Everton have received late interest in Dwight McNeil.
Nottingham Forest are keen to sign the Everton No.7 before the 5pm transfer deadline on Monday, and Sky Sports believe the Toffees are open to selling – so long as a replacement is found first.
However, a replacement for Dwight McNeil may already be right under the nose of David Moyes in Braiden Graham.
How much could Everton sell Dwight McNeil for?
Everton winger Dwight McNeil.
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Braiden Graham shines once again to show he could replace Dwight McNeil
Everton have a real diamond on their hands in the 18-year-old.
Graham netted his 14th and 15th goals of the season on Friday night as he helped the Everton U21 side record a 2-0 win over Tottenham.
The teenager also has two assists in 21 appearances to go with his 15 goals, and the composure shown when opening the scoring against Spurs suggests – in our view at least – that it is time for the Irishman to make his Everton debut.
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As you can see above, the Northern Ireland U19 international shows no fear in the final third, so with Nottingham Forest offering Everton a chance to recoup some of the £20m spent to sign McNeil from Burnley in July 2022, The Friedkin Group have to consider it.
It remains to be seen how much the Reds are willing to spend on the 26-year-old, who sees his contract expire in July 2027.
Braiden Graham can match versatility of Dwight McNeil for Everton
While McNeil was criticised for his display in the 1-1 draw against Leeds, he does offer Moyes a lot of options thanks to his versatility, having played on the right, left and in the centre of the attack this season.
However, Graham can also boast impressive levels of versatility, appearing on the left flank, as a striker and as a central attacking midfielder this term, also appearing on the right wing for the Northern Ireland U19 side.
Braiden Graham is doing things Beto and Thierno Barry could only dream of… 😳
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McNeil is 26 and offers very little to Moyes with one assist and zero goals to show from his 18 appearances this season, so we feel it makes much more sense for Everton to give these minutes to a precocious talent in Graham, who is proving on a weekly basis that he deserves to make his debut.
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