Everton are in the market for a striker this summer transfer window.
Armando Broja has returned to his parent club Chelsea and Dominic Calvert-Lewin is yet to sign a new contract.
So, evidently, David Moyes must sign a new number nine and has already drawn up a list of targets with the window officially opening its doors today.
Liam Delap was on Everton’s radar, but he’s now expected to join Chelsea despite holding positive talks with Moyes.
Tottenham Hotspur forward Richarlison continues to be linked with a return to Goodison Park, but there has been no concrete movement on that front.
It very much appears as though Everton have their sights solely set on a striker on the continent and now Niclas Fullkrug has just waxed lyrical about him.
Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images
Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images
Niclas Fullkrug hails Everton target Nick Woltemade
Everton have turned their attention to Nick Woltemade after missing out on Delap.
Woltemade, who stands at a towering 6ft 6, netted 17 goals for Stuttgart in the Bundesliga last term and is valued at around £34m.
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Stuttgart are scrambling to tie Woltemade down to a new deal, but as it stands, a move to Merseyside looks feasible.
The 23-year-old has just been called up to Germany’s senior team for the first time and West Ham striker Fullkrug has heaped praise on him in a recent interview.
“Nick is a good friend of mine,” Fullkrug told DFB.
“We stayed in touch, even when we no longer played together. In Bremen, we had a lot of contact and often ate together.
“He is a down-to-earth and good boy, but he is also intelligent and clever. He has had the qualities he has shown for a long time.
“But he needed the time and the trust to be able to show them. He has deservedly established himself at VfB Stuttgart.
“He brings a lot of qualities that can help us here. Nick, and also Deniz Undav, are good for number nines because they not only finish the game themselves, but also provide a lot of assists. Every striker can benefit from that.”
Woltemade’s underlying data is so impressive
Woltemade isn’t just a focal point that can finish, his game is much more than that as Fullkrug alluded to.
The 2002-born striker has excellent playmaking abilities, with FBref data ranking him in the top three per cent for expected assists per 90 compared to his positional peers across Europe.
Woltemade also sits in the top four per cent for progressive take-ons, amplifying how confident he is at driving with the ball.
# Similar players Nation Club
1 Marcus Thuram France Inter Milan
2 Alexander Isak Sweden Newcastle United
3 Gaetan Laborde France Nice
4 Georges Mikautadze Georgia Lyon
5 Hugo Ekitike France Eintracht Frankfurt
per FBref
The data suggests he’s of a similar profile to Alexander Isak, so if he can replicate even half of what he’s achieved on Tyneside, it’d be a great signing for the Toffees.