Sevilla maestro Thomas Delaney has been speaking to Kicker about his decision to join the Spanish side, and he’s made a claim about Everton.
What’s the story?
Well, the 62-cap Denmark international was strongly linked with a move to the Premier League this summer – not to Everton on this occasion.
According to BILD, Crystal Palace, Norwich City and Southampton all wanted to sign the 30-year-old.
However, a move to England could’ve come much sooner for Delaney – 2018 to be exact.
When told that many expected him to move to England instead of Spain this year, the Dane said to Kicker: “I think those expectations were based on an old story from my days in Bremen.
“At that time, Everton wanted to sign me, and in the course of that, I said that I would like to play in England, but also in the USA or Japan.”
At the time, Marco Silva was in charge of the Toffees.
Marcel Brands helped Everton sign Andre Gomes on a season-long loan in that window, so it makes sense – they were clearly looking for a midfielder.
Did Everton miss a gem in Thomas Delaney?
You could argue that Everton missed out on a great signing when Delaney opted to leave Werder Bremen and join Borussia Dortmund in 2018.
At the time, he would’ve been in his prime years at 27, and was among the best in the Bundesliga having honed his skills at Werder Bremen.
Delaney was clearly an excellent player, or else Borussia Dortmund wouldn’t have spent €20m (£17m) on him.
Even now, he’s playing Champions League football with Sevilla, so he’s evidently a fine footballer.
In our view, Everton missed a trick, as the current midfield options at Goodison Park are poor.
Aside from Abdoulaye Doucoure and Allan, there simply isn’t that much quality for Rafa Benitez to work with – a new face is needed.
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