Why Everton should reignite their interest in Benito Raman

Back in April 2019, German outlet Bild (h/t The Sun) had mentioned Everton among the potential suitors for Belgian forward Benito Raman. He was then plying his trade with Fortuna Dusseldorf in the Bundesliga. Arsenal were also understood to be chasing the 25-year-old but he eventually ended up switching boats to join domestic rivals Schalke ahead of the 2019-20 campaign. 

Profile

Benito Raman rose through the youth ranks of KAA Gent and started his professional career in the Belgian top-flight during the 2011-12 season. He was loaned out to fellow top-flight clubs Beerschot and Kortrjik to enhance his development. He eventually established himself in a prominent role at Gent during the 2014-15 season, scoring 9 goals in 35 appearances.

The 25-year-old was loaned out to Sint-Truiden after playing a bit-part role during the first half of the following campaign. He then joined Standard Liege on a permanent deal in 2016. Raman scored 6 goals in 31 appearances in his only season at the club before completing a move abroad to German second-tier outfit Fortuna Dusseldorf. 

Raman bagged 10 goals and 2 assists during the 2017-18 season to guide Dusseldorf to top-flight promotion. He bettered those numbers with 10 goals and 4 assists in the Bundesliga in the following campaign. That paved the way for a move to Schalke in 2019. But the Belgian failed to reach the same heights last season, registering only 4 goals and 3 assists in 25 league appearances. 

Raman would add more depth to Everton’s attack

Much of Everton’s success early in the 2020-21 campaign has been down to the exploits of their influential front trio of Richarlison, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and James Rodriguez. Calvert-Lewin is currently the joint top-scorer in the Premier League with 8 goals in 8 games. Summer signing Rodriguez has also provided a much-needed creative boost to the club’s attack, bagging 3 goals and 3 assists so far.

The Toffees will surely need unwavering consistency from their star attacking trio if they are to break the top-six lock and return to Europe. However, they would also need some of the other key squad players to chip in with significant goal contributions. That’s really important if Everton are to go toe-to-toe with the elite clubs in the division.

The hectic schedule of the PL coupled with the challenge of participating in the domestic cup competitions demands quality alternatives in all departments. And that is exactly where the Toffees could fall short.

The departure of Theo Walcott and Moise Kean on loan in the summer has left Bernard, Gylfi Sigurdsson and Alex Iwobi as the only back-ups available at Carlo Ancelotti’s disposal.

That seems more than enough in terms of numbers. But it’s worth pointing out that all those players have underwhelmed massively with their performances over the past 12 months. Hence, Everton should look to bring in some better attacking alternatives in January.

To put things into perspective, Everton should reignite their interest in Benito Raman during the mid-season trading period. The Belgian international has struggled to make an impact at Schalke but his previous exploits for Dusseldorf should be enough to convince the Toffees of his qualities. 

The 25-year-old is capable of operating on either flank and also through the middle as a centre-forward. Hence, a potential in January would offer Ancelotti with quality cover in more than one area in the final third. That would definitely hand a significant boost to Everton’s squad dynamics.

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Verdict

Benito Raman hasn’t always been the most consistent performer but his career track record clearly suggests that he’s more than capable of making a contribution with goals and assists. The 25-year-old still has his best years ahead of him and he can take his game to the next level by working under a charismatic manager like Ancelotti.