CSKA Moscow midfielder has been in the rumors for a winter move to Everton and it makes perfect sense.
I wrote a few days ago five things that Everton fans deserve for Christmas and none of those five things involved the signing of a defensive midfielder. I was more focused on a winger, consistency and other factors that would boost the Toffees to European contention.
That was before several very important considerations changed in the Everton squad. First and foremost was the fact that James McCarthy has been ruled out for three weeks with a hamstring injury according to a sky sports report. Combine that negative news and the fact that Idrissa Gueye will be absent for the African Cup of Nations, the Everton midfield just became very thinly populated.
Most ready options for the loss of these two include grandpa Gareth Barry, who was poor in the Merseyside Derby and possibly Tom Cleverly. These are clearly not players who will provide a capable engine room for a winning club in the Premier League so one and possibly two signing need to be made.
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At this time, Everton appear to be in tight competition with West Brom for Manchester United reject Morgan Schneiderlin and while it would be very nice to capture his signature for Everton, Alan Dzagoev might be the most cost-effective option.
I’ll preface the rest of the article by saying that both Schneiderlin and Dzagoev should probably be signed as Barry clearly needs to be phased out and McCarthy is eternally nicked up.
Moving forward, Dzagoev would be a perfect pairing for Gueye much like wine and cheese. They would perfectly complement each other as defensive midfielders playing underneath Ross Barkley.
Gueye, who would probably be best utilized as the midfielder that spends his time sitting deeper and not charging forward would be able to cover for the more offensive Dzagoev.
The Russian midfielder originally began as a number 10 but has moved back as his career progressed. Now he is essentially a roving box-to-box midfielder who can bomb forward and laser in a shot, just ask Tottenham or Bayern Leverkusen who Dzagoev scored against in Champions League.
Dzagoev pairing with Gueye would leave the Senegalese midfielder to do what he does best, which is destroying the lives of opposing attacking midfielders. Morgan Schneiderlin would be great and might, in fact, be a better player but Dzagoev would be a much better fit for the Everton midfield both over the short-term and long-term.
Whoever Everton brings in during the winter break, manager Ronald Koeman needs to ensure that the central midfield is addressed and quick. I’m not sure how long the club can remain in the top ten with the current selection problems they are facing.