According to 90min, Everton are interested in Orbelin Pineda and may have to battle Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Southampton, Newcastle United, West Ham United, Ajax, PSV Eindhoven, FC Porto and AS Monaco for his signature.
The 24-year-old is a regular at Cruz Azul and has caught the eye of a lot of clubs through his performances, but it remains to be seen whether we need another wide man given our options.
Who is Pineda?
A Mexican winger who has played for Queretaro FC (58 appearances, 9 goals, 5 assists), Chivas (128 appearances, 10 goals, 8 assists) and Cruz Azul (68 appearances, 8 goals, 7 assists).
Pineda is a regular at the Aztec Stadium, making 15 Liga MX Apertura appearances this season, but his output has left a lot to be desired (1 goal, 1 assist).
The 24-year-old can operate on both flanks and in an attacking-midfield role, so he would bring versatility to the ranks, but he’s not overly prolific which might be a problem.
Do we need him?
I don’t think so. We have James Rodriguez, Richarlison, Bernard, Alex Iwobi, Theo Walcott and Yannick Bolasie on the books, so it makes more sense to part company with some deadwood before bringing in another wide-man.
Pineda’s lack of goals and assists worry me too. We don’t need another player without a cutting edge in the final third. 90min say the Mexican is hardworking and a good playmaker who drifts past opponents with ease, but I don’t think he would feature much in our squad.
Maybe he’s a late bloomer like Jamie Vardy? The fact Pineda has so many clubs monitoring his progress suggests there’s some potential there, but I don’t believe we should pursue a move.
Prediction
90min don’t believe Pineda is coming to the Premier League and say it’s more likely that one of Ajax, PSV, Porto or Monaco will sign him, so I can’t see him coming to Goodison Park. We have better options in the squad and should be content for the time being, so I’d be surprised if there was anything in this.