- Everton have reportedly declined the chance to pursue Aaron Wan-Bissaka
- The club still need at least one right-back this summer
- Guela Doue and Raoul Bellanova appear to fit a more specific profile
Everton needing a right-back is hardly breaking news.
Supporters have known it for months. David Moyes has known it for months. Anyone who watched Jake O’Brien do his decent impression of a specialist full-back last season knew it too.
So, on the face of it, Everton reportedly stepping away from Aaron Wan-Bissaka feels a little odd.
A Premier League-proven defender, still only 28, with years of top-flight experience behind him. West Ham are in the Championship, a deal may be there to be done, and Everton have this glaring vacancy on the right side of defence.
Easy, right?
Well, perhaps not.
Because this may be less about Wan-Bissaka’s quality and more about the very specific type of full-back Moyes and the recruitment team want.
Everton need more than a defender
Wan-Bissaka has never been difficult to understand as a player.
At his best, he is an outstanding one-v-one defender. Quick, hard to beat and capable of making tackles many full-backs would not attempt.
There is value in that.
But Everton’s right-back problem is not just about defending.
The next player in that role will need to give Moyes’ side more balance, more energy and, crucially, more threat going forward. Everton cannot afford another season where the right side feels like a compromise position.
That is why the continued links with Guela Doue and Raoul Bellanova are interesting.
They suggest Everton are not just looking for a right-back. They are looking for legs, width and aggression.
The profile is becoming clearer
Bellanova, an Italy international at Atalanta, has been linked with a move as Everton assess options following Seamus Coleman’s departure. Doue, meanwhile, has also been discussed as a more dynamic alternative.
Neither would be the simple, familiar Premier League option.
But that may be the point.
Moyes appears to want a full-back who can get up and down the pitch, stretch teams, recover quickly and help Everton become less predictable in possession.
That does not make Wan-Bissaka a bad player.
Far from it.
It simply suggests he may not be the right player for this Everton side.
The next move matters
Of course, supporters will only be reassured if Everton land the right alternative.
Walking away from Wan-Bissaka is only clever if the club follow it by signing someone better suited to the role Moyes has in mind.
But there is something encouraging in the clarity.
Everton have spent too many windows being linked with players because they are available, familiar or represented by the right people.
This feels different.
If the reports are accurate, Moyes and the recruitment team have looked at Wan-Bissaka and decided he does not quite match the brief.
That is not a snub. It’s squad-building.
And after years of Everton trying to squeeze square pegs into round holes, supporters may quietly welcome Moyes holding his ground and knowing exactly what he is looking for.
