Marcel Brands and Rafael Benitez have distanced Everton from speculation linking Monaco star Aleksandr Golovin with a January move to the Premier League club, as reported by Sports RU.
According to the Liverpool Echo, talks are already taking place behind the scenes at Goodison Park, with new signings very much on the agenda heading into the January transfer window.
It is understood that Everton want a winger and a box-to-box midfielder.
Golovin, then, doesn’t really fit the brief. While certainly capable of playing out wide or in a deep-lying role, the technically-gifted Russian international is at his most effective either as a number ten or when drifting into the centre from the left.
He has more in common with, say, Bernard or James Rodriguez than Andros Townsend or Demarai Gray.
Who will Everton sign in the January transfer window?
“If you ask me a week before the start of the winter transfer window, maybe I can say something, but it’s too early to talk about it,” Benitez said when quizzed about Golovin after Sunday’s 0-0 draw with Antonio Conte’s Tottenham Hotspur (Championat).
“I could say that my main goal now is to make sure we continue to work hard in training. My players are doing this and are trying to gain confidence that Everton can score three points in the next game.
“Given that I’m thinking about all the important games that we will have before the transfer window, we are not talking about new players now and will focus on how to improve our game.”
While Benitez was reluctant to give much away, director of football Brands was far more outspoken when discussing a potential January deal for Monaco’s £26 million string-puller.
What is it they say about typical Dutch directness?
“No, we’re not interested in Golovin,” Brands said, leaving no one in any doubt about Everton’s stance.
He could be the energetic, commanding ‘number eight’ the Toffees are crying out for.
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