According to the Guardian, West Ham United and Everton are interested in signing Manchester City’s Tosin Adarabioyo.
The 22-year-old spent last season on loan in the Championship with Blackburn Rovers, for whom he played 34 times. Adarabioyo is now back at the Etihad but it is very unlikely that he will get any game time there.
Pep Guardiola’s side already have Aymeric Laporte, Nicolas Otamendi, John Stones and Eric Garcia as options in central defence. Nathan Ake also came in recently, while there has been a lot of speculation over a move for Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly (Telegraph).
Adarabioyo will find it extremely difficult to get into Guardiola’s side, which makes a move away likely. The Englishman has less than a year left on his contract, which should make a permanent transfer a better option than a loan.
West Ham are desperate for a new central defender. David Moyes’ plan to bring in James Tarkowski is proving to be difficult as their third bid for the Englishman was rejected earlier today (Sky Sports).
The Toffees might have to look elsewhere for a new defender and, although Adarabioyo isn’t nearly as experienced as the Burnley man, he could prove to be a decent acquisition.
Everton, on the other hand, have been short at the back for some time now. Michael Keane, Mason Holgate and Yerry Mina are Carlo Ancelotti’s only experienced options at the back.
Jarrad Branthwaite has joined Holgate on the treatment table, which has left the Toffees with just two fit centre-halves. Everton need to bring in some defensive cover and Adarabioyo is an interesting option.
Pep Guardiola was a big admirer of the young defender a few years ago but he hasn’t quite fulfilled his potential. However, the Manchester City boss’s past comments should fill interested clubs with confidence.
He was quoted by Manchester Evening News in 2016 saying: “He’s a nice guy. His mind is open. He listens. He trains every day like it’s the last training of his life. And I like a lot to work with these kinds of players. He has his whole career in front of him.
“We have to tell Tosin he has a lot of steps to get better, so it’s not done, the player isn’t done. But he has all the quality. He is fast, he is faster than the people can believe it. He’s strong in the air. He has the quality to look behind the line for the next step, the next pass, but he has a lot of things to improve and I hope I can help him to develop his skills.”
It will be interesting to see if West Ham and Everton can lure him in this summer. The report claims that Fulham are also interested in Adarabioyo, which could make the next three weeks pretty eventful for the young central defender.
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