Everton’s interest in Harry Winks could play a part in negotiations with Tottenham Hotspur over Richarlison, according to The Telegraph‘s Matt Law.
The lowdown
Tottenham have expressed an interest in signing the 25-year-old, but the Toffees are driving a hard bargain. They believe he’s worth ‘well over’ £50m, having paid an initial £35m (potentially rising to £50m with add-ons) for the Brazilian in 2018.
Winks, who can play as both a defensive midfielder and a number eight, has two years remaining on his contract with the Lilywhites. The 26-year-old only started nine Premier League matches last season, and may therefore be open to making a move in pursuit of additional game time.
The latest
In The Telegraph, Law explained that Everton are admirers of Winks, who could consequently be included as part of a deal which would see Richarlison going in the opposite direction.
Alternatively, he and the Brazil international could move in separate transfers.
The verdict
Transfermarkt value Winks at £15.3m, so that’s roughly the figure that we may see knocked off Richarlison’s price tag if he becomes part of the package. Would this be a smart business decision from Everton?
Winks is an accomplished distributor, ranking in the 76th percentile among positional peers in Europe’s top five leagues for passing accuracy (86.6%) and the 98th percentile for progressive passes, as per FBRef. Also, he is capable of ‘dictating the game‘, in the words of former Spurs striker Robbie Keane.
[freshpress-poll id=”393262″]
In this respect, the Englishman – who is similar in profile to Chelsea’s Jorginho – could be a real asset if he is added to Frank Lampard’s midfield.
He has earned praise from Pep Guardiola in the past, with the City manager noting after a 1-0 win for his team against Spurs at Wembley in 2018 that Winks ‘changed the game’ as a substitute, while the 26-year-old’s former boss Mauricio Pochettino likened him to Xavi and Iniesta.
Just imagine seeing a player of that ilk strutting his stuff at Goodison Park every other week…
In other news, David Ornstein has shared some big Everton news.
