In one of his last acts as Everton’s director of football, Marcel Brands ruled out a move for one of the hottest strikers in European football.
Disappointing the Toffees supporters in the transfer market, in many ways, it was a fitting end for a man who arrived amid plenty of fanfire but departed to a chorus of jeers, the furious words of one Everton fan in particular still ringing in his ears.
“Everton already has four strikers,” Brands said bullishly.
“(Cenk) Tosun, (Solomon) Rondon, Richarlison and (Dominic) Calvert-Lewin. Do you think we are interested in another one?”
Yes, you can argue that Tosun shouldn’t really get a mention given that he’s played six minutes of football all season, relegated to the fringes by Rafa Benitez. Rondon has not scored a goal in Everton colours either while Calvert-Lewin has been injured and Richarlison prefers to play out wide.
Brands’ comments, then, sum up a lot of what has been going wrong at Everton in recent times. Some seriously muddled thinking.
But presuming that Everton will not be joining the race for Azmoun, that does not mean the Iran international will not be a Premier League player in 2022.
According to 90Min, West Ham are interested too, as an Arsenal side scouring the market for potential Alexandre Lacazette replacements.
Will Sardar Azmoun join West Ham or Arsenal?
According to former Zenit coach Vlastimil Petrzela, however, Azmoun would be better off waiting until his contract expires in the summer. Zenit are almost certain to be playing European football in the new year, after all, and there’s a small matter of a league title on the line too.
“I believe that Azmun does not need to go anywhere this winter,” says Petrzela, who has changed his tune somewhat after encouraging the striker to consider a move to Arsenal last month (Soccer RU).
“At Zenit, he plays consistently in the starting XI and (at another club) no one guarantees him that he will start at the start. I think at first, he would sit on the bench because of the difference in the level of the championships.
“He’d better stay. Why leave in the middle of the Russian Championship?
“It will take a long time to get used to. It makes no sense to leave Zenit in winter. It will be bad for both Zenit and Azmoun.
“It is better to do this in the summer. The team will have time to find a worthy replacement, and Azmoun will have (more time) to adapt.”
Azmoun, who has scored nine goals in 20 games this season, admitted in September that he had received an offer from Tottenham Hotspur, one Zenit were in no mood to accept.
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