EXCLUSIVE: Former Everton star Tony Cottee assesses new signing Christian Norgaard and the search for a right-back
Everton have got themselves an upgrade for Idrissa Gueye by snapping up Christian Norgaard reckons Tony Cottee who has backed David Moyes to solve the Blues’ long-standing problem position at right-back.
Norgaard, who has made over 200 appearances in English football, completed his £7million move from Arsenal last Wednesday and Cottee, who joined Everton for what was briefly a British record £2.2million fee in August 1988, before going on to net 99 goals in 241 appearances for the Blues, told the ECHO: “Christian is a really experienced Premier League player. He did well at Brentford but just didn’t get the opportunities at Arsenal.
“I think he’s what you’d call a typical David Moyes signing. It might not have worked out for him at his last club, but I think he’ll slot into that midfield and give them a nice bit of experience to allow those in front of him to go and play, so I think he’ll be a good acquisition for the club.
“You need that experience, someone who knows the game. You can’t have everyone charging forwards.
“Although he always did a job when he played, I’ve got to be honest, I’ve never been a massive fan of Idrissa Gueye. Hopefully Norgaard will be a better option in there and an upgrade to do the holding job that Everton needs.
“I think he’ll be more of a technical player. When you play in that area, you’ve got to know the role.
“When I first arrived at Everton, we had Peter Reid in that position. We’d all love to have a Reidy back, someone who can get about the pitch and play as well.
“You’ve got to be something of an all-round player in that position but most importantly, you’ve got to protect the back four. It will pretty much be a straight swap for Gueye I’d think.”
Cottee, who was speaking courtesy of football betting, also believes Moyes can find a suitable solution when it comes to Everton’s search for a right-back, despite the prolonged search which has now gone on for over 18 months. With the Blues unable to strike a deal with Celtic for Alistair Johnston, midfielder Merlin Rohl started Saturday’s 3-1 defeat to Stuttgart in the role before an early injury to Tim Iroegbunam prompted Jake O’Brien to move there.
The 61-year-old said: “Whenever I’ve seen Jake play, he’s never let the club down, but he’s obviously more of a centre-half. It’s never really worked out for Nathan Patterson, which is a disappointment, and with Seamus Coleman going too, there’s a big hole.
“I’m sure David Moyes will work it out and get a replacement in. If all Everton have to worry about is getting a right-back in, I think it shows that they’ve progressed as a football club because we’ve been talking about strikers and goal threats for years.
“The full-back areas are key positions now though. It isn’t so much about defending these days, you’ve got to be able to get forward, overlap and push on into midfield.”