Everton are tracking Diego Rossi and are interested in bringing him to Goodison Park from Los Angeles FC. The 23-year-old has been one of the key players for the MLS side since signing for them from Penarol in 2018.
As per The Telegraph, Everton are keen on signing the Uruguayan attacker, who could be bought for a fee of £10 million. Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur are also apparently interested in the 23-year-old forward. Rossi has made over 100 appearances for Los Angeles FC scoring 56 goals and providing 21 assists in all competitions for them.
The 23-year-old has started the 2021 season in fine form, scoring thrice in five appearances for his side. He is yet to be capped for Uruguay’s senior national team.
Diego Rossi: What will he add to the team?
Everton will start the 2021-21 season with a new manager following the departure of Carlo Ancelotti. The Toffees could also have a trimmed side as they have released a few U23 players as well as senior players. The likes of attackers Theo Walcott, Yannick Bolasie, Joshua King, and midfielder Muhamed Besic have left the club. Brazilian winger Bernard is reportedly up for sale, which means that there will at least be one or two slots in the wide areas up for grabs.
The departures from Everton will leave the Merseyside club with just two natural wide players, James Rodríguez and Alex Iwobi. There are others that can fill in the wide areas like Gylfi Sigurdsson, who prefers playing as a No. 10, while Richarlison is now primarily played as a striker.
Everton have plenty of options in central midfield and defence, while the team-up of Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin can be a handful on their day as well. The wide areas could be strengthened in the summer and we could see the Toffees buy at least one winger.
The signing of Diego Rossi could be a gamble, but one worth taking. The precarious financial standing a lot of clubs find themselves in means that they could go looking for bargains in leagues that were previously not thought of as potential talent pool for clubs like Everton.
The majority of players from the MLS have struggled in the Premier League but that cannot be the final indictment regarding imports from the American league.
There have been a few that have excelled like Clint Dempsey and Tim Howard and Diego Rossi could possibly be one of them. The winger has quick feet, has the ability to find space in the box, and is a calm and composed finisher. Rossi is a right-footed player who likes to cut in from the left flank and find space in the penalty box.
He averaged 3.6 shots on goal in 16 MLS games last season, while he also made an average of 1.5 passes per game. The winger is a diminutive forward who is quick to make space for himself and occasionally likes to take on defenders to make passes or take shots on goal. Rossi isn’t wasteful with the ball at his feet and is always on the move to find space. The Uruguayan could be a decent addition but he will have to be given some time to adapt to the physical nature of the Premier League. At £10 million, this is a gamble worth taking for Everton.
