Why Everton should have signed Lorenzo Insigne in January

Back in December 2019, French outlet Le 10 Sport (h/t The Daily Star) had claimed that Everton boss Carlo Ancelotti was ‘strongly’ considering a move for Napoli forward Lorenzo Insigne. However, no deal materialised during the January transfer window.

Everton appointed Carlo Ancelotti as the permanent successor of Marco Silva in December. The Italian has managed to steady their ship. The 60-year-old was interested in making signings in January but the club failed to bring in any players.

The Royal Blues have managed to surge to a decent position in the league after impressive performances. Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin are the only forwards who have scored consistently this season. Cenk Tosun has been shipped out on loan to Crystal Palace, while Oumar Niasse is frozen out of the team.

Moise Kean has failed to live up to the lofty expectations of the Goodison Park faithful following his summer move from Juventus, managing just a goal and two assists in 19 league games so far. Improvements were desperately needed in the attack, thus Everton should’ve signed Lorenzo Insigne in January.

A product of Napoli’s youth system, Insigne, 28, has made 329 appearances for the Serie A club, scoring 85 goals. That’s a testament to his goalscoring ability, having netted 48 goals in last three seasons across all competitions. A left-winger by trade, the Italian is more than capable of playing on the right, or as a secondary striker. Such versatility could’ve helped the Toffees in the attack.

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The 28-year-old worked with Ancelotti at Napoli, so the 60-year-old would be aware of Insigne’s strengths and weaknesses, and would’ve helped him take his game to the next level. Plus, the Napoli skipper has volumes of European experience and international pedigree, which could have helped in making a difference at Goodison Park.

Verdict

Going by his experience at the highest level and goalscoring ability, Insigne would have been such a fantastic signing for the Toffees. The Italian is an established player in Serie A and already combined well with Ancelotti in Naples. So this deal would have been brilliant for the Toffees. Everton have missed a big trick by failing to sign the player last month.