The presence of Carlo Ancelotti on the Goodison Park touchline means Everton are now in a position to sign players like Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly, former England international Emile Heskey tells HITC.
In late-2019, when the Merseyside giants were slipping towards the bottom of the table under Marco Silva, Toffees supporters would have assumed you had a screw or two loose when you told them that arguably the finest centre-back on planet earth would be joining Ancelotti and James Rodriguez at Goodison.
But, after the former Real Madrid and Bayern Munich boss succeeded in luring a £63 million Galactico to England’s north west, reports from Italy suggest that Koulibaly could be about to follow in his footsteps.
According to Tuttomeractoweb, Ancelotti is planning to raid old employers Napoli for the 29-year-old Senegal international.
Yerry Mina, meanwhile, may to be sold in order to raise funds for Koulibaly’s £45 million-rated signature.
And, whisper it, there is a very real chance that Virgil van Dijk may no longer be the best defender on Merseyside – let alone in England – come 2021/22.
“This is the thing with having a name and a manager like Ancelotti who can attract players like that,” says Heskey, a one-time Liverpool striker.
“Would Koulibaly have been looking at Everton as the type of club he could go to if Ancelotti wasn’t there? Probably not.
“It’s great for Everton to be able to attract players like this. They are onwards and upwards.
“It’s about having the right structure, the right vision, and Everton have that now – they can attract the best defender in the world, in his prime.”
Speaking to the Independent back in 2019, Ancelotti labelled Koulibaly the best defender in the world, insisting that the former Genk star was worth £130 million.
Three years on, could Everton get him for nearly £100 million less than that?
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
