Everton have lost one of their best players in Idrissa Gueye, who has moved to Paris Saint-Germain, in a deal worth £30 million. Now, the Toffees have reportedly shortlisted his replacement at Goodison Park, Mainz’s 23-year-old footballer Jean-Philippe Gbamin.
The Ivory Coast international was previously linked with a move to Premier League side Wolves, and Everton have now joined the race to sign him. Everton are reportedly in negotiations with the German side for Gbamin, with Mainz reportedly wanting £25 million for him, as per Liverpool Echo. The Toffees are also interested in Southampton’s Mario Lemina, as per the same report.
Gbamin has been with the German club for three years, having joined them in 2016 from Lens. His contract with Mainz expires in 2023, having signed a new deal with the club last year. The 23-year-old versatile player has played nearly 100 times for Mainz in three seasons, while he has also made 11 appearances for the Ivory Coast national team.
Is he a Silva type player?
It will be a difficult task for Everton manager Marco Silva to replace Gueye, who was one of the best defensive midfielders in the English Premier League. Gbamin does not possess the tackling or intercepting ability that Gueye had, as he is a different kind of defensive midfielder when compared with Gueye.
Gbamin is a good passer of the ball, while also having good work-rate and energy in the middle of the park. The Ivorian international averaged 43 passes per game last season, with a pass completion rate of 80%. He averaged 1.6 tackles a game last season in the Bundesliga, which is good for a side that weren’t in the top 10 in the league standings.
The 23-year-old is a strong player who likes to dribble from midfield, completing 35 dribbles in 31 matches last season. Gbamin is a versatile player, who started as a centre back but has been moved further upfield, playing as a defensive midfielder or central midfielder.
Gbamin is certainly a Silva-type player as he possesses good passing and dribbling skills and keeps the ball moving around. He is a work-in-progress and is nowhere near the finished product that Gueye was when he joined Everton, but he would be a good signing for Everton who can afford a settling in period for him having signed the experienced Fabian Delph on the cheap this summer.