Juventus teen Samuel Iling-Junior, who is potentially available for a cut-price fee this summer, would be a perfect signing for Everton.
Everton appear to have missed out on a move for Almeria’s El Bilal Toure, leaving supporters even more anxious ahead of the start of the new Premier League campaign.
However, Italian outlet il BiancoNero reports that Everton have shown a concrete interest in Juventus winger Samuel Iling-Junior in what could be a rare smart piece of business from the Merseyside outfit.
Who are Everton trying to sign?
After narrowly avoiding relegation from the Premier League on the final day of last season, Everton’s squad was in need of some serious rebuilding this summer.
However, with two-and-a-half weeks to go until the new season kicks off, the Toffees have so far brought in only 38-year-old Ashley Young on a free transfer, plus Arnaut Danjuma on loan from Villarreal.
That is not to mention the fact that the likes of Yerry Mina, Tom Davies and Ellis Simms have all moved on and need to be replaced in the squad.
Bilal Toure has been strongly linked with a move to Goodison Park, but L’Equipe reports that the Almeria forward has instead opted to join Serie A side Atalanta.
Sean Dyche’s men may now turn their focus to Iling-Junior, whom Gazzetta dello Sport previously reported could be available for as little as £10m due to Juventus needing to raise money.
How good is Samuel Iling-Junior?
Iling-Junior spent nine years in Chelsea’s academy before making the switch to Juventus in 2020, and he was part of the Italian giants’ first team within two years.
The England U20 international made his debut against Empoli last October and assisted goals in his next two appearances, against Benfica in the Champions League and Lecce in Serie A.
Iling-Junior, who does not turn 20 until October, scored his first – and so far only – senior goal in Juve’s 2-0 win over Atalanta in May, but he has largely had to play a back-up role and the Bianconeri are reportedly open to offloading him.
Given his small valuation, Everton must ensure they see off rumoured competition from top-flight rivals Fulham and West Ham United – not least because the Englishman would provide an upgrade on Neal Maupay in attack.
Maupay struggled in his first season at Goodison Park after arriving in a £15m deal from Brighton & Hove Albion, scoring just one goal and assisting none in 27 Premier League outings last time out.
sed mainly as a centre-forward in a campaign in which Everton’s star performer Dominic Calvert-Lewin spent more time on the sidelines than on the pitch, Maupay’s inability to either score or create was a huge factor in why the Toffees were involved in a relegation scrap.
Indeed, Maupay was described as “absolutely woeful” by football reporter Paul Brown towards the end of last season. A failure to bring in an upgrade could well lead to another dismal campaign on the blue half of Merseyside.
Looking at their figures from last season, there is no reason why the younger Iling-Junior – labelled “simply superb” by football talent scout Jacek Kulig for his performance in that aforementioned game against Benfica – cannot provide a better outlet than Maupay.
Taking all competitions into account, Iling-Junior was involved in 0.43 goals or assists per 90 minutes last season, as per FBref, compared to 0.14 for Maupay. The 19-year-old also won more of his aerial duels (50% v 23.8%) and had a better take-on success percentage (42.9 v 36.8).
Iling-Junior was also stronger in defensive metrics such as tackles won per 90 (0.94 v 0.35) and recoveries (5.64 v 2.10), which will no doubt please Dyche.
Juve’s decision to listen to offers for Iling-Junior seems bizarre on the face of it, but there will be no complaints from Everton supporters should their side land the hugely talented player.
Leave a Reply