Noel Whelan believes that Everton would be wise to follow up interest in Moussa Dembele in January, as the club’s current options won’t score 20 goals per season.
Earlier today we covered the story that the former Celtic striker is keen on moving back to the Premier League from Lyon, as he sees that move as the next logical step in his career progression.
That itself was a follow on from the initial story that claimed Everton held an interest in the £40million rated striker, with current options Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Moise Kean have struggled for consistency in front of goal.
Former Coventry and Leeds forward Whelan has now weighed in while speaking to Football Insider, claiming that Dembele would fit the bill for the type of forward Everton should be looking for. When asked whether signing Dembele would be no-brainer for the Toffees, Whelan said:
I think so, I think he is a fantastic player.
I think we saw it when he was playing for Fulham and Celtic with the goals that he scored, Everton do need an attacker, there is no doubt about that.
I don’t think Calvert-Lewin and Kean are your answer there, they’ve got loads of great midfielders who can create chances and it seems Calvert-Lewin and Kean are a little bit short of what they need.
They need someone who is instinctive in front of goal who can get you 15-20 goals a season, can Kean and Calvert-Lewin do that? I don’t think they will.
They’re great players but I don’t think they’re going to hit 20 in the Premier League.
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I don’t disagree with anything Whelan said, in that Dembele is a top player and both Calvert-Lewin and Kean haven’t exactly shown that they can crack the fabled 20-goal achievement.
Both might be able to do so in the future, but ideally Everton need to find someone who can offer them more at this moment in time. It is all well and good looking forward, but not if it sacrifices the here and now.
It remains to be seen whether Dembele expects European football, because Everton can’t offer that right now. Other than though, the Toffees are an attractive prospect, and they should feel confident in their approach for the Frenchman.
