Everton were heavily linked with a move to sign Wesley Franca over the summer, and he is now shining for Roma.
Everton were linked with so many right-backs over the summer, but came up empty-handed.
Kenny Tete pulled a U-turn on a move to Merseyside, deciding to stay with Fulham despite initially agreeing to join the Toffees.
The window ended without a new right-back arriving at Hill Dickinson Stadium, despite links to a number of players.
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Everton-linked Wesley Franca shining for Roma
Everton now have a strong connection to Roma thanks to The Friedkin Group’s ownership.
The two clubs have even targeted similar players, as Everton competed with Roma for Neil El Aynaoui’s signature.
Everton also worked on a deal to sign Wesley Franca from Flamengo, only to see him join Roma alongside El Aynaoui.
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Wesley had impressed in Brazil, and he is now making a real impact for Roma in the early stages of his Serie A career.
The 22-year-old scored in a 3-1 win over Cremonese on Sunday afternoon, racing clear to score in an impressive victory.
Wesley has played at right wing-back and left wing-back under Gian Piero Gasperini, and has now bagged his second Serie A goal.
Wesley was quoted by LaRoma24 as saying that he didn’t expect to be such a big success at Roma in such rapid fashion.
“I thank God for today’s victory. I expected many things when I arrived, but not that I would adapt so quickly to the team and the language. I’m very happy,” said Wesley.
“I came here to win titles, but that’s every player’s goal. We have to keep going like this; we’re doing our job. If we follow the coach’s instructions, we can continue to fight for the Scudetto,” he added.
Wesley appears to have settled very quickly in Italy, and Everton’s loss is proving to be Roma’s gain.
US Cremonese v AS Roma - Serie A
Photo by Fabio Rossi/AS Roma via Getty Images
Wesley is showing his attacking quality at Roma, and his role as a wing-back may be ideal for him.
Everton play with a flat back four, so Wesley wouldn’t have enjoyed the same freedom had he joined the Toffees.
The Italian media are loving Wesley’s displays and have raved about his performance against Cremonese.
“He runs, dribbles, and scores. Left or right, it makes no difference; Wesley is a force of nature. His second goal of the season sealed the game and earned him applause from the 5,000 Roma fans,” said Calciomercato.
“Cremonese struggles to contain his brilliance. He runs, fights, provides assists, and scores. A fine player,” said giallorossi.net.
“When he gets going, no one can keep up with him. And in the end, he sets the tone for the match with a Brazilian touch,” said Il Romanista.
“He ruffles the grass all along the flank for the entire match, often leaving the Cremonese shirts behind, and then comes the deserved reward. He empties his tank with a final run that culminates in a chip as refined as smooth jazz,” said Roma News.
An attack-minded right-back supporting Iliman Ndiaye would be quite the sight, and Everton must look to find somebody who can make a Wesley-esque impact in 2026.