Everton enter race for star playmaker

Everton have been in tremendous form recently, taking 21 of their last 27 available points in the Premier League, but one of the personnel issues that remains is the lack of a true creative midfielder to help get Romelu Lukaku the ball in promising areas.

The Blues have been linked with players like Gylfi Sigurdsson and Wayne Rooney with regularity, but a new, perhaps more realistic name has cropped up - Montpellier’s star man, Algerian Ryad Boudebouz.

The 27-year-old attacking midfielder has bagged 8 goals and 6 assists in just 22 Ligue 1 appearances this season, and is one of the top playmakers in Europe who doesn’t play for a major club. Averaging an incredible 3.5 key passes per match, Boudebouz could be the perfect solution to alleviating the creative burden on Seamus Coleman.

Boudebouz has two goals in 24 international appearances for Algeria, but missed out on the recent Africa Cup of Nations after undergoing minor knee surgery. He signed with Montpellier at the beginning of the 2015-16 season and is on a four-year contract.

Valued at just €7.5 million, Boudebouz deserves a shot to ply his trade at a big club in a good league, and Everton could offer him a significant role to play, particularly if they qualify for European competition.

Lest we forget, Steve Walsh has a good track record of recruiting Algerian playmakers to the Premier League, with Riyad Mahrez winning player of the year after Leicester City’s incredible season last year. Could Montpellier’s number 10 be his next conquest?