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£22.5m-rated Everton star must shine, after top pundit questioned Blues’ transfers – opinion

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The time has arrived for Yerry Mina to step up and make his presence felt at Goodison Park, after top Sky Sports pundit Charlie Nicholas claimed Everton failed to shake a key weakness in Marco Silva’s ranks through our transfer activity this summer.

Silva and Director of Football Marcel Brands went heavy in the market bolstering our attacking contingent and options in the engine room, but failed to add any central defensive cover following the departure of Phil Jagielka and the end of Kurt Zouma’s loan deal.

For Nicholas, this left a key weakness in Silva’s ranks, as the Portuguese head coach has a team that will create chances, but will it keep them out at the other end?

“With Everton, it is like the boiler that has been renewed,” he said. “Is it going to work, and are people going to press the right buttons? If Marco Silva didn’t get the results coming out of the back of last season he could have gone.

“They went big in the market and invested up front. Have they got strikers yet? Is there anything in there that could spark them into life? They have given the manager every resource he could get.

“Where are they going to play Alex Iwobi? I see a team that is going to be creative, but weak at the back.”

If any player is to step up and shine to prove Nicholas wrong, it will be Mina more than any other, as the Colombian endured a troubled debut season on Merseyside and was unable to show his true value as he proved to be a constant injury concern.

Keeping the £22.5million-rated centre-half in shape will prove to be vital this term, as a fully-fit Mina has the potential to be a reliable option, that offers a great aerial threat in both boxes, as well as a defender who rarely wastes a tackle.

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