Everton transfer target Ismaila Sarr ‘would have been a great signing’ for the Premier League club in January, according to journalist Paul Brown.
The Lowdown: Late offer rejected
The Watford forward has now entered the final 18 months of his deal at Vicarage Road, and it was reported that the Hornets were willing to sanction his sale last month if they were to receive a substantial bid, but the Toffees were clearly wide of the mark.
The Athletic claim that the Merseyside outfit had a late offer of a loan with an obligation to buy for the Senegal international rejected in the closing stages of the transfer window, with work permit issues also proving to be a major roadblock in any deal being completed.
The Latest: Brown’s comments
Speaking to GiveMeSport, Brown insisted that Sarr would have been the perfect profile of player for Everton to recruit and suggested that the Watford winger would have also been able to aid the development of Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
He stated: “I think Ismaila Sarr is the kind of player they needed. There’s been a lot of talk that Everton need more firepower and a striker who can play when Calvert-Lewin is not entirely fit or unavailable for whatever reason.
“I genuinely think that the bigger problem at Everton is that they don’t have a lot of creativity for whoever plays up front. I think you would see a big turnaround in Calvert-Lewin’s form if they’d been able to sign a genuinely productive winger who can beat a man, cross a ball and be a goal threat himself.
“I think that is what they are lacking. Ismaila Sarr ticks a lot of those boxes and would have been a great signing.”
The Verdict: Worth another attempt
Sarr is undoubtedly one of the Championship’s hottest attacking prospects right now, his tally of 13 goal contributions the joint-sixth highest in the division. Therefore, whilst Everton were unsuccessful in their efforts in January, it’s definitely worth making a second approach when the summer comes around.
The 6 foot 1 winger is prolific in the final third, having racked up 54 goal contributions in 117 appearances since joining Watford, where he is currently averaging 2.3 shots per league game.
The Senegal attacker would provide Sean Dyche with plenty of versatility given his ability to operate in four different positions in the final third, which is a useful attribute to have at Goodison Park given that injuries could occur at any time - as the aforementioned Calvert-Lewin can certainly testify.
Sarr also shares the same agent as Yerry Mina, so this could prove to be advantageous should Everton decide to return to the table with an improved offer in the next transfer window.