Everton are interested in signing AZ Alkmaar midfielder Teun Koopmeiners, who impressed for his side in the 2019-20 season. The 22-year-old captains the Dutch side and has been an important figure for them over the last two seasons.
As per Transfermarkt.de (via Transfer Market Web), the Toffees have been tracking the young midfielder, with Italian giants AC Milan also interested in signing Koopmeiners. The Dutchman has come through the ranks at AZ, making his senior debut in 2017.
Teun Koopmeiners signed a contract extension at the club last year, which ties him down till 2023. The midfielder was even prolific in front of goal for AZ in the 2019-20 season, scoring a total of 16 goals in 42 games in all competitions for the club.
Teun Koopmeiners: Is he worth the fuss?
Everton have been linked with a few midfielders ahead of the summer transfer window, with the midfield area being one that manager Carlo Ancelotti is looking to strengthen. They have been linked with moves for Southampton captain Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Juventus midfielder Adrien Rabiot.
The Toffees lacked depth in midfield in the 2019-20 season, with injuries to key players derailing their season. Their interest in Teun Koopmeiners does not come as a surprise as the Dutchman has had two excellent seasons at AZ Alkmaar.
Koopmeiners is a versatile player capable of playing as a central midfielder, defensive midfielder, and has even played at centre back and left-back. But, it’s in the defensive midfield position where he plays his best football. The Dutchman operates efficiently in the quarterback role, with his wide range of short and long passing. Koopmeiners has excellent distribution, averaging 82.1 passes per game in the Dutch league in the 2019-20 season. He also averaged a whopping 5.8 long balls per game.
He is a player that can dictate and control the tempo of the match, and create goalscoring opportunities. He also performs his defensive duties well. Teun Koopmeiners likes to press and compress the midfield area, while he has also shown great awareness to make key interceptions.
The midfielder is also fantastic from set-piece situations, scoring plenty of free-kicks, while also calm and efficient from the penalty spot. Koopmeiners is an all-round midfielder, a leader, and has tremendous potential as he is just 22 years of age.
Buying such a young and well-advanced prospect is not a bad option for the Toffees as they need fresh faces ahead of the next season. The likes of Delph and Schneiderlin have not been the most impressive and Ancelotti will want someone new who can the challenge for a regular role in the first team and secure it in the long run.