Why Everton should reignite their interest in David Neres
Back in July 2019, a report from the Liverpool Echo had claimed that Everton were interested in securing the services of Ajax winger David Neres. It was also reported that Toffees star Richarlison had tried to convince his compatriot to move to Goodison Park but to no avail, as Neres opted to stay put at Ajax.
Profile
David Neres started his professional career with Sao Paulo in 2016 before completing a move to Ajax in January 2017. He made an instant impact in the Eredivisie, scoring thrice in 8 league games, while also playing a part in Ajax’s march to the final of the 2016-17 UEFA Europa League.
Neres bagged an astonishing 14 goals and 13 assists in 32 league appearances for Ajax in the following season, establishing himself as one of the best young attacking players in the Eredivisie.
The jet-heeled winger was one of the cornerstones of Erik Ten Hag’s side that reached the semi-final of the 2018-19 Champions League. He bagged 12 goals and 15 assists in 50 appearances across all competitions in the campaign as Ajax won the Eredivisie and KNVB Cup double.
Neres has registered an impressive tally of 35 goals and 34 assists in 126 appearances for Ajax in all competitions. The 23-year-old made his senior international debut for Brazil in 2019 and was a part of the Selecao squad that won the 2019 Copa America on home soil.
Neres would be a quality addition to Everton’s attack
Much of Everton’s success early in the season has been down to the exploits of their prolific front trio of James Rodriguez, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, and Richarlison. Calvert-Lewin has spearheaded the Toffees’ fine start to the campaign with 8 goals in 8 games so far, making him the joint top-scorer in the Premier League.
Rodriguez has also made an instant impact at Goodison Park with 3 goals and 3 assists in 7 PL outings following his summer move from Real Madrid. Richarlison has also played his part very well down the left-hand side of the pitch, scoring as well as creating goals to complement the likes of Calvert-Lewin and Rodriguez.
Indeed, Everton’s hopes of breaking the top-six lock in the Premier League this season will rest heavily on their influential forward line. But it has already been evident from the Toffees’ recent back-to-back defeats against Newcastle, Southampton and Manchester United that they lack the same creativity and cutting edge in the final third whenever any of those three players are missing.
With Theo Walcott and Moise Kean departing on loan in the summer, Everton currently have Bernard, Gylfi Sigurdsson, and Alex Iwobi as their attacking alternatives. However, none of them has managed to inspire much confidence with their performances over the past 12 months.
Thus, Everton need better alternatives in the final third to reduce the burden on first-choice attackers, and reigniting interest in David Neres would go a long way towards solving a nagging issue for Carlo Ancelotti.
The Brazilian international has backed up his strong domestic performances for Ajax in the Eredivisie with some top-quality displays in the Champions League. That clearly suggests Neres is ready to make the step up to a more competitive league moving forward.
The 23-year-old left-footed ace is essentially a right-winger by trade but is more than capable of playing out wide on the other side of the pitch and also through the centre in a No.10 role behind the centre-forward. Hence, a potential deal for the Ajax star would offer Ancelotti some quality cover in multiple areas across the final third.
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Verdict
David Neres has been a consistent performer for Ajax over the past three seasons while also making his mark for Brazil at the senior international level. He still has his best years ahead of him at 23 and working under a charismatic manager like Ancelotti will only help him get better with time.
That said, Everton should definitely make a renewed attempt to sign the Brazilian when the market reopens in January.
