Everton Transfer Rumour Roundup: Lingard, Adams, Rodrigo, Belotti, Dennis and more

Everton are supposedly flush with cash now that Richarlison has been sold for £60 million to Tottenham, though quite how much of that money is actually spent this summer remains to be seen. Defender James Tarkowski has been brought in as a free agent, costing nothing so the Blues should still be able to beef up a couple of critical positions to prevent a repeat of last season’s relegation battle fiasco.

As usually happens during the transfer window, once a player moves a domino effect of further transfers is expected. Just in the last few days a number of transfer rumours have come to light, and we take a look at the feasibility of all the names being linked with the Blues, as well as where they would fit into the side.

Jesse Lingard

Stop us if you’ve heard this one before. Over the last few years the versatile forward has been linked with a move to Everton so many times that it’s gotten old. Now that he’s out of contract at Manchester United the rumour mill has gone into overdrive, especially since West Ham — where he had a solid loan spell recently — have offered him a contract that is well below what his wage demands are, reportedly £150,000 per week.

This one makes sense for the Blues while also not making sense at the same time. A 29-year-old player with his best behind him and looking for one last big payday on a long-term deal is exactly the kind of signing that got Everton into the trouble they are in financially. Yet the Blues cannot afford to turn their noses up at free agents who could add depth and quality to the side, especially with five substitutes allowed in games going forward.

He’s played his best out wide on either side while also being able to play as an attacking midfielder supporting a striker much like Dele Alli has. Bringing Lingard on big wages represents a risk for the Blues, and as long as they don’t hamstring themselves by offering him a longer contract than two years there is a good chance of this one happening. You have to believe though the club would be better served using their sparse spending ability bringing in a cheaper winger though.

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Tyler Adams

Update: July 6th - Tyler Adams has completed his move from RB Leipzig to Leeds United in a transfer costing in the region of £20 million.

You can’t blame the sizeable American fanbase of Everton for getting excited about this one. RB Leipzig are said to be willing to listen to offers for the USMNT captain for a paltry €12m to €15m. The German side are trying to downsize, and the quick midfielder is said to be available despite having three years left on his contract.

This one certainly makes more sense for Everton than the links to Harry Winks. An out and out central defensive midfielder, Adams brings a lot of the qualities that Lampard needs on this side - a midfielder that can be a disruptive force in front of the defence, with the recovery pace required to be successful in the Premier League. By no means is the 23-year-old a finished product, and one feels there will be good days and bad in the lineup for him. His experience in playing in front of a three-man backline at RBL is certainly going to help should Lampard choose to stick with the 3-4-3 structure we often saw last season.

Leeds United are taking a long look at Adams with a view to replacing Kalvin Phillips, and his fellow American Jesse Marsch being in charge there could sway his decision towards the West Yorkshire side. Would love to see Everton take a swing at Adams though, especially at that price range and he wouldn’t command big wages either.

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Rodrigo Becao

This one came out of left field. The 26-year-old Brazilian centrehalf is a strong tackler, loves defending, good at setpieces, and is at his best playing on the right side of a back three. What’s not to love? Well, he’s not the kind of defender you need if you’re going to play a possession-style, high-line game.

Rodrigo loves defending and that’s good for a team like Everton that struggles to do just that. But with the addition of Tarkowski, and even if Jarrad Branthwaite goes out on loan, that leaves Michael Keane, Yerry Mina, Mason Holgate and Ben Godfrey in the squad. Is Lampard planning to have six centrebacks in the side? Does that mean we’re nailed down to play a back three next season?

Udinese have the same owner as Watford, a club that Everton have had a colourful history with even though the Blues are buying players (and nicking managers) from them more often than not. Italian sources report that talks are certainly underway, though the two sides do not have an agreement yet.

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Emmanuel Dennis

There are few natural replacements for Richarlison that are available to Everton, but the Watford forward is certainly one of those. The Nigerian international is versatile enough to play across the frontline, has an eye for goal that might be better than the Brazilian, and also matches his workrate in supporting the defensive effort. His 0.38 xG+xA/90 is lower than Richarlison, who has averaged 0.47 in his five seasons in England. The 24-year-old has had some unfair negative press around his time with the Hornets and should be available for less than £20m, which seems a bargain.

Richarlison will be sorely missed by Everton for his all-round ability. He galvanized the fanbase when it was at its lowest last season and he lived up to his promise to drag the Toffees to survival with his key goals and assists late in the season. Dennis seems to be logical and easy choice for the Blues to fill that Brazilian-shaped hole in the lineup. Should Dominic Calvert-Lewin miss extended periods of time though, then there is a concern that Dennis’ aerial weakness might be a problem.

There is a certain level of irony that the Toffees might go back to Watford to find the player to succeed the player that they originally got from the Hornets at half the pricetag no less. You do wonder if the Blues are negotiating some sort of package deal for Dennis and Rodrigo, with a discount for the 10% the Blues owe Gino Pozzo on the profit they made selling Richarlison.

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Andrea Belotti

The 28-year-old Italy international has let his contract with Torino expire with a view to a free agent move. The striker has been prolific at times for the Granata and has been their captain for the last few years of his seven-year tenure in Turin. His 0.64 xG+xA/90 is pretty impressive considering Torino’s lowly standing in general, though that number is slightly inflated due to penalties.

This is not the first time Belotti has been linked with a move to the Premier League, though we don’t see this happening unless Dominic Calvert-Lewin leaves as its unlikely the striker with 44 international caps for the Azzurri will settle for a backup role with the Blues. His dream move to AC Milan doesn’t look like it’s happening, and AS Monaco are said to be close to an agreement with the player even as Arsenal and the Toffees have been linked.

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Billy Gilmour, Conor Gallagher, Armando Broja, Levi Colwill

It’s really no surprise at all to hear Everton linked with all manner of Chelsea players. Lampard managed a lot of those players during his short stint in charge at Stamford Bridge or knows them from his long playing career there. With Allan and Andre Gomes both being active shopped by the Toffees, replacements will be needed. A lot of Everton’s issues last season can be attributed to lacklustre midfield play and that will be particularly galling to Lampard who remains one of the most outstanding midfielders in the Premier League era.

Conor Gallagher was stellar during his loan at Crystal Palace, and Thomas Tuchel wants to have a good look at him during the Chelsea preseason. Similarly for Armando Broja who was very good at times at Southampton. Billy Gilmour is another midfielder who will likely have plenty of loan interest as will defender Levi Colwill as Chelsea continue their pursuit of Matthis De Ligt and Nathan Ake.

Everton’s stance on all the Chelsea players so far appears to be that they are happy to take them on loan should the Stamford Bridge side decide they will not be using them this season. However with only two domestic loans allowed, Thelwell and Lampard might have to decide right at the end of the transfer window where they need reinforcements.