clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

West Ham's loss is Everton's gain as Blues close in

After snubbing a move to to West Ham last week, Monaco striker Lacina Traore is reportedly undergoing a medical ahead of a move to Everton.

Epsilon

Traore, who at 6ft 8in tall has almost certainly been labelled the 'Ivorian Peter Crouch' at some stage in his career, only joined Monaco at the start of January from Russian side Anzhi but the French side are ready to loan him out straight away.

Given he is so tall it was perhaps inevitable that Sam Allardyce would come calling and the West Ham boss duly tried to sign the player on-loan to boost his side's relegation battle.

The Hammers even pushed through a work permit, despite the player not fitting the required criteria regarding international appearances.

However, in a dramatic twist the 23-year-old, presumably after hearing of Everton's interest, turned down the Hammers and drove up to the Toffees' training ground to discuss a move.

Those mystical Sky Sources now claim he will undergo a medical at Finch Farm while the club sort out the paper work.

Those sources must be onto something as Traore was even photographed in a supermarket in Liverpool on Sunday.

A potential stumbling block could well be the work permit, with regulations stating that after one application (made by West Ham earlier this week) another one cannot be made for four months. Kenwright's lawyers look to have a busy few hours ahead of them.

Should Traore sign on then he would arrive at the club with a severe lack of match fitness as the Russian League has been on a winter break since October.

There are also rumours of a hamstring injury that caused West Ham to hesitate over the deal, allowing Everton to pinch in.

Should those fitness fears be allayed then Everton would have themselves a striker who will provide timely support for Romelu Lukaku, who has looked tired in recent weeks.

He would arrive in England as a relative unknown, but he is already an international and has cost in excess of £30million in transfer fees already in his short career.

He also scored the winner against Liverpool in the Europa League last year, so he is a yes in my book.

What do you think of this potential signing? Is it a risk signing yet another loan player? Will we be left short in the summer when they return to their parent clubs? Have your say below.