Everton Opinion: Why Lucas Ocampos will be a smart fit at Everton?

According to a report from Calciomercato, Everton are interested in signing Marseille star Lucas Ocampos this summer.

The Argentine, 24, has been in good form this season, scoring four goals and supplying a further six assists in 30 Ligue 1 games for Marseille. However, his contract with the French club expires in 2020 and Marseille could be tempted into selling him this summer to avoid losing him for nothing.

Everton are weighing up a swoop for Lucas Ocampos, as Marco Silva looks to bolster his options in the attack. The Toffees have endured a disappointing campaign, with Silva’s men failing to hit the heights they were expected at the start of the 2018/19. The Merseyside outfit, though, still have an outside chance to sneak into the Europa League qualifying stages.

Whatever happens at the end of this campaign, Silva has to bring in fresh faces over the summer to try and breach the gap between his team and the ‘Big Six’. To that end, Everton are in dire need of an upgrade on Theo Walcott ahead of the 2019/20 campaign.

Signed from Arsenal last January, Walcott has not fulfilled the expectations at Goodison Park and it is perhaps the story of his career – plenty of potential but little end product. But at 30 he is now a matured, experienced player, who needs to produce consistent performances every single weekend for his club.

The former England international is on the decline and once again finds himself facing the same conundrum he had at Arsenal. He is no longer considered a prospect and his prime years certainly look behind him. That’s clear enough to suggest why Silva needs to offload Walcott in the summer and replace him with Lucas Ocampos.

Ocampos has already played for AC Milan, Genoa, Monaco and River Plate, but a move to the English Premier League should be the next big step in his career. A left winger by trade, the 24-year-old is adept at playing anywhere across the front-line.

Regarded as a quick, agile and technically-gifted player, the Argentine is known for his vision and the ability to pick out key passes at the right moment. Blessed with wonderful close-control, the former AC Milan man backs himself to beat the opposition with the ball at his feet and often brings others into play with inch-perfect through balls.

He is someone that likes to create spaces for his teammates with intelligent positional play and never shies away from having a crack on goal.

Verdict

Ocampos would fit Marcel Brands’ mould given that he is a young, exciting and promising talent with a potentially huge re-sale value. The South American attacker has the qualities to flourish in England and could potentially form a deadly partnership with the likes of Richarlison, Gylfi Sigurdsson and Bernard at Everton.

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All in all, the 24-year-old Ocampos could be a very smart acquisition for the Merseysiders.