Why Everton should move for Calvin Stengs to bolster their attack
The pundits at Liverpool Echo have jotted down their fair share of suggestions regarding where Everton should look for reinforcements before the January deadline.
Truth be told, Everton have some gaping holes to fill in multiple areas of their squad. Having operated with just three senior centre-backs so far this term, a new central defender certainly fits the bill during the mid-season trading period, whilst bringing in a new central midfielder could also be a smart move.
Injuries to Andre Gomes and Jean-Philippe Gbamin have robbed the Toffees of some valuable depth and quality in the middle of the park, leaving Ancelotti with limited options to work with. Furthermore, a new centre-forward should also be high on the club’s agenda following the departure of Cenk Tosun on loan to Crystal Palace.
The list of potential targets suggested by the pundits at Liverpool Echo include some big names like James Rodriguez and Matthijs de Ligt to a few relatively unknown talents like Calvin Stengs.
Everton’s struggles in front of goal have been well-documented, with Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin shouldering most of the goalscoring workload for the Toffees.
Others like Bernard, Theo Walcott, Alex Iwobi and Moise Kean haven’t made a big impact and with that in mind, Everton should definitely consider reshuffling their attacking options with some fresh recruits.
To put things into perspective, Everton’s transfer guru Marcel Brands has put a lot of emphasis on building a squad around young and developing players and the Toffees should be wise enough to listen to the pundits and start running the rule over Dutch prodigy Calvin Stengs.
A youth exponent of AZ Alkmaar, the 21-year-old winger has been making waves in the Eredivisie with his sparkling displays down the flanks over the past couple of seasons, and his record of 9 goals and 11 assists in 31 appearances across all competitions so far this term suggests that the youngster has taken his game to a new level.
Two of those goals have come in the group stages of the UEFA Europa League while Steng’s impressive form also earned him his senior international debut for The Netherlands in a Euro 2020 qualifier against Estonia back in November. The highly-rated Alkmaar prospect caught the eye with two assists in an eventual 5-0 victory for Ronald Koeman’s side.
Primarily a left-footed wide attacker, Stengs has largely been used as an inverted winger down the right but he is versatile enough to play on the other side of the pitch as well.
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Verdict
His arrival at Goodison Park would definitely increase competition for places in Everton’s playing eleven while also adding that much-needed X-Factor to the attack, something that the likes of Walcott and Iwobi have struggled to provide on a consistent basis.
