Why Everton should reignite interest in Gaetano Castrovilli
Back in June, a report from Italian outlet Tuttomercatoweb (h/t Liverpool Echo) had claimed that Everton were interested in signing Fiorentina midfielder Gaetano Castrovilli in the summer window. However, negotiations between the clubs never really progressed as the Toffees eventually decided to shift their attention to other targets before the deadline.
Profile
A youth exponent of Bari, Gaetano Castrovilli made his professional debut in the Serie B during the 2014-15 season. He was snapped up by Fiorentina in 2017 but spent time on loan at Cremonese in the Italian second-tier, clocking up over 50 appearances across two seasons.
The midfielder eventually made his first-team breakthrough for La Viola in the 2019-20 season and has since evolved into a regular fixture for the Florence-based outfit. Castrovilli registered 3 goals and 2 assists in 33 league appearances for Fiorentina last term but has already bettered those numbers with a stunning start to the ongoing campaign, scoring 4 times from 8 outings so far.
Castrovilli made his senior international debut for Italy as a substitute in a 3-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina in a Euro 2020 qualifier last year.
Castrovilli would add more depth to the Toffees’ midfield
A 3-time Champions League-winning manager, Carlo Ancelotti used his pulling power to lure some top-quality players to Goodison Park in the summer. James Rodriguez, Allan and Abdoulaye Doucoure all came through the door at Everton as a part of the manager’s squad rebuild, bolstering the club’s midfield department in the process.
With all the new summer recruits making a positive impression early in the campaign, the Toffees certainly need not prioritise a move for a midfielder in January. However, it goes without saying that they lack the same kind of quality on the bench to take the pressure off the regular starters.
The likes of Fabian Delph, Gylfi Sigurdsson and Bernard have all struggled for consistency over the past 12 months. Furthermore, Jean-Philippe Gbamin doesn’t seem anywhere close to breaking into Ancelotti’s plans after missing large quarters of the previous campaign due to a serious injury.
Reshaping the midfield unit, to that end, would make a lot of sense and Everton need to look no further beyond Gaetano Castrovilli to add more depth and quality in that department. The 23-year-old has made significant improvements to his game at Fiorentina over the past 12 months and looks more than ready to embrace a new challenge.
Essentially a central midfielder by trade, Castrovilli has also been utilised in box-to-box and attacking roles in the Serie A. Besides his obvious ability to score and create goals for his teammates, the Italian international also excels with his work rate at both ends of the pitch. That is pretty evident from his heat map at Fiorentina last season.
Read More
- Why Everton should complete a deal for Gleison Bremer
- Why Everton should reignite their interest in Benito Raman
Verdict
Gaetan Castrovilli has already started to deliver on his potential at Fiorentina and is only going to get better with time. The 23-year-old has gone from strength to strength over the past year or so, which is clearly underlined by his recognition as a senior international for Italy. Having said that, Everton should definitely start keeping tabs on Castrovilli once again following his impressive start to the 2020-21 season in Florence.
