The Swedish playmaker has been in sublime form for RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga – if only Everton had acted on their initial interest.
While Everton spent the summer aiming to secure a marquee, big-name signing to hail their transformation from overachieving nearly-men into a financially-free, Premier League force-in-waiting, they perhaps lost sight of the principles that allowed them to punch above their weight throughout David Moyes’ mid-noughties heyday and the early months of Roberto Martinez.
For years, Everton were viewed as the model club, living within their means and thriving off inspired, bargain signings a la Tim Cahill, Mikel Arteta, Gareth Barry and Phil Jagielka. And the Daily Star’s reports last April that The Toffees had sent scouts to watch Swedish playmaker Emil Forsberg in the German second tier felt unmistakably Everton.
A technically gifted, intelligent midfielder capable of threading passes between the lines and drifting into wide areas, Forsberg was one of the hipster’s Ones to Watch at Euro 2016 and a potential rising star of the 2016/17 Bundesliga campaign with RB Leipzig soaring to promotion. Red Bull gives you wings after all.
The Daily Star report that Forsberg could have set Everton back £12 million. If only they’d pulled out all the stops to make the deal happen. Because, while Bundesliga fanatics tentatively tipped Forsberg to impress in Leipzig’s first ever top flight season, no one could anticipate the extremity of his impact.
Newly promoted Leipzig are second beyond Bayern Munich and nailed on to play Champions League football next season, inspired by Forsberg’s outstanding performances at the tip of a youthful, energetic midfield. He’s scored seven goals, mostly tucked away beautifully from range, while only Thomas Muller can match his assist tally of ten.
With ten games left to go in the season, it’s not beyond the realms of possibility that Forsberg could follow in the footsteps of Kevin De Bruyne (below) and Henrikh Mkhitaryan and lift the league’s Player of the Year award.
The aforementioned duo are currently wowing crowds either side of the Manchester divide and, despite Everton’s ambition and financial resources, Forsberg may now be a target for clubs higher up the footballing pyramid.
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