Just a month after the end of the Premier League season, and it appears to be all change at Goodison Park.
Captain, leader and undeniable legend Phil Jagielka said his goodbyes yesterday after an incredible 12-year stay, and now it does feel like a new era at the club. How exciting does that feel? And it seems Argentina prodigy Santiago Sosa may be the latest man in.
As mentioned yesterday, a £13.3m fee has apparently been reached between us and River Plate over signing the midfielder, with a work permit the only hold-up in getting the deal over the line. But if we can, we could have one of South America’s brightest young talents on our hands. The 20-year-old had been on international duty with Argentina’s U20s side as they competed in the World Cup, and despite their exit in the last 16 stage on Tuesday, Sosa was a key figure in their team.
With big question marks over whether the likes of Andre Gomes, Morgan Schneiderlin and James McCarthy remain at the club next season, Sosa’s arrival could be incredibly important. The youngster has been hailed for being one of those modern-day holding midfielders, looking to dictate the tempo from deep and being at ease in possession. With Idrissa Gueye likely to continue as the ‘destroyer’ in the middle of the park, having someone like Sosa who can get the ball into Gylfi Sigurdsson and Richarlison as early as possible could be a major factor in how well we do.
If you look at our transfer business last summer, all of them were ready-made first-team players who had proven themselves at other clubs. At a club like ours, it’s imperative we’re also in the transfer market scouting for those players before they become household names, whether it’s to potentially sell them on at a huge profit or keep them as a major part of our side.
Signing Sosa would fill a potential gap in our midfield options; a ball-playing holding midfielder and capable of putting his foot in. At around £13m, the risk is fairly minimal; but the reward? It could well be huge.
With the likes of Richarlison, Bernard and Yerry Mina bringing that heavy South American flavour to our side, it might be time to add a bit of Sosa to it too.