da dobrowin： It isn’t certain just how much the football market will be affected by current events and the ongoing hiatus clubs are subject to.
da fazobetai： Whether seasons resume or not, managers will be trying to devise new strategies to still get their hands on the big-money signings they’re eyeing up this summer.
However, the reality may be that clubs are unable to spend big – or even at all – in the upcoming window and might need to utilise the options they have in their youth ranks.
Here’s a list of five young up-and-coming players that Everton should call upon if they can’t bring in new personnel…
Ellis Simms
One area Everton have been looking to strengthen in the summer is their attack. With an overhaul of forwards planned and links to the likes of Andrea Belotti (per Tuttosport via Sport Witness), Carlo Ancelotti has clearly been looking for some fresh personnel across his front three.
The only recognised wide players in the senior team are Bernard, Alex Iwobi and Theo Walcott. Aside from the Brazilian, they have disappointed this season with just four league goal contributions between them. But the club don’t have to spend big in order to ensure Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin have support. Ellis Simms has impressed with his composure in front of goal, tallying eight goals for the U23s this term.
A fresh injection of pace from someone eager to make their mark on their club could be what the Blues need during tough games in which the opposition are swarming the attack.
If the season resumes and Everton finish inside the top six, Simms could provide vital support for the Blues as they return to Europe for the first time in five seasons.
Anthony Gordon
Another attacker the Toffees could utilise in the upcoming season. Anthony Gordon has not only accumulated seven goals and three assists this season but being a Merseyside local will make the winger even hungrier to represent his boyhood team.
The 19-year-old has even featured in the Premier League this season, coming on as a substitute against West Ham and Chelsea. On five other occasions, Gordon has been included in the squad on the bench, which means he has already experienced the high level of training with the first team.
Tom Davies broke his way into the senior squad in a similar manner but hasn’t really impressed on the big stages. Gordon will likely see this as a wake up call and grab any chance he is given with both hands so he can become a team sheet regular.
Alex Denny
Alex Denny is a young, versatile option that Ancelotti could really look to integrate into the senior squad next season. As well as struggling to find goals outside of Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison, Everton must sharpen up at the back. The Blues have conceded 46 goals this season and have a current goal difference of -9.
The 20-year-old primarily operates as a defensive midfielder but can also drop back and play as a centre-back. His ability to adapt could prove an important asset to any game – bringing him on as an extra body in defence or allowing him to drop forward and contribute to the attack.
Denny currently has one goal and two assists to his name, which are good numbers from deep in the midfield. Plus, he is proving more efficient than the likes of Davies and Morgan Schneiderlin, who operate in similar roles and have just one goal contribution between them this season.
Dennis Adeniran
Although his scoring ratio isn’t the highest this campaign, with two goals and two assists, Dennis Adeniran is extremely versatile and will help bolster Everton’s struggling engine room. Not only could the 21-year-old inject life into the midfield, but he could prove good cover in attack as well.
Across this season, Adeniran has played in seven different positions – occupying all three attacking roles as well as covering almost the entire midfield. It seems playing as a midfielder is his preferred role – scoring and assisting from the middle of the park. But he has also scored a goal from the right-wing position as well as bagging an assist in the No.9 role.
Although he hasn’t been in and around the first team, by training with the senior players Adeniran could take his career to the next level and focus on a role he can dominate on the pitch.
Lewis Dobbin
Everton have a lot of young, promising talent waiting in the wings to be called upon, only Lewis Dobbin actually is waiting in the wings. The 17-year-old attacker is a centre-forward by nature but has done incredibly well in the wide positions this season. Dobbin has scored 11 goals in the Toffees’ U18 side, assisting a further three for his teammates.
Across this campaign, the Stoke-born youngster has played across the entire front three as well as in an attacking midfield role. His versatility is something that could really give Everton a boost in future matches if they are looking to switch up play or kill the game off.
Dobbin has scored at least twice from each position he has played in this term, including a hat-trick from right-wing against Sunderland in February. His clinical nature and effortless ability to adapt is something Ancelotti should be monitoring very closely.