Everton may have missed out on the signing of Lille defender Gabriel Magalhaes, according to Eurosport journalist Manu Lonjon, with Chelsea having seemingly stolen a march.
Le10 Sport reported over the weekend that Everton had ‘everything in place’ to sign the Brazilian in the coming weeks, having had a €30 million offer accepted by the French club, while a medical check had been performed in France.
The Toffees only had personal terms left to complete, and while in-person negotiations had been planned to take place, the recent virus outbreak has put a hold on discussions and travel.
That has given Chelsea the opportunity to make a late move, and now Lonjon claims that Frank Lampard’s have moved ahead in the race, as the Blues boss also looks to bolster his defensive options this summer.
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With Everton having looked so certain to complete the signing of Gabriel last week, it would be disappointing to see the Toffees ultimately lose out to Chelsea now, with Lampard’s side already having depth in that position.
Everton are in need of defensive reinforcements, and with Gabriel being 22-years-old, it is safe to assume that he could’ve had a fairly major role at Goodison Park for the years to come, especially with there being less competition on Merseyside.
Everton harbour European ambition under Carlo Ancelotti, and if they are to return to the continental stage they will need to improve the quality of the options available to them.
Gabriel has shown his defensive qualities in Ligue 1 this season, averaging 1.7 tackles per game and 0.8 blocks per game, both statistics of which outrank all three of Everton’s current centre-backs. Gabriel has also won more offsides than Mason Holgate (0.7 v 0.3) and has also been dribbled past on fewer occasions that Holgate (0.3 v 0.4).
If Everton want to make the step up into European competition they will need to increase their quality in depth, and ensuring they land someone of Gabriel’s calibre will help them succeed when they do return to the continental stage.
