Reading coach Paul Ince felt reports of Everton showing an interest in the transfer of Lucas Joao were ‘strange’. The Toffees targeted a last-gasp move for the striker on deadline day.
That is according to the Daily Mail (31/01, 15:16), which reported that Everton showed late interest in signing Joao. Goodison Park chiefs turned their attention to Reading to give new boss Sean Dyche a fresh attacking weapon. But the Merseyside outfit failed to sign anyone.
Dyche took charge at Goodison on Monday following Farhad Moshiri firing Frank Lampard. The Toffees have tasked the 51-year-old with guiding the club clear of relegation from the Premier League. But he now oversees the second-least productive offence in the division.
Only Wolves (12) have scored fewer goals so far this season than Everton (15) throughout the Premier League. The Toffees also sold their joint-top goalscorer in Anthony Gordon to Newcastle United for £45m. Just Demarai Gray matched the winger’s haul of three goals.
Dwight McNeil was also one of the mere three Everton stars to score more than one top-flight goal under Lampard. The forward boasted two goals in 18 appearances, of which he only started 10, following an initial £20m transfer from Dyche’s old club, Burnley, last July.
Everton eyed a last-gasp transfer for Joao to add goals to a timid Toffees attack
Lampard only saw Everton’s strikers, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Neal Maupay, score once each. Salomon Rondon also failed to strike the back of the net before the Toffees released the 33-year-old. While Ellis Simms played 15 minutes after being recalled from Sunderland.
So, Everton showed late interest in a deadline day transfer for Reading forward Joao. Even though the 6 ft 4 target man has only scored five goals during his 22 Championship outings this season. The 29-year-old has also only started in 11 of the Royals’ second-tier matches.
Joao further scored 19 of his career 43 goals for Reading during the 2020/21 Championship season. He only hit six in 19 games during 2019/20 after joining from Sheffield Wednesday for £5m in 2019. He also only recorded 10 in 24 games last season before Ince took charge.
Reports of Dyche targeting Joao on deadline day surprised Reading boss Ince
Reading hired Ince in May and he now has the side eight points clear of the Championship drop zone. Late moves were on the cards to reshape the Royals squad on deadline day this Tuesday, as well. But claims of a transfer from Reading to Everton for Joao surprised Ince.
“There was a lot of talk about Lucas going to Everton,” Ince has said, via quotes by The Reading Chronicle. “But I don’t know where that came from. By that time, I was indoors watching something else.
“All of a sudden, the phone goes and it’s something about Lucas going to Everton and I thought it was strange. It was the dullest transfer month I’ve had in my life.
“Everyone gets excited about it. But, as a manager, you think there’s nothing to get excited about because you can’t do anything. We tried to take a couple out but it wasn’t to be. So, it was boring and I started watching a boxset.”
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