Everton could reportedly be set to put an end to their striker issues with a shrewd January transfer…
What’s the latest?
That’s according to the Sunday Mirror (29/01, pg 76), who claim that the Toffees are among three Premier League clubs vying for Michail Antonio.
With just 18 months left on his £85k-per-week deal at West Ham United, it is suggested that the ageing marksman is willing to leave the London Stadium despite featuring heavily for David Moyes this campaign.
Would Antonio be a good signing for Everton?
Yes
No
With Sean Dyche now all-but-confirmed as the new manager at Goodison Park, he could make his first deal a characteristic one, welcoming a tireless target man to underpin his philosophy.
Ashley Barnes repeat
Just two years after his appointment at Burnley, the 51-year-old went scouring the market in search of that perfect striker with which he could utilise as the foundation for his offence.
A staunch believer in the 4-4-2 system, its many variations make for an interesting tactical outlook that is far from the prehistoric ideals many would believe he employs. Despite this, Barnes was the perfect choice to occupy one of those two roles up top.
Whilst talking on The Coaches Voice about how he masterminded the Clarets’ win over Liverpool, he referenced one man in particular as integral in executing their game plan.
Fully aware of the high line, he noted that Barnes’ experience playing in non-league helped his understanding of the exploitative balls in behind that would trouble Jurgen Klopp’s men. It was he who won the decisive penalty, which he would go on to score, helping the Lancashire outfit end the Reds’ 68-game unbeaten run at Anfield.
Dyche could look to repeat the deal to sign Barnes by investing in Antonio, who too has seen a meteoric rise up the footballing pyramid to Premier League stardom and often outscored the consistent if unspectacular 33-year-old.
With pace and physicality in abundance, a willingness to run the channels plus a sensational ability with his back-to-goal, his presence could be integral in allowing a new system to be built on Merseyside that could ensure survival.
In fact, his strength was lauded by personality Godfrey Akoto Boafo, who lauded the “powerful” attacker as “carrying” his team.
The 32-year-old remains the Hammers’ all-time Premier League top scorer, which speaks volumes for his pedigree, but it was only last season that he was bagging ten times and assisting eight.
Should he recapture any semblance of that goalscoring form, combined with his consistent work rate and hold-up play, he can quickly become a fan favourite under Dyche. Antonio can once again become the “complete monster” that journalist Paul Brown once dubbed him.
With a similar rise to prominence through the football leagues, to their mirrored play styles that utilise their physical assets to perfection, this seems like the perfect deal to allow Everton’s new boss to repeat a masterclass of the past by signing his new Barnes.
