St James' Park, Newcastle, Britain - April 17, 2022. Leicester City's Eldin Jakupovic during the warm up.
Everton goalkeeper Eldin Jakupovic is in negotiations to join Los Angeles FC, according to reports over the last 48 hours.
The Lowdown: Jakupovic out of favour
The Swiss shot-stopper arrived at Goodison Park on a short-term deal in September after leaving Premier League rivals Leicester City, but he hasn’t been able to make the impact for which he may have hoped.
Frank Lampard has understandably opted to keep the in-demand Jordan Pickford as his first choice between the sticks, and with understudy Jakupovic yet to receive any game-time, it now looks like an exit from Merseyside is set to take place before the end of the month.
The Latest: Jakupovic set to depart Everton
According to Football Insider on Wednesday evening, Los Angeles are in ‘advanced talks’ to sign Jakupovic on a free transfer this month upon the expiry of his contract with the Toffees.
The 38-year-old is ‘close’ to finalising an exit, with an agreement ‘expected’ to be in place by the end of the week, having been ‘made available for sale’ by Everton.
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The Verdict: Correct call
Jakupovic has been nothing more than a fringe player since his arrival at Everton, signed amid a goalkeeping injury crisis in the autumn, so it’s the right decision for the club to allow him to depart.
The 6 foot 2 colossus has only been named on the bench once in his time with the Toffees, and that was for the 1-0 victory against West Ham nearly four months ago (Transfermarkt).
Everton still have Asmir Begovic and Andy Lonergan available as cover for Pickford, but it’s possible that Farhad Moshiri will enter the market to sign an additional backup for the second half of the season, especially if the transfer interest in the England goalkeeper intensifies.
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