Everton have considered signing former Tottenham Hotspur man Serge Aurier on a free transfer but a move to Goodison Park isn’t on the cards as things stand, according to the Liverpool Echo.
He’s there if you need him, Rafa.
And, on the evidence of the last two games, it seems Benitez would benefit from the arrival of a new right-back.
The versatile Ben Godfrey showed there’s a limit to his adaptability during Saturday’s 3-0 defeat to Aston Villa. He choked on Leon Bailey’s dust in Seamus Coleman’s injury-enforced absence while struggling to offer an attacking threat at the other end of the pitch.
And, during the miserable EFL Cup defeat to Queens Park Rangers on Tuesday, Jonjoe Kenny, like so many of Everton’s fringe players, failed to stake his claim with a sub-par performance against Championship opposition.
It wouldn’t be a massive surprise, then, if a deal for Aurier was revisited during the next couple of weeks.
Could Everton bring in Aurier on a free?
The 28-year-old is still without a club almost a month after seeing his £70,000-a-week contract torn up by Premier League rivals Tottenham.
And while Aurier is hardly the most reliable defender – his Spurs career was littered with mistimed tackles and costly lapses in concentration – he would offer something Everton don’t have – much-needed competition in a crucial position.
An excellent crosser of the ball from deep positions, Aurier is also capable of providing quality service for the likes of Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Salomon Rondon too, having scored or assisted 17 goals in 77 top-flight games for Spurs.
The Echo says Aurier has been discussed internally at Everton, although a deal is understood to have been placed on the back burner for the time being.
Another difficult afternoon for Godfrey against Norwich this weekend, however, and things may change.
“Aurier is so good and fast,” Pep Guardiola said after Manchester City’s Carabao Cup final victory over Spurs last season.
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