Everton know, if they are to bring in some new strikers this January, that they must get the signing spot on, having fallen victim to a long list of transfer blunders in recent years, notably involving misfiring centre-forwards.
Around £33m was blown on landing both Sandro Ramirez and Cenk Tosun, after the ever-reliable Romelu Lukaku deserted Merseyside, with the toothless pairing only managing to bag an unmemorable ten Premier League goals between them, from 63 total appearances.
To make matters worse, the two most recent signings Everton have landed in the centre-forward department have also failed to settle, with both Beto and Thierno Barry suffering from constant hit-and-miss appearances on English shores ever since moving to David Moyes‘ side.
With this underwhelming duo only able to boast 16 top-flight goals combined, it’s no wonder Everton’s clear priority this January is to land an impactful attacker.
Everton looking at signing clinical Premier League striker
Each waking day seems to throw up another striker being linked with a move to the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Both Tammy Abraham and Youssef En-Nesyri have been linked, with the former even expressing a preference to move to Merseyside, at the conclusion of the African Cup of Nations, with the Moroccan marksman also being eyed up by Nottingham Forest.
Alongside pursuing both the Englishman and the Fenerbahce striker, the Athletic has revealed – via their sources – that Everton are further looking at a deal for experienced Premier League star Callum Wilson to boost their forward personnel, as the 33-year-old edges ever closer to leaving West Ham United behind.
It’s reported that Wilson could leave the London Stadium on a free transfer this month as a decision over mutually terminating his contract is weighed up.
Landing Wilson’s services on a free transfer could go down as a masterstroke of a move, as Everton seek out short-term improvements up top. He could perhaps even go down as a better signing than En-Nesyri, given their previous horror shows in the striker market.
Why Wilson would be a better signing than En-Nesyri at Everton
Everton fans will be all too aware of Wilson’s instinctive style of finishing when he curled home a superb effort in 2023, to collect a brace as his former employers in Newcastle United pummelled the Toffees 4-1.
While he isn’t quite in this confident vein of form anymore, stuck on the periphery at the London Stadium, it’s undeniable that the Hammers number nine is a top-flight veteran who can score at a moment’s notice if given a chance to impress, having been lauded as the “best matchday finisher” Graeme Jones had ever worked with, when he was in interim charge of Newcastle.
92 Premier League goals have fallen into Wilson’s lap subsequently, with four of those coming his way on the books of the Hammers, all while Nuno Espirito Santo does his best to move him on.
En-Nesyri has proven himself in similarly testing environments, with a mighty 69 goals next to his name in La Liga from 230 outings, but it’s really a no-brainer between the two of them if Moyes craves instant results, rather than having to over-rely on the hot-and-cold output from Beto and Barry, with Wilson’s knowledge of the Premier League mightily impressive.
Wilson’s career numbers vs En-Nesyri’s
Stat
Games
410
367
Minutes played
28,243 mins
22,444 mins
Goals scored
145
131
Assists
49
21
Hat-tricks
2x
4x
Sourced by Transfermarkt
For a hefty £17m, which is the figure being bandied about if Everton want to make a permanent move for the Moroccan, it could be deemed a risky move to go after En-Nesyri, who falls just behind Wilson, too, when comparing their overall career numbers as lethal attackers.
He picked up 18 of his deadly 145 career strikes during the 2022/23 season, where Newcastle would soar all the way up fourth position in the Premier League, with Moyes hopeful that the same “clinical” version of Wilson – as he has been lauded by the Athletic’s Chris Waugh – can come to the forefront on Merseyside, to elevate the Toffees further up the table, away from a middling 12th spot.
The worry will be that the 33-year-old is injury-prone, but on a free transfer, it feels like a gamble worth going after. Everton have wasted plenty of cash on strikers in recent years but this is a risk-free approach to land a Premier League-proven striker.
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