Gianluca Mancini would be an excellent signing for Everton
According to the Sun, Everton are weighing up a move for Atalanta’s Italy U21 centre-back Gianluca Mancini to bolster their defence.
The same report claims that the Toffees are set to face stiff competition from the likes of Inter Milan and Roma for the signature of the 22-year-old.
Mancini has been in fine form for Atalanta in the Serie A this season with his team currently 8th in the standings and his impressive run of form has attracted the attention of the European giants.
A product of Fiorentina’s youth system, Mancini never made a league appearance for his boyhood club and spent time on loan at Perugia before his stay was made permanent. Mancini was signed by Atalanta in January 2017 and was loaned back to Perugia for the remainder of the season.
Mancini broke into Atalanta’s first team last season where he made a total of 11 appearances in the Serie A. However, he has established himself as an indispensable component of his club’s backline this season and has also scored 4 goals from 14 appearances.
Well, it is certainly not due to his attacking prowess that Everton are keeping tabs on him. Standing at 6ft. 3 inches with a robust and towering frame, Mancini has made eyeballs turn with his consistency and compact nature as a centre-back.
He has the ability to stamp his authority over his offensive counterparts with his physicality and he has proven himself to be a genuine threat on either side of the pitch with his remarkable aerial ability.
Mancini has been dribbled past only twice in 14 games in the Serie A this season, which illustrates that he is a solid defender with a sound positional sense. He is an equally good tackler and rarely dives into reckless challenges, having successfully completed 16 of his attempted 18 tackles so far.
The 22-year-old has averaged 2.4 aerial duels and boasts of a pass accuracy rate of 83 per cent, including 2.4 successful long balls and 1.6 shots per game, figures which speak volumes of his well-rounded abilities as a dynamic centre-back.
To put things into perspective, Gianluca Mancini would be an excellent signing for Everton in January as the Toffees have looked quite vulnerable at the back this season. Marco Silva’s men currently sit 11th in the Premier League standings, which is certainly not good enough for a club of Everton’s aspirations.
Everton recovered from a slow start to the season under their new manager and strung together a series of impressive performances in October and November but a recent dip in form over the festive period has seen the Merseysiders win only one of their last eight games in the Premier League.
Having conceded 31 goals so far, Everton do not have a good defensive record and they need to add some new faces in January to shore up their leaky backline.
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Yerry Mina hasn’t particularly looked solid and has struggled to establish a formidable pairing with Chelsea loanee Kurt Zouma at the heart of the defence. Phil Jagielka, 36, is at the twilight of his career while youngster Mason Holgate has been on the periphery of the first-team this season.
That said, an in-form defender like Gianluca Mancini can add that much-needed stability at the back and Everton should not hesitate to splash the cash on the promising youngster.
