Everton could add more firepower to attack with Andrea Belotti
By Trent Nelson
Everton is not short of attacking firepower…
Everton has had an up and down campaign in 2019-20; they have lost a manager, and they’ve gained a legendary boss as a replacement. Now Italy might once again deliver talent to Goodison Park, in the figure of Andrea Belotti this time.
New boss Carlo Ancelotti and Everton sat relatively quiet during the winter transfer window but Summer looks to be much hotter indeed. After apparently losing out on Lille starlet Gabriel Magalhaes to Chelsea, Ancelotti has turned to the offensive side of the pitch once more during this extended delay of the campaign; Andrea Belotti is reportedly the target.
Andrea Belotti of Torino has been linked to Merseyside, according to Sport Witness; while Moise Kean has not yet taken off since he came from Northern Italy, Everton may be looking to sure up their offensive front, in further protection of that inconsistent backline.
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How might this innovation change Everton, what they’re trying to build, as well as the transfer approach of Carlo Ancelotti? In his personal quest for the recreation of Everton as he knows them from history, could Andrea Belotti be a potential piece?
Andrea Belotti: From Turin to England
Andrea Belotti, the 26-year-old Italian striker, is worth the valuation €60m the Toffees are offering for the rights to sign the player; he would be coming to a team rich in young offensive weaponry.
Both Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin have continued to grow in leaps and bounds under the watchful eye of Carlo Ancelotti since Christmas; they even shone impressively under the inept reign of Marco Silva.
The greatest fault of the club this season has been a backline unequal to the task of defending against deafening Premier League offensive assaults. Adding Belotti may force Richarlison wide, where Theo Walcott is currently, but where he may not be for very much longer (if rumours from the Sun are to be believed).
This would ensure a more even offensive threat across the two wide midfielders and two forward strikers; Andrea Belotti and Dominic Calvert-Lewin up front is an intimidating combination, especially when flanked on the attack by Richarlison on one side. Who sits wide on the other is open to speculation still; it may be Bernard Duarte, or perhaps Gremio winger Everton Soares.
A front four of this ability and youth could see Everton as a rising force in the next several years. While shoring up the backend will still be crucial this offseason, there are numerous ways in which to aid a defence; improvement in the middle of the pitch and attacking force should be equally invested, if at all possible.
For Everton, this is possible; who the club looks to in tandem with a move like that of Belotti will further explain what team we can expect from Everton moving forward.
What team we can expect from Everton moving forward
Everton has ambition; one does not hire Carlo Ancelotti without ambition after all. Adding a talented individual at all three levels of the team is ambitious but necessary to growing Everton past where they’ve stagnated for near decades on end.
Unai Nunez or Marash Kumbulla are possibilities according to the Runner Sports but do not be surprised if a bigger name like Dayot Upamecano was even flirted with. Everton needs defensive help and Upamecano could play with brilliance alongside Mason Holgate and Lucas Digne.
In the middle of the pitch, offensive and defensive innovations are necessary as well; when Jean-Philippe Gbamin finally returns from his long injury spell, that will, of course, be a positive, but more is needed.
Moving Gylfi Sigurdsson is imperative; he has had an awful campaign and it does not seem that he is a natural fit under the ideas of Don Carlo Ancelotti. With the money brought back, Everton could move for a real high calibre maestro; do not be shocked to hear a name like Adrien Rabiot in such a discussion.
Rabiot has the potential to be a brilliant force; it is possible that Ancelotti may be the type of manager to get the era best from within the precarious nature of Rabiot.
Everton are ambitious and they will demonstrate this ambition with their Summer transfer moves; the team has the capital to spend and the vision to spend it in building a young, tenacious club. A player like Andrea Belotti is a step in that direction surely; once Everton begins signing players, it may be a snowball effect as the team continues to look more impressive. If Ancelotti wants it, he will get it; his patience in the Winter will be rewarded in the summer.