Everton Blogs

Signing £29m youngster is a massive gamble for Everton – opinion

|

Everton have reportedly agreed a deal with Juventus over the transfer of forward Moise Kean for £29million, according to The Guardian.

The 19-year-old Italy international made 15 Serie A appearances for Juventus last season, scoring six goals.

The Toffees were interested in Crystal Palace forward Wilfried Zaha but turned their attention to Kean after a bid of £55m was rejected by the Eagles.

But are they making a mistake placing so much faith in a player who is yet to prove his worth?

If Everton were serious about mounting a top-six challenge, they would have continued their attempts to sign Zaha. Despite the superior price tag in comparison to Kean, he came with Premier League pedigree and has exemplified his ability against the biggest clubs in England.

Last season for Roy Hodgson’s side, the Ivory Coast international netted 10 times and chipped in with five assists in 34 Premier League appearances. Although he is not a recognised striker, Zaha’s versatility would allow either Richarlison or himself to operate as a centre-forward and a sense of unpredictability was beckoning.

Kean is an out-and-out centre forward, though, and started to emerge on the first-team scene for the Italian giants last season. His game-time was limited with Cristiano Ronaldo leading the line and a move elsewhere is a sensible decision for his career.

However, from Everton’s perspective, they have failed to sign a prolific goalscorer who is guaranteed to provide goals since the departure of Romelu Lukaku in 2017. Since Marco Silva’s appointment in 2018, the Toffees have started to assemble a dangerous team but one position has been lacking.

With the creativity and support Everton possess with the likes of Gylfi Sigurdsson and Bernard, this summer was an excellent chance to sign a striker who knows where the back of the net is – Kean could be that player, but with such little experience at such a tender age, placing heavy responsibility onto the youngster’s shoulders to become an instant Premier League goalscorer is a gamble.

The 19-year-old Italy forward is a good signing, make no mistake of that. However, he should not be the man Everton look towards to score decisive goals and instantly become the striker the blue half of Merseyside have craved for the past two seasons.

In the 2018/19 Serie A campaign, Kean encountered, on average, 1.7 unsuccessful touches per match. The speed of the Premier League is much quicker compared to Italian football and he will have to adapt to the faster-paced environment if he is to be a success early on.

The signing is exciting for the future as the 19-year-old has demonstrated glimpses of what he can produce. However, it is an enormous gamble and only time will tell to see if it pays off.

Share this article