Everton can snap up a bargain deal for £3.4 million in January
Everton manager Rafa Benitez has already admitted that he’s had conversations with owner Farhad Moshiri and the club will look for reinforcements in January. A number of midfielders have now been linked with the name of Gonzalo Villar of AS Roma being the latest midfielder.
The Toffees are keeping an eye on Villar as the Spaniard is not in manager Jose Mourinho’s regular plans. The 23 year old arrived from Elche in January 2020 and enjoyed a decent one and a half season under previous Roma manager Paulo Fonseca. Since the managerial change this summer that saw Mourinho take over the reins at the Stadio Olimpico, Villar has barely featured for the Giallorossi.
He is yet to register his first Serie A appearance of the season and has just clocked 82 minutes of football. All of his playing minutes have come in the UEFA Conference League, with just one start under his belt so far.
His career progress has stagnated to an extent and Roma are willing to offload him. Everton boss Rafa Benitez is eyeing a midfielder as the names of Donny Van de Beek, Sean Longstaff and Villar continue to emerge.
Everton can sign Gonzalo Villar for a bargain price
According to a report from Sport Witness, Everton have now discovered the transfer fees they’ll have to pay for securing Villar’s signature. AS Roma are willing to listen proposals for Villar who does not appear in Mourinho’s plans. The Giallorossi are willing to ship him out in January to bolster the funds which can allow Mourinho to sign players of his liking.
As per the report, the Spaniard will not cost a huge amount of money as Roma are willing to recoup the amount they paid to Elche. The Serie A outfit will listen to all offers that at least guarantee £3.4 million (€4 million). The 23 year old’s market value stands at £13.5 million according to the Transfrmarkt.
At £3.4 million, Villar could be a steal for the Merseysiders. Despite Villar’s contract running till 2024, he seems to be available for a real bargain price. The Spaniard is a reliable pass master and a silky smooth carrier of the ball. He idolizes Andres Iniesta and dreams of emulating the cerebral genius ‘Illusionista’.
In Villar, the Toffees have a solid ball carrier which is backed up by the metrics. In Europe’s top five leagues, he ranks in the top 9% of midfielders when it comes to passing accuracy with 89.8%. The Spaniard cuts in top 6% of midfielders for dribbles completed, completing 1.90 successful dribbles per 90 minutes. With 5.88 progressive carries per 90 minutes, Villar is an exciting player in the middle of the park. (stats via FBref)
Whether Everton actually make an offer in January or not remains to be seen but if they can get their hands on the Spaniard, especially at the mentioned price, Villar will definitely be a huge bargain coup.
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Should Everton sign Gonzalo Villar?