According to reports in The Times, there are members of the new-look Everton hierarchy that believe the Merseyside outfit should be the Atletico Madrid of the Premier League, and new manager Marco Silva may well be tasked with bringing that idea to fruition.
The La Liga club are led by Diego Simeone, who plays with a 4-4-2 formation and demands that all of his players work hard defensively – one of the reasons they are so successful when it comes to conceding so few goals and keeping so many clean sheets.
They are also united as a club – something that hasn’t been the case with the Merseyside outfit in recent months – impressive in the transfer market, and have proven that they can regularly compete with Barcelona and arch-rivals Real Madrid in La Liga, as well as other bigger clubs in the Champions League.
The Toffees certainly need some more additions this summer if they want to be anything like the Spanish club on the pitch however, but there are players out there that can help the team and bring them even closer to the fans, who don’t think Silva needs to sign a Euro 2016 winner this summer, and perhaps even ensure they are competing for trophies, too.
Here are three signings Everton must make if they want to be the Atletico Madrid of the Premier League…
One of the players that has been influential in Atletico’s success in recent years in experienced centre-back Diego Godin, but Everton don’t really have a similar sort of player in defence with the likes of Ashley Williams, Phil Jagielka and Leighton Baines unlikely to be in the starting XI next season.
With Michael Keane not really a leader himself based on what we have seen from him so far, Silva could do with bringing in a really experienced and vocal player alongside him, and there aren’t many better choices out there than Kompany.
The Manchester City captain only has one year remaining on his contract at the Etihad Stadium, and if his game time is going to be limited next season – which is a distinct possibility if he’s competing with Aymeric Laporte, John Stones and Nicolas Otamendi for a spot in the side, he could be tempted by a challenge and decent financial offer from elsewhere – something the Toffees should be able to offer him.
Simeone’s Atletico Madrid team is built upon a solid defensive base and relies on high work-rate, and Silva could look to bring a player that he knows very well to Goodison Park in order to bring those attributes to the middle of the park next season.
A report by the Premier League in November said that Watford’s Abdoulaye Doucoure – who can play in defensive, central and attacking midfield roles, had covered the second-most amount of kilometres on the pitch in the opening 11 top flight matches of the 2017/18 campaign.
His athleticism and energy would mean that he could be a hugely important player for the Merseyside outfit in the future.
Atletico Madrid have often played Diego Costa up top with Antoine Griezmann in Simeone’s preferred 4-4-2 formation, and Everton could form a similar partnership in attack with Cenk Tosun and Vardy this summer.
Like Griezmann, the England international player is a player that quite often doesn’t get lots of touches of the ball throughout the 90 minutes, but when he does he has proven just how clinical he can be.
His finishing abilities, his character and his work-rate mean that he would be a great fit for the Toffees in their bid to be more like the La Liga outfit.
Do you agree, Toffees fans? Let us know below.