Everton have made a raft of signings this summer as Sean Dyche looks to improve his squad, but despite selling Amadou Onana to Aston Villa in a £50m package, a replacement has yet to be added.
Tim Iroegbunam joined the Goodison Park side last month in a £9m transfer in a player-to-player deal with the Villans that saw Lewis Dobbin move the other way, but the 21-year-old has only made one Premier League start under Unai Emery league. last season.
More is needed in the engine room and thankfully moves are underway to sign an exciting new player to complete the run.
Everton transfer news
According to a Caught Offside report earlier this week, Everton have been in contact with Habib Diarra’s representatives, with the 20-year-old midfielder enjoying a stellar season with Strasbourg in Ligue 1.
Ligue 1 value him at around €35m (£29m) but it remains to be seen whether the Merseysiders can pay the amount, although Onana’s departure could see the dream come true.
What would Habib Diarra give to Everton
Diarra was described by the Italian football writer as a player with “tremendous developing skills” – who have noted the following links with Napoli – and certainly offers the kind of athletic ability that could prove a real asset for Dyche’s Blues.
Still at the start of his promising career, Diarra enjoyed the limelight with Strasbourg for two seasons, starting 28 Ligue 1 games last year and impressing throughout.
According to FBref, he ranks in the top 17% of central midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for advanced passes and in the top 11% for successful picks per 90, highlighting his growing quality on the ball.
He also completed 61% of his above-mentioned dribbles last term, highlighting a sharp, precise ability that could be used to penetrate Premier League back lines to distinct effect.
Diarra is more versatile than Onana and doesn’t offer the kind of rigorous expertise that led analyst Raj Chohan to label the Belgian sensation a “monster matchup winner”, but his well-rounded arsenal could complement Idriss Gueye’s defensive qualities at the bottom of midfield spectacularly.
His sleek style could prove to be an upgrade that would define Everton’s engine room with a greater sense of roundness; after all, Onana wasn’t exactly a mainstay in Dyche’s set-up, being benched eight times during the Premier League campaign.
A beast in the making, the 5ft 11 talent could be the perfect addition to an Everton squad that has shown stability and consistency (at least on the pitch), adding some extra dynamism to ensure the carbon doesn’t stick around this year.