Ahmed Hegazi has been in fine form for West Brom but Everton are eyeing his rather overpriced defensive partner Jonny Evans instead.
It’s obviously not in West Brom’s best interests to lose Jonny Evans in the January transfer window.
The Baggies captain is the lynchpin that holds their defence together and with the club seemingly in danger of drifting into a relegation dogfight, unless Alan Pardew can bring about his typical ‘new manager bounce’, they would be loathe to lose him now.
And while West Brom have held firm to stop Evans leaving for Arsenal and Manchester City in recent times, it appears they will once again face another attempted raid in January.
Because ESPN reports that Sam Allardyce wants to make the Northern Ireland centre-half his first signing at Everton. And with The Toffees conceding more goals than all but three top flight sides this season, you can see why the solid, dependable Evans is on their radar.
He won’t come cheap, however. Per The Times in August, West Brom value Evans at £30 million. And Everton have already been stung once this season, paying the same fee for Burnley’s Michael Keane only to find he is hardly worthy of such an inflated price tag.
Cheaper and Younger
Though Everton wouldn’t have to look too far to find a cheaper alternative. According to The Sun, West Brom can sign Ahmed Hegazi on a permanent deal from Al Ahly for £4.4 million at the end of this season – but are fearful that his parent club will instead sell him to a Premier League rival for a bigger fee.
Leicester City have been heavily linked for a player ambitiously nicknamed the ‘Nesta of the Pyramids’. But if Everton want Evans, the Egyptian international should not have gone under their radar.
Hegazi, three years Evans’ junior, has been a classy and solid presence at the heart of the defence and has arguably even outperformed his much-vaunted defensive partner this season.
And no doubt he would be available for a far more realistic price.
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