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One of the major developing storylines from the current Everton season is the situation at the top of Marco Silva’s preferred 4-2-3-1 formation. When the year began, Cenk Tosun was the manager’s choice, but the Turkish striker failed to make an impression.
Silva was quick to put forward a solution with moving Richarlison from the left to the middle, but that too has waned in its overall effectiveness. So, here we are again for the 100th time since Romelu Lukaku left, asking the same question that a reporter asked Marco Silva this morning in his pre-Watford press conference: do Everton need a striker?
Take it away, Marco:
It is a good question. Yes, we haven’t scored in the last few games but look at the games we have played. Stamford Bridge, Anfield, it is hard.
We have two games at home now and we will score. I understand we controlled the match yesterday and we created many close chances and won set pieces, we scored one goal and I understand the question but just to look at the last couple of games is not fair because we had chances to score.
The chances we created in the first-half I think were enough to win the match against Newcastle. How many clubs are trying to find a striker who can score 20+ goals? It’s the question for so many managers in the Premier League but my job is to work with the players we have.
If you listen closely, it is clear that Marco Silva isn’t saying that Everton don’t need another forward. Even stating that the posed question was a good one is enough to leave the door open, and it seems evident at this point that Everton’s scouting department is hard at work looking for another goalscorer.
In the coming weeks, there will be names. So many names. Werner. Rodrigo. Immobile. Vardy. The usual suspects. Don’t be surprised, though, if any eventual signing is a player not on our radar, and if the purchase is subsidized by the sales of Morgan Schneiderlin and Oumar Niasse.
Marco Silva and Marcel Brands have given us plenty of reason to trust them. Now, we wait.