Everton have made one signing in the January transfer window, Jarrad Branthwaite, but that could be about to change.
Sky Sports have reported the Toffees are interested in signing Brazilian midfielder Everton Soares from Gremio having announced at their annual general meeting they are searching for a right-sided midfielder due to the switch of formation under new manager Carlo Ancelotti. However, Everton may wish to exercise some caution before bringing the international star to Goodison Park.
The 23-year-old is a 14-cap international, having scored three goals for Brazil, all of which came in their Copa America win last year, but that is the limit of his experience at the elite level. In total he has played 177 matches for Gremio, scoring 47 times, but a substantial number of those appearances have been in the Brazilian top-flight, and the level of ability is incomparable to the Premier League. There is no guarantee he will slot in and start living up to his potential straight away at Everton; the club only have to look at Richarlison to know that when players are adapting, they can experience patches of form and Everton Soares could be no different.
Valued at £31.5m (Transfermarkt), the midfielder would be a substantial gamble considering he could be their fourth most expensive signing of all time. However, the Toffees may feel the potential positives outweigh the risk, as he has been outstanding in his domestic league scoring 11 and assisting five in 23 top-flight starts last season. It was the second consecutive campaign the Brazilian had hit double figures in the league, along with increasing his creative output and displaying a precise pass accuracy. Although, where he impresses most is the number of dribbles he completes, in six Copa America appearances Everton averaged 3.2 per match, highlighting his supreme close control.
With a reasonable amount of international experience under his belt, the Toffees may feel the 23-year-old has proven himself enough to warrant a move to the Premier League. However, it would be a substantial outlay for a player with no European experience, which is an enormous gamble by any Premier League clubs standards.
