Everton are preparing for an emotional year ahead, with the 2024/25 season set to be the club's last at Goodison Park. Sean Dyche has enforced solid improvements since taking the helm, comfortably avoiding danger last term – and that's despite an eight-point deduction in the Premier League.
While the Toffees' seemingly never-ending ownership issues are fraught with peril, PSR was successfully swerved as financial accord has been strengthened further through the pending £50m sale of Amadou Onana to Aston Villa.
Tim Iroegbunam and Iliman Ndiaye have both been signed to the cause already, but Everton are decidedly light on the flanks and need an exciting new addition – or two.
Everton transfer news
As per Football Insider, Leeds United's Wilfried Gnonto is one of Everton's top targets this summer, with the Merseysiders' long-term interest likely to come to a head in the coming weeks.
Gnonto, 20, has been the subject of discussions between the applicable outfits and has been regarded for his athletic quality and versatility across the frontline.
Everton are locked in negotiations to discuss a deal, which could see a breakthrough swiftly given that Dyche's side started their pre-season schedule last weekend.
Leeds stood firm on a £30m valuation last summer but would be willing to consider offers of £25m now, and with Newcastle United also sniffing around, Everton better get the deal done quickly.
The endless pursuit of Wilfried Gnonto
Interminable would probably be the right word to describe Everton's efforts to sign Gnonto from Leeds. Following the Whites' relegation from the Premier League in 2022/23, the up-and-coming Gnonto was expected to be one of the most likely sales, for he was a teenage Italy international with piles of talent and many suitors besides.
Everton were right at the front. And despite throwing three bids Elland Road's way last August – the third of which tabled at £26m on deadline day 11 months ago – he remained with Leeds as readied for life in the second tier.
Links have not faded away. In January, reports stated that Everton still had the Italian on their radar and were working on a deal. It didn't come to fruition.
Fast and furious, the winger has been described as an "absolute nightmare for defenders" by talent scout Jacek Kulig, with his fleet-footed style and stocky power making him a formidable adversary.
He started the 2023/24 campaign slowly, with Daniel Farke relegating him to a subsidiary standing on the wings following his transfer request last summer, seeking to force a path down the M62 to Liverpool.
But he grew as the term went on and won his manager's favour, making marked improvements that earned him a vital place on the (predominantly) right flank.
His bursts of pace can wrongfoot many a defender, running widdershins around his opponents as he surges inwards from the right. This snap-jerk style earned him ample goalscoring success across the second half of the campaign as Leeds recorded 90 points but still finished third and lost to Southampton in the play-off final.
Apps
19
20
Starts
7
15
Goals
1
7
Assists
1
2
His infrequent starting action and prolific renaissance have led to Gnonto actually sealing himself as one of the Championship's best statistical finishers. As per FBref, Gnonto ranked among the top 6% of attacking midfielders and wingers in the division last season for non-penalty goals scored (and only the top 21% for shots taken, speaking of high-level shooting), the top 9% for progressive carries and the top 15% for clearances per 90.
A carry is considered progressive if the ball is moved towards the opponent's goal at least 10 yards from its starting point or is carried into the penalty area.
While he was below Premier League level last season, the 13-cap Italy international has everything he needs to bloom into a player of significant quality in Dyche's Everton squad. He must be the priority target.
How Wilfried Gnonto compares to Jesper Lindstrom
Gnonto's former coach Michael Skubala has hailed his protege as a "special player", with a raw ability on the field that is being shaped into something tangibly brilliant.
His tactical fluidity, further to the point, has arrested Everton's attention for some time. With 47 career appearances playing off the striker, 29 on the left and 44 out on right wing aged just 20, Dyche has the pieces to build a lasting shape tailored to his style.
And it's for this reason that he must be signed over Jesper Lindstrom, Napoli winger and – as Football Insider's above-mentioned report states – one of the Goodison Park side's chief targets this summer.
Everton are believed to be considering paying £25m for the attacking midfielder this summer, with Lindstrom seeking a route out of Italy after a disappointing season with Napoli in Serie A.
Lindstrom wasn't really afforded a chance, playing 29 times and failing to register a single goal contribution but only starting three matches across all competitions. To collate Gnonto and the 24-year-old's data, let's look at Lindstrom's metrics during the 2022/23 season, with Eintracht Frankfurt in Germany.
Matches played
39
27
Matches started
22
22
Goals
8
7
Assists
3
2
Pass completion
83%
68%
Big chances created
5
4
Shots per game
1.3
1.7
Key passes per game
0.6
0.7
Dribbles per game
0.8 (47%)
1.0 (35%)
Duels won per game
3.4 (51%)
2.9 (36%)
The players in question aren't actually that dissimilar, with both adept dribblers but refraining from dribbling with regularity. Gnonto, however, is far more technically sound in regard to his crispness, with a superior pass success rate and a more creative approach.
Given that Lindstrom has just completed a pretty dismal campaign in Italy, as well as the extensive scouting put toward signing Gnonto, Everton must surely prioritise the Leeds man.
He's in the fledgling phase of a career of great promise, and efforts must be exhausted in bringing him to Merseyside to boost Dyche's hopes of rising up the Premier League table.
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ByEthan LambJul 20, 2024
