Gaston Pereiro will leave Eredivisie giants PSV when his contract expires but could he reunite with Marcel Brands in the Premier League at Everton?
The fact that Gaston Pereiro come off the bench during PSV Eindhoven’s Eredivisie clash with Willem II last weekend spoke volumes about how desperate under-fire coach Mark van Bommel has become.
The Uruguayan international had fallen out of favour at the Phillips Stadium and hadn’t featured since August due, in part to a collarbone injury, but also because of his reluctance to extend a contract which expires next summer.
But with PSV hurtling towards yet another defeat against Willem II, just three days after their 4-1 thumping at LASK Linz in the Europa League, Van Bommel swallowed his pride and brought Pereiro back into the action.
It had the desired effect, too. The gifted play-maker made an immediate impact, finding the corner with a typically inventive finish – though that still wasn’t enough to save PSV from defeat. Yet Pereiro did offer a timely reminder of the sort of natural ability which makes him a real joy to watch on his day.
It also explains why AC Milan are circling, in the knowledge that Pereiro will soon be a free agent. Calciomercato reports that the Rossoneri turned down the chance to buy him for £13 million in the summer but, for absolutely nothing, they would be more than happy to take a punt on him.
Everton should seriously consider doing the same.
It was Brands, now Everton’s director of football, who brought Pereira to the Netherlands from Nacional for just £11 million four years ago (The Echo). The 6ft 2ins schemer has gone on to win two Eredivisie titles while hitting double figures for goals in each of his four seasons with PSV – another masterstoke from the man who discovered Hirving Lozano, Kevin Strootman and Gini Wijnaldum.
None of the many attacking midfielders in Everton’s squad, from Gylfi Sigurdsson to Bernard, Theo Walcott to Alex Iwobi, have scored reliably enough this season and Pereiro’s ability to finish intelligently with either foot would give Marco Silva something a little different in the final third.
The South American had an excellent relationship with Brands at PSV and, should the opportunity arrive, this is a reunion both men would treasure.
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