After sealing his departure from Goodison Park, the former Everton man may already have a point to prove at his new club.
And it is certainly difficult to disagree with the assessment that the departing Toffee did not have his best season in 2023/24.
With James Tarkowski as reliable as ever and Jarrad Branthwaite’s development nothing short of startling under Sean Dyche, opportunities were limited for a man who joined Everton for £20 million back in 2020 but leaves for half that figure four years on.
Ben Godfrey managed only 13 Premier League starts in what would be his final campaign as a Toffee.
The former Norwich City captain joined Atalanta at the end of June despite, HITC understands, the best efforts of Lyon.
Ben Godfrey leaves Everton for Atalanta
Of course, La Dea have a history when it comes to rejuvenating the career of a player who fell out of favour at Everton.
Ademola Lookman went from Goodison Park forgotten man to the hat-trick hero in Atalanta’s stunning victory over Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League final.
Lookman became only the fourth player in football history to score three goals in a major European final, joining such legends as Ferenc Puskas in the record books.
If Godfrey can emulate even a fraction of Lookman’s impact in Bergamo, then the versatile defender come to represent excellent value for money at £10 million.
For now, however, Giorgio Magnocavallo needs some convincing. The former Atalanta defender feels that Godfrey will not be a starter under iconic head coach Gian Piero Gasperini, but will instead fulfil a similar role to the one he played at Everton.
Essentially, an adaptable back-up who can fill in when required in a number of different positions. A £10 million utility man, if you will.
“Godfrey is coming in but he hasn’t had a great season,” Magnocavallo tells Tuttomercatoweb. “He doesn’t seem to me to be the right player to be a starter in defence, given his characteristics.
“He can still play as a full-back, a centre-back and can also play in midfield. In this sense he is an extra player rather than a starter.”
Nicolo Zaniolo also on his way after Aston Villa spell
Magnocavallo feels that Atalanta need reinforcements out wide with Matteo Ruggeri, Davide Zappacosta and Hans Hateboer maybe past their prime.
But he has doubts about whether Godfrey – who always looked like a square peg in a round hole in the wide areas on Merseyside – is a man capable of playing that very unique, buccaneering, full-back-turned-forward role in Gasperini’s system.
“For the full-backs, on the left there is Ruggeri, while on the other side Zappacosta and Hateboer are no longer the players they were a few years ago,” Magnocavallo adds. “Maybe we should look for a younger winger on that side.”
Godfrey is not the only former Premier League benchwarmer on his way to Atalanta.
The perennial overachievers of Italian football are also signing Nicolo Zaniolo from Galatasaray on the back of a rather underwhelming spell with Aston Villa.
Magnocavallo is far more positive, however, about the arrival of a man who once fired fellow Italians Roma to Conference League glory over Feyenoord.
“As far as I’m concerned, I would buy him,” he adds. “Because (Zaniolo) very good technically and I always want players (like this) in the team. Maybe his head could also settle down with Gasperini.
“In any case, I like players who beat the man, and he is always able to create a numerical superiority when he’s in good shape.”
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