Everton Opinion: Why the Toffees should go all out for Jean-Kevin Augustin?
According to a report from The Telegraph, Everton will battle Leicester City for the signature of RB Leipzig forward Jean-Kevin Augustin.
The Frenchman, 21, has been with RB Leipzig since joining from Paris Saint-Germain in 2017. He didn’t hit top form for RB Leipzig and lost his place under Ralf Rangnick this season, yet has managed eight goals across all competitions.
The report claims Jean-Kevin Augustin doesn’t appear to be central to Leipzig’s plans, with Julian Nagelsmann set to arrive this summer. That being said, Everton should beat Leicester City to sign the 21-year-old forward.
Everton are in dire need of reinforcements over the summer if they are to break into the top six next season. The club’s main priority has to be getting a new centre-forward after Cenk Tosun’s miserable season in the Premier League.
Tosun has been on the books of Everton since January 2018 when he joined from Turkish giants Besiktas. A lot was expected of the Turkey international on his arrival at Goodison Park, but the centre-forward has failed to live up to the expectations.
He made 25 appearances in the Premier League for Marco Silva’s side this past season, scoring three goals in the process. Tosun’s struggles saw Silva use Richarlison through the middle but it soon became clear the Brazilian is at his sublime best when operating from the left-wing.
For a club chasing a place in the Europa League, they need a striker next season and Jean-Kevin Augustin fits the bill perfectly.
Predominantly a striker, Augustin can play as a secondary striker or on the right wing. He is young, has massive potential, skilful and has got pace to burn. The French Under-21 international is quick and direct, never afraid to show his tricks on the ball. The forward is a threat in the box but he tends to drift out wide in search of pockets of space to exploit.
The Frenchman has the intelligence to pull defenders out of the position and run beyond the backline.
Also, Augustin’s burst of acceleration makes a valuable asset on the counter-attack, making him such a fine fit for the Toffees, who have speedy attackers in Richarlison, Bernard, Theo Walcott, Ademola Lookman and Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
Verdict
Augustin would be a wonderful signing for Everton, as he has shown his quality in the Bundesliga for two seasons now.
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The report adds the Frenchman will cost around £17.5million and if Silva manages to get the deal done, it’ll represent a signing of real significance for the Merseysiders.