Trevor Steven says Everton need a Christian Eriksen and Luka Modric-type player during the January transfer window, as ‘silly’ as it may sound.
The former Everton and England midfielder added that Frank Lampard’s side don’t have a player in the middle of the park that can ‘dictate’ the game.
In the summer, the Toffees, under financial restrictions, brought Idrissa Gueye back to the club, including the purchase of the highly-rated Amadou Onana.
Whilst those two signings received a positive reaction from supporters, Gueye has struggled and Onana is still raw.
Added to that, they are players that prefer to break up play, carry the ball forward and make those around them better, rather than control the game.
Well, that’s something Steven thinks his former side are missing and he shared what they need to do, as he told Sky Sports News.
“I think it’s central midfield, although on paper they are good players, Idrissa Gueye and Iwobi, who sadly got injured,” said Steven. “He has been one of the key elements to the better performances, not just this season, but the end of last.
“Onana is still new to the Premier League and, for me, he is still learning the decision-making at the top level.
“The problem with Everton is that we don’t keep the ball long enough. We don’t have a player that dictates play. Like Manchester United have with Eriksen.
“It may sound silly to talk about this, but a Modric kind of play, who gets on the ball, dictates the speed of play. It’s very disheartening when you keep losing the ball. But if you have a player that can start to adjust the tempo in the game, quicken it up and slow it down. How do you get them in the January transfer window? And come to an Everton team that is struggling near the bottom.
“I hope there are some clever recruitment ideas with Kevin Thelwell and the other members of the recruitment team.”
EVERTON’S JANUARY WINDOW
As things stand, Everton are sitting in the Premier League’s relegation zone and the signs suggest that it’s going to be another relegation battle until the end.
Perhaps the January window can help bring in a few players that lift the mood around the place and stop the team from going into the final weeks needing points to stay up.
The issue those on Merseyside have is, who can they sign, in relation to their financial problems? Plus, who would want to join a team struggling in the bottom three?
Either way, a lot of faces were still brought in during the summer transfer window, from the struggling Neal Maupay to England star, Conor Coady, and they all need to lift up their game if Everton are to survive again.
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