Everton loosely linked to Gotze – would he be a good signing?

Mario Gotze has been tentatively linked with a move to Everton by a report from a German outlet.

The Borussia Dortmund midfielder has seen his stock fade in recent years, following inconsistent performances and a metabolic problem that impacted his health in 2017.

Since returning to Dortmund from Bayern Munich in 2016, many expected Gotze to revitalise his career, having once been named as “one of the best talents Germany has ever had”.

However, the World Cup Final goalscorer has managed less than 45 minutes of football for Lucien Favre’s men this season, and with his contract up next summer, he could soon be evaluating his options.

According to the Augsburger Allgemeine (via Sport Witness), Gotze wants to stay with Dortmund ideally and the Bundesliga club would like him to stay too. However, Gotze wants more game time at this stage of his career, while Dortmund want him on lower wages if he isn’t to feature as often.

The German outlet mentioned Everton’s name tentatively when discussing Gotze’s future, using the club’s standing to compare how far the attacker has fallen. Part of the report reads:

He [Gotze] will not be able to choose his employer between Dortmund, Liverpool and Juventus, which were his options when he was leaving Bayern three years ago, but between Everton, Sevilla and Lazio Rome.

While there is no direct indication there that Everton are interested, or have even made an attempt to contact Dortmund over Gotze’s availability, the fact that the report included Everton’s name implies that there is likely some interest from the Toffees.

Would the 27-year old be worth signing?

Read Everton Verdict

Gotze would undoubtedly be a solid signing for Everton, so long as his fitness levels were good enough for him to regularly compete. The Toffees have been crying out for more creativity, and Gotze is vastly talented in that department.

Still just 27, Gotze has plenty of time at the top level left, while he would also fit the Marcel Brands mould, similar to players such as Fabian Delph and Andre Gomes.

Gomes had fallen out of favour with Barcelona, while Delph was approaching the latter stages of his career and wasn’t deemed irreplaceable by Manchester City. Gotze is a mixture of both of these, and he would also cost a minimal fee if the club wanted to wrap up a move in January.