There is a reason why there was such a buzz around Goodison Park when Marcel Brands arrived in the summer of 2018.
Now, it’s not often the addition of a new sporting director causes such a stir but, in the former PSV and FC Twente talent-spotter, Everton had just joined forces with a man famed across the continent for his almost unrivalled ability to unearth diamonds hiding in the footballing undergrowth.
In that sense, Silas Wamangituka is very much a Brands sort of signing.
According to EuroSport, Everton and Premier League rivals Fulham are watching a 21-year-old speed-machine who, despite taking the Bundesliga by storm with newly-promoted Stuttgart, remains criminally underrated outside Germany.
That, in itself, is rather remarkable, given that Wamangituka has scored 13 times in 24 matches, putting himself in the ‘Rookie of the Year’ discussion and earning comparisons with a certain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
And while the former Paris FC talisman is not the finished article just yet, Everton did not hire Brands to sign established, top-level players.
It is his job to identify, lure and secure the next generation of superstars and, if his growing collection of stunning solo goals is anything to go by, Wamangituka certainly belongs to the ‘next big thing’ category.
Here is what the Everton fans have to say about those links with one of Europe’s most exciting young forwards…
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