Everton still keen on dream move for “remarkable” CF

Everton sits just five points behind their arch rivals, Liverpool, in the current Premier League standings.

David Moyes’ Toffees are still in with an outside shout of a top-four position in the top-flight this season, with eight league wins now next to their name from 19 total games, after getting the better of ex-boss Sean Dyche with ease last time out to beat Nottingham Forest 2-0.

James Garner would collect a goal and assist to rub salt into the wound of his former employers, but Moyes would have been over the moon with Thierno Barry’s efforts at the City Ground, as well, as he collected just his second ever Toffees strike against Dyche’s hosts.

But, with only 20 goals put away all season long, the Merseyside giants could be tempted to make some signings up top this January, with a talismanic figure in attack no doubt steering Moyes’ men to even more victories.

Everton still keen on dream striker move

With Beto only on one paltry Premier League strike for the campaign, too, it’s clear why a whole host of attacking names are already being linked to the Hill Dickinson Stadium, a matter of days after the window has reopened.

Indeed, rumours suggest that Everton have begun to discuss a January deal with wantaway Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Jorgen Strand Larsen.

Although with his tally of just three goals in all competitions this season, he won’t be viewed as a huge upgrade worth breaking the bank over.

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However, landing the services of Ivan Toney would be a deal that would send shockwaves through the Premier League, as the ex-Brentford attacker continues to be linked with a return to England.

Realistically, the costs involved – with Toney’s wage for Al-Ahli coming in at an eye-watering £433k-per-week – render this deal somewhat of a pipedream.

But, the i Paper has suggested that this is a move that the Toffees ‘would dearly love’ to get over the line over the coming month, as they search for that missing focal point up top, with Toney picking up a stunning 131 goal contributions over his last five seasons in England and in the Saudi Pro League.

Landing the 29-year-old’s services against all the odds could see Moyes win his very own version of Romelu Lukaku, with the Belgian still revered to this day on Merseyside as a beloved goal machine.

Why Toney can be Moyes’ own Lukaku

Lukaku’s lasting imprint at Everton is felt today, with Barry stating – after bagging his game-clinching strike against Forest – that he has tried to model his instinctive Toffees game on the 32-year-old during his Goodison Park peak.

Indeed, for the majority of his Merseyside stay, most of what Lukaku touched would turn to gold, with his deadly 87 strikes for Everton in total far outweighing his output at Chelsea, Manchester United, and West Bromwich Albion.

He would even be labelled a “world-class” finisher by one of his former Everton bosses in Ronald Koeman, with the Toffees often relying on the magic of their former number ten to get them out of some sticky spots.

Everton are crying out for a similarly impactful figure to lead the line under Moyes, as the mid-table outfit has fallen victim to a lot of goalless displays this season, with December seeing the Merseysiders draw blanks across three straight Premier League ties.

This is where Toney could come to the rescue, looking at the table above, with the 6-foot-1 marksman hailed as a “special” presence in front of goal by his ex-Bees boss in Thomas Frank, when putting away a devastating 72 strikes from 141 games under the Dane’s tenure at the G-Tech Community Stadium.

Moyes will hope he can strike up an equally red-hot relationship with the seven-time England international if an audacious move is successful, with the Glaswegian responsible for getting a hefty 55 strikes out of Michail Antonio at West Ham United, while also working alongside memorable attackers such as Lukaku during his first Everton reign in Tim Cahill and Steven Pienaar.

The “remarkable” goalscorer – as he has also been lauded by Frank – hasn’t seen his goals dry up in the Middle East, either, as seen in his 43 strikes and counting for Al Ahli, as Toney continues to impress wherever he goes, much like the well-travelled Belgian.

The financial aspects of this deal do make it a very far-fetched one to get over the line, with Strand Larsen’s signature a lot easier and cheaper to seal.

But, if arrangements can be made for Everton to somehow work around his steep pay packet, winning Toney this January could see a second coming of Lukaku arrive on Merseyside.

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