It’s hard to ignore the impact Carlo Ancelotti has had on this Everton side in just four months.
A shell of the team they used to be, Marco Silva’s reign ended with the Merseyside outfit fighting a relegation battle. Now Everton are sitting nicely in 12th place, just six points behind sixth-place Wolves and a ticket into the Europa League looking more than attainable.
But the squad the Toffees are still faring is in need of some desperate refurbishment, and it’s likely Ancelotti will start with a summer overhaul.
Everton’s midfield appears to be their biggest cause for concern this season, particularly with players like Gylfi Sigurdsson and Tom Davies who have played 47 Premier League goals between them this term and tallied a measly combined two goals and two assists.
According to Football Insider, both Everton and Manchester United are linked to swoop for Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish, with the Toffees confident they can come up with a better offer than the Reds. Despite currently being valued at just £27.4million, both parties are looking to place a bid in excess of £50m for the 24-year-old this summer, with Spurs also willing to meet that price (via Daily Star).
Aston Villa are currently fighting a difficult relegation battle, with Grealish playing his part in trying to keep his side in the Premier League. The Englishman currently has seven goals and six assists this campaign, more than Everton’s entire midfield combined.
A young playmaker is exactly what the Toffees have been crying out for as they’ve struggled with woeful performances from Sigurdsson who – despite sporting the captain’s armband – has been the most disappointing.
His most recent outing against Chelsea will have been the final straw for a lot of Everton fans after the Icelandic international attempted no dribbles, no shots and no tackles.
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The addition of Grealish would make a positive difference to Ancelotti’s team and judging by his stats this season, would add a much more potent threat from midfield that the Everton’s chiefs current options.