The England U21 and Sunderland man will be in high demand following the Black Cats’ relegation, so Everton will need to be quick.
Following news that Everton had a somewhat derisory offer knocked back for Sunderland’s Jordan Pickford, as reported by the Liverpool Echo, they should try again and see if they can negotiate with the Black Cats.
It is believed that Sunderland are holding out for £30million for the 23-year-old shot stopper, who has been sensational despite the Black Cats’ horrendous season, but it appears that Ronald Koeman is unwilling to fork out that much for him.
However, considering Everton were willing to spend £25million on Yannick Bolasie last summer – which could rise to £30million – as reported by The Guardian – then an investment in the same ball park for Pickford should not be something that Everton are leaning away from.
Pickford has the potential to be number one not only at Goodison Park, but for the England national team for the next 10 years at least, and while he still has a fair amount to learn, it is a move that could be worth a lot more than the outlay – should Everton decide to dig deep into their pockets.
The key to any successful team is the defence, as while it is great to have an attacking line-up like Barcelona’s, there’s no point if you are conceding more goals than what you are scoring, having Pickford in between the sticks would ensure that arguably the best English goalkeeper in the country is keeping goal, which can only be a very good thing.
Many balked when the fee for Bolasie was revealed, but if Everton paid that much for Pickford, it would make sense on so many levels and is something that Koeman definitely should not rule out.
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