The Nottingham Forest centre-back would be far cheaper than Burnley’s talisman – but who will Everton choose?
Just because Everton no longer have to operate on the same shoestring budget that probably prevented David Moyes’ mid-noughties vintage from narrowing the gap to the ‘big four’, it doesn’t mean they have to throw around funds like a kid in a candy store.
Michael Keane has been in superb form for a resilient, solid Burnley side this season but whether he could take Everton to the next level is another question entirely. And, without an England cap to his name and less than 50 Premier League appearances, does anyone really believe he’s worth the £20 million plus fee The Toffees have been quoted, as reported by The Mirror?
Some of Everton’s most inspired signings have been the ones they plucked from the lower leagues on the cheap.
Tim Cahill and Phil Jagielka had been superb servants to the club since arriving from Millwall and Sheffield United respectively and perhaps Everton should keep that in mind even as they embark on a new era of relative financial freedom.
The Mirror reported back in November that the Merseysiders were tracking the progress of teenage Nottingham Forest defender Joe Worrall after an impressive breakthrough season at the City Ground.
And, five months later, the 20-year-old has cemented his place in the starting line-up albeit via an injury crisis and has inspired the Championship’s second worst defence to consecutive clean-sheets. Worrall’s Man of the Match performance in Saturday’s stunning 3-0 win against promotion challengers Brighton was almost faultless.
The Mirror report that he could be available for as little as £4 million due to the financial problems hanging over Forest’s head. Maybe the new-look Everton should take inspiration from their old-school vintage – and save themselves around £20 million too.
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