Abdul Baba Rahman’s ongoing injury issues may have put Everton off doing a deal for the Chelsea left-back.
Everton need a successor for Leighton Baines
It’s no secret that Everton are on the lookout for reinforcements at left-back this summer.
After all, Leighton Baines is not getting any younger at the age of 32, Bryan Oviedo departed to join Sunderland’s sinking ship in January and Luke Garbutt was not even given a squad number at the start of the season.
However, it appears that The Toffees may be forced to continue their search for the time being with a deal for Chelsea’s forgotten man Abdul Baba Rahman hanging in the balance.
According to GhanaSoccerNet, Everton had enquired about signing the Ghanaian international on a permanent basis at the end of the season but a serious knee injury suffered during the African Cup of Nations, which cut short his season-long loan at Schalke, means the Merseysiders may decide against a deal.
Baba Rahman on loan at Schalke
With right-back Seamus Coleman already ruled out for the forseeable future with a broken leg, Everton will not want to take any risks as they aim to get their back four ready for the new season.
Therefore, the 22-year-old, who cost Chelsea £14 million from Augsburg in the summer of 2015 (GhanaSoccerNet), may be forced to remain at Stamford Bridge and challenge Marcos Alonso for a place in the starting XI.
On the upside, Antonio Conte’s wing-back system is likely to suit the athletic, attacking Rahman more than the flat back four he played in under Jose Mourinho when arriving at Stamford Bridge.
The report adds that Chelsea still believe he has a bright future in the Premier League.
Where Everton go from here, however, is anyone’s guess. With fellow target Sead Kolasinac, who battled Rahman for a place in Schalke’s first-team in 2016/17, reportedly set to join Arsenal, Ronald Koeman must look elsewhere.
Sead Kolasinac was in Everton’s sights
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