Everton’s strong start has been admired by fans as they begin to see the magic that could be done under Marco Silva.
Despite their current position being lower than the 8th place they finished in last season, the belief is that improvements on the pitch have been obvious and the overall quality of the squad has improved a lot.
The Toffees have a real attacking edge to their team but in defence, Marco Silva still isn’t sure, as the Sun are reporting Chris Smalling is a target.
The Manchester United centre-back is out-of-contract in the summer and Everton will be one of many sides to pledge an interest in the Englishman.
Should this move come to fruition and Everton get their man on a free this summer, what potential consequences does this have?
The end for Phil Jagielka
Having been at Everton for 11 years, it seems that Jagielka’s time at Goodison Park could soon come to an end. With his contract also up in the summer, at the age of 36 it will be hard to prove to Marco Silva as to why he should stay and continue to fight for his place, ahead of Chris Smalling.
With just 54 minutes of Premier League football to his name this season, surely there is no way of a new contract for the cult hero.
Much stronger back-line
Right now, Everton can be content with having Yerry Mina and Michael Keane as their centre-back pairing. With Chris Smalling thrown in the mix, not only does their overall squad quality increase but competition for places is far greater.
Everton are a side that want to grow and recruiting Smalling allows them to do that.
