilities.
Sosa’s inexperience at the top level, goal-scoring and aerial prowess with a 5ft 10in frame remain a cause of concern for Everton, especially in the Premier League where these factors play a significant role.
Opportunities
Sosa is used to the 4-2-3-1 system both at River Plate and with the Argentina U-20 side which is the same system Everton boss Marco Silva deploys more often than not.
He can play as a defensive playmaker or a box to box midfielder in a double pivot depending on the opposition.
Sosa also possesses the ability to play as a number 6 in a three-man midfield which shows his flexibility. With the speculation around Andre Gomes growing by the day, he could fill in the Portuguese’s boots at Goodison Park, and could be the next big name in world football.
Threats
The Argentine is fairly young and a different environment in a different country so far away from home could affect his performance on the pitch.
Sosa got promoted to River Plate senior squad earlier at the start of the year following his impressive performances with the club’s U-20 side.
He has only featured in a handful of games in the Primera Divison, and doesn’t have much experience of top-flight football under his belt.
Scouts have been looking at him for a while now, but it’s difficult to judge a player’s ability with such a small sample size.
A £15m transfer fee sounds like a gamble considering the dynamics in England are a lot different compared to South America.
Stat Courtesy: Transfermarkt
