Everton are closing in on signing Gabriel Magalhaes, having reached an agreement with the 22-year-old on Wednesday and are now working to finalise terms with LOSC Lille, but the news may not be welcomed by one player – Michael Keane.
The 27-year-old could struggle for playing time next season when Gabriel joins the club, as he was already enduring diminishing minutes on the pitch in 2020.
Keane joined Everton from Burnley in 2017 and has gone on to make 98 appearances in all competitions, contributing six goals. The England international has been a regular ever since he came to Goodison Park but has found himself used more sparingly since Carlo Ancelotti was appointed manager on December 21.
As per Transfermarkt, Keane featured in 16 of Everton’s first 18 Premier League games before losing his starting place to Mason Holgate and Yerry Mina at centre-back. The 27-year-old came off the bench in Everton’s 0-0 draw with Arsenal on December 21 and was an unused substitute in their 1-0 win over Burnley a week later – Ancelotti’s first league game in charge.
In Everton’s last 11 league outings, Keane was an unused substitute four times, introduced from the bench once and omitted from the matchday squad once. He’s conceded eight goals in his last four appearances and was criticised by fans earlier in the campaign for inconsistency.
As per Transfermarkt, Holgate featured in every game from November onwards while Mina missed only four games in the same period. Gabriel has been a regular for Lille this season, making 34 appearances across the board, so he’d be pushing for a start at Everton too. Keane may be getting the short end of the stick if more competition is brought in.