Roberto Martinez’s hunt for a new centre-back has hit a snag with Italian defender Angelo Ogbonna appearing to favour a move to West Ham rather than the Toffees.
The Spanish gaffer is on the lookout for new defenders with Everton’s defensive stocks now low. Ageing defenders Antolin Alcaraz and Sylvain Distin were both released at season’s end, leaving only John Stones and captain Phil Jagielka in the central defensive positions.
One of the names the Merseysiders were frequently linked with was Italy international Angelo Ogbonna.
A favourite of FIFA 13 Ultimate Team players, the 27-year-old appears surplus to requirements at Juventus after moving across town from Torino in 2013.
At 189 centimetres, Ogbonna would be a valuable asset to just about any team, and it now looks as though Slaven Bilic and West Ham have won the race for his signature despite strong interest from Everton.
Another Toffee target is Crystal Palace’s Scott Dann, hailing from Liverpool. The Eagles, however, have other ideas and understandably seem intent on hanging onto their reigning player of the year.
Palace are seeking the best part of £15 million for any potential sale and that sum does not present good value for money on Everton’s part.
Those two options look to be exhausted, so Martinez would be wise to look elsewhere in his recruitment drive.
Fellow Italian Davide Astori has long been on the radar of Europe’s elite, but the time to lure Cagliari’s most prized asset away from the club has never been better. Cagliari, it appears, is content to let the player go.
Astori has two seasons remaining on his current contract and seems the perfect candidate to challenge Stones and Jagielka for the defensive posts, but Everton will need to be quick if it intends to sign the player. Reports indicate new-look Napoli is also an interested party, but AS Roma holds first option on making last season’s loan move permanent.
Despite the competition, a move would be with great reason. At 28, Astori is in the prime of his career and boasts a huge amount of experience, both in Serie A and on the international stage with the Azzurri.
The AC Milan youth product’s season on loan at the Giallorossi was a success and ultimately reflected his quality.
In 24 league games, Astori averaged a duels won percentage of 54%, the 11th best in the league and averaged 11 defensive actions per game.
One statistic in particular will catch the eye of Martinez, given his style of playing out from the back. Astori enjoyed a pass completion rate of 87%, the 12th best in the league for players who played more than 20 matches.
Another who has been a transfer headliner for the best part of a year is Celtic’s Virgil van Dijk. Like Astori, van Dijk’s contract ends in 2017 but the Dutchman has openly expressed his desire to move away from Glasgow on more than one occasion.
Van Dijk has attracted plenty of attention whilst he has been in the limelight, with clubs including Arsenal, Manchester United, Sunderland and Southampton showing interest.
Celtic values the player at around £10 million, a bargain figure given the 193 centimetre giant is only 23.
[interaction id=”559d0c01529840a30ea9ccd6″]
Taking a gander at the relegated teams is also worth some effort. Steven Caulker of QPR is probably the best of the defensive crop to have dropped to the Championship and would deliver bang for the club’s buck.
Caulker, like van Dijk, is just 23, but already has plenty of Premier League experience, totalling 117 appearances for Tottenham, Swansea City, Cardiff City and QPR over six seasons.
The Englishman missed only three matches in the Premier League last season and was a rare highlight as the Rs were relegated. He was ranked fourth and sixth in the league amongst defenders for duels won and defensive actions.
After being relegated firstly with Cardiff, Caulker found himself in demand. Expect a similar situation this window with promoted Bournemouth and West Brom linked to the defender.
A much cheaper alternative in terms of a transfer fee is Dutch stalwart Ron Vlaar. His contract ended at Aston Villa just over a week ago but speculation has been rife over the 30-year-old’s future since his excellent showing under Louis van Gaal at the 2014 World Cup.
Indeed, it is van Gaal and Manchester United who look likeliest to secure Vlaar’s signature, so the chances of a move to Everton are looking unlikelier by the day.
Still, a late bid for the Villa captain’s services may be one worth pursuing. Vlaar is of immense experience and quality, with 31 caps under his belt for the Netherlands and a further 78 appearances for Aston Villa. A Bosman means the Blues would receive good value for a player who has one or two years left at the top.
What are your thoughts? Let us know by dropping a comment below via our Facebook comment box. Make sure you follow us on Twitter @Outside90 and like us on Facebook.
