Everton were one of the four sides involved in the Premier League Summer Series held in the United States. They ended up finishing bottom in the four-team competition, with Manchester United, West Ham United and Bournemouth the three sides who placed above them.
What might concern manager David Moyes is that they scored only three goals across the three games, fewer than any of their opponents. Two of those came in the final game against Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United. That came after the Toffees boss said he was “disappointed” with striker Beto’s performances in the competition.
ruben amorim and david moyes
So, it seems like the Toffees need attackers to help end this drought in front of goal. They are reportedly targeting a Premier League attacker to help their cause.
Everton’s next attacking target after Dibling
Of course, with Everton needing to become more clinical, the likes of Beto must step up, with new signing Thierno Barry waiting in the wings. Yet, they also need more creativity in attack, and seem to be targeting a Premier League star to help solve their problem.
According to a recent report from talkSPORT, the Merseysiders are ‘set to step up their interest’ in signing Manchester City and England international attacker Jack Grealish.
They are said to have been interested in the 29-year-old ‘for much of the transfer window’, and could now accelerate a move.
That comes after Southampton asked for £50m to sign Tyler Dibling, after Moyes’ side ‘have seen multiple bids rejected’ for the winger. Thus, they will ‘turn their attention’ to signing Grealish this summer, with a loan swoop seemingly on the cards.
Why Grealish would be a good signing
It has been a tough 12 months at the Etihad Stadium for Grealish. The former Aston Villa star seemingly fell out of Pep Guardiola’s plans and was not even taken as part of the squad to the Club World Cup earlier in the summer.
grealish-guardiola
He played just 32 times for the Citizens last season, chipping in with eight goals and assists. That included just 20 Premier League games, where the attacker scored and assisted one goal apiece. He played 715 minutes in total and completed a full game three times.
A fresh start is needed for Grealish, but if Everton can recapture his best form, then they have a “generational talent” on their hands, according to former Villans chief executive Christian Purslow. He made 213 appearances in that famous Claret and Blue shirt, scoring 32 times and assisting 43.
Perhaps signing the England international will be like bringing a more experienced version of Dibling to the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
The pair have been compared before, with Tony Cascarino explaining he has “elements” of Grealish’s game, and analyst Umir said on The Overlap: The Breakdown that “the way he carried” the ball is similar to the City man.
west-ham-dibling-southampton
Of course, Dibling, at just 19 years of age, is far from the finished article. Last season, he scored two goals and assisted one in 33 Premier League games, including this well-taken effort against Ipswich Town.
Yet, the similarities are there to see, and there is a bit of Grealish in the way he took the ball on the half turn, evaded the defender and fired home. The numbers also back up the theory, and if Everton can help Grealish rediscover his best form from his Villa days, they’ll have a more refined version of Dibling who can have an impact now, rather than later down the line.
Using stats on FBref from Grealish’s last season at Villa, he averaged 2.67 completed take-ons and 4.03 carries into the final third per 90 minutes. In comparison, the Southampton forward averaged 2.16 successful take-ons and 2.4 carries into the final third each game.
Grealish and Dibling key stats compared
Stat (per 90)
Progressive passes
Take-ons completed
Progressive carries
Carries into final third
Carries into penalty area
Stats from FBref
The similarities between the two attackers are clear. Whilst Dibling can be a long-term addition for Everton, there is a strong case to make that Grealish would be a better signing for Moyes’ side this season.
Grealish
He is far more experienced and closer to the finished product. The 29-year-old is almost guaranteed to have an instant impact if Moyes can help him rediscover the form he showed at Villa. This could be a genius move for Everton.