Everton are plotting a summer move for FC Barcelona defender Clement Lenglet according to reports from Spain.
What’s the story?
A Spanish outlet is reporting that the centre back is one of the players that Barcelona want to sell ahead of next season in order to raise cash to help fund their rebuild.
He’s rated at £12.6m and Everton are reportedly one of three teams interested in him, along with Sevilla and fellow Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur.
The back-four has been one of the weakest areas of Frank Lampard’s team this campaign, and if they do avoid relegation, they will need to drastically improve it to make sure they aren’t in a battle for survival next year.
He’s an upgrade on Keane
It wouldn’t be hard to improve on a defence that has far from impressed the Everton faithful, and signing Lenglet could make all the difference. He’s an experienced player and has lifted La Liga during his time in Catalonia.
He could be the perfect player during the Toffees’ transition, and given the Spanish giants want him gone, they wouldn’t have to break the bank either.
Should Everton sign Lenglet?
One of the players he would be competing with at Goodison Park, or perhaps sitting alongside, is Michael Keane. The former England international has received a lot of criticism this season, and with Everton’s leaky defence having conceded 56 goals, it seems justified.
If you look at their statistics you can see that Lenglet would be a clear upgrade. The Frenchman has tackled a higher percentage of dribblers at 67% compared to Keane’s 60%.
He’s been described as a “top player” by French national team manager Didier Deschamps and a “monster” by Yahoo France and it would be somewhat of a coup for Everton if he moved to Merseyside.
As well as defending one on one, the Barcelona man is also more reliable with the ball. He has an impressive overall pass completion percentage of 90% which is considerably higher than Keane’s 77%.
If the Toffees survive, then the 26-year old should be high on their list of priorities. They’ll struggle to attract big names out of fear they may be in the same relegation battle again, but he’s a player that would easily be available and would consider a Premier League move.
The pressure will be on Lampard to produce results next season and he needs a quality defender like Lenglet to help him do just that.
IN other news: Lampard must brutally axe £22.5m-rated Everton “danger” who’s just “not that good”…