Everton’s hunt for a centre-back has seen them linked with Unai Nunez, Mohammed Salisu, Wesley Fofana, Thiago Silva, Kalidou Koulibaly, Thiago Silva, Marash Kumbulla, Christian Luyindama, Issa Diop and Tosin Adarabioyo, but Gabriel Magalhaes has been on their radar for some time.
We came close to signing the 22-year-old last season but now risk missing out on him entirely. According to Goal, Arsenal and Manchester United have entered the race for Gabriel’s signature and may be a more attractive proposition than Everton.
Why did our previous transfer fall through?
We reportedly agreed a €22m deal with LOSC Lille and a €2m-a-year contract with Gabriel earlier in the year while having scheduled a medical to finalise the transfer, but the deal fell through due to Covid-19.
Gabriel was close to putting pen to paper on a contract, but a number of clubs have since moved ahead of us in the race for his signature so we may have to turn our attentions elsewhere.
How much will Gabriel cost this summer?
Goal say Lille are requesting £25m for the 22-year-old which is affordable. The only problem would be if his asking price goes up because Arsenal and United enter a bidding war.
Everton’s financial situation isn’t the healthiest and may require players to be sold, so there will be a limit on how much we pay – we need to strengthen at right-back, centre-back, centre-midfield, on the wing and up front this summer.
What would Gabriel bring to the defence?
Gabriel is dominant in the air (83/128 aerial duels won), rarely beaten in a one-on-one (dribbled past seven times in 24 games), protects his goalkeeper (18 shots blocked, 78 clearances) and has good anticipation (22 interceptions).
After conceding 56 goals in the Premier League and keeping only nine clean sheets from 38 games, it’s clear we need to strengthen our backline. Only three clubs have lost more aerial duels (852) and only one club has given away more fouls (472), so Gabriel would help tidy things up in defence.
Whether we can beat out all the interest remains to be seen, however.
Summary
Gabriel has all the attributes of a good defender and a reasonable asking price, but a lot of clubs have taken notice which harms our chances of signing him. It’s sad to have come so close to bringing him to Goodison Park, but now we have a fight on our hands to land his signature.
In other news, Everton have made a decision on Yannick Bolasie’s future