Any Everton supporters who dared to tune into that 3-0 pre-season hammering at Coventry City will not have been filled with too much confidence regarding Sean Dyche’s options at either end of the pitch.
Ellis Simms – the former Toffees starlet who simply cannot stop hitting the target in 2024 – opened the scoring. Of course he did.
Dyche can only dream of a centre-forward of such confidence and reliability. Everton’s finishing in that Coventry reverse was like a masterclass of how not to stick the ball in the back of the net.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin has laboured through pre-season since those Newcastle links. He missed another one-on-one against the FA Cup semi-finalists. Summer signing Iliman Ndiaye and the ever-wasteful Beto then lashed presentable chances a mile into the sky.
Ok, Everton’s follow up performances have offered some reason for optimism.
Calvert-Lewin scored a penalty against Preston while both Beto and forgotten man Neal Maupay hit a brace apiece in that 6-0 behind-closed-doors hammering of Motherwell.
But while Dyche has succeeded in turning Chris Wood, Ashley Barnes and Sam Vokes into semi-regular Premier League goalscorers in the past, a striker selection of Calvert-Lewin, Beto and Maupay may not strike fear into the hearts of many opposition backlines.
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Everton missed out on El Bilal Toure to Atalanta
So as an opportunity suddenly opens up over in Italy, is it one The Toffees will be tempted to sieze?
Back in July 2023, Almeria CEO Mohamed El Assy confirmed that Everton had expressed an interest in El Bilal Toure after an impressive breakthrough season in Spain’s top flight.
The Mali international’s seven La Liga goals – including an equaliser against Atletico Madrid and a winner versus Barcelona – helped save Almeria from relegation.
Toure would eventually end up joining Atalanta. The Europa League winners stumped up a club-record fee of £25 million.
But after a difficult debut campaign over in Italy – Toure was limited to just 11 Serie A appearances and two goals due to injury – Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini admits that the Ivorian-born 22-year-old has little appetite in hanging around for a second season in Bergamo.
This is the last thing Atalanta need. Gasperini has already lost Giorgio Scalvini and Gianluca Scamacca to long-term injuries, while the £50 million-rated Teun Koopmeiners has ‘decided’ on a move to rivals Juventus.
“Scamacca and Scalvini got injured, and Koopmeiners and Toure want to leave,” the embattled Gasperini tells L’Eco di Bergamo.
“Things will settle down. But it’s clear that we’re not starting the season in the ideal way.”
Fulham are keen on the former La Liga hotshot
Everton have already signed Ndiaye and the extremely highly-rated Jake O’Brien.
There should still be money left in the budget, however, following the £50 million sale of Amadou Onana to Aston Villa and the departure of Ben Godfrey to, ironically enough, Atalanta.
There is also the possibility of last season’s beaten Coppa Italia finalists sending Toure out on loan.
According to L’Equipe, Fulham were negotiating a potential short-term deal for the 6ft 1ins centre-forward. Emile Smith Rowe, Ryan Sessegnon and former Villarreal defender Jorge Cuenca have joined Marco Silva’s side.
Another centre-forward may be required, however, with Carlos Vinicius out of favour, Raul Jimenez now 33, and Rodrigo Muniz keen to prove he is not merely a ‘one-season wonder’.
The post Manager opens door to Everton and Fulham as he says £25m striker 'wants to leave' appeared first on HITC.
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