Marcel Brands is on a scouting mission but will Flamengo’s ‘new Kaka’ finally move to the Premier League after Everton backed away from a £35m deal?
Marcel Brands is suddenly fielding questions about his record as Everton’s Director of Football.
A Dutchman who arrived at Goodison Park with a reputation as one of the finest talent-spotters in European football, having signed the likes of Hirving Lozano, Donyell Malen and Gini Wijnaldum during a trophy-laden spell PSV Eindhoven, was expected to end the days of big-money flops at Goodison Park.
But some supporters are starting to turn after a miserable start to 2018/19 with the likes of Moise Kean, Djibril Sidibe and Yerry Mina struggling to convince at Everton.
The Sun (13 October, page 63) reports that Brands is now sending scouts to Brazil in a bid to find football’s next uncut diamond. He apparently sees the nation of Samba stars and jogo bonito as a prosperous market full of potential and value with Richarlison, who has gone from strength to strength since moving to England in 2017, his inspiration.
Reinier Jesus is the latest Brazilian wonderkid on everybody lips and, according to UOL, Everton were expected to sign him in an eye-catching £35 million deal over the summer before backing away at, if not the eleventh hour, then certainly the ninth or the tenth (Globo Esporte).
The Flamengo midfielder has been compared to 2007 Ballon D’Or winner Kaka by manager Jorge Jesus (Lance), and it would be a major surprise if Everton don’t at least devote some of their time in South America to watching Reinier in the flesh.
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