Everton offered to sign “underrated” PL winner

Could 2025 be a year of optimism for Everton after all?

On Sunday, David Moyès secured the first victory of his second spell in charge on Merseyside, overseeing a 3-2 win over Tottenham, in which the Toffees took a 3-0 half-time lead at Goodison; Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Iliman Ndiaye both on target.

This propelled the Toffees four points clear of the relegation zone, desperately needing to retain their Premier League status, before moving into their new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock this summer.

As Moyes looks to build a squad strong enough to survive comfortably, now is his chance to bring in some new recruits, so could the Blues sign a multiple Premier League winner on a free transfer?

Everton looking to add new winger

According to a report from Matt Law for the Telegraph Last week Everton were ‘offered’ the chance to sign Willien this month.

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The winger joined record 47-time Greek champions Olympiacos in September, winning a reported amount of £100,000 per week in Piraeus, but only carried out 11 appearances for the Red and White, scoring zero goals, which is why they were looking forward to ending his one year contract only halfway through, making him a free agent as of New Year’s Eve.

Willian is best known for his time at Chelseascoring 63 goals and providing 57 assists in 339 appearances, arriving from Anzhi Makhachkala for a grossed £32 million in 2013, winning two Premier League titles, the FA Cup, an EFL Cup and the Europa League.

It is fair to say that the Brazilian is a beloved character for the Blues, but the same cannot be said of their London rival, Arsenal.

When his contract expired in 2020, Willian joined the Gunners on a free transfer, but only scored one goal in 37 appearanceswith the journalist Phil Costa on Twitter describing him as “one of the worst professionals” in Arsenal’s history, while former striker John Hartson he added contributed “absolutely nothing” during his time at the club.

After a short stay in Brazil with the Corinthians, shortened after receipt countless death threats from furious fans, he returned to English football with Fulham, and it’s safe to say he’s rather more popular at Craven Cottage than at Highbury.

How Willian could help Everton

Willian bagged ten goals for the Cottagers, notably scoring against his former team in a famous west London derby victory, subsequently revealing on BBC’s Football Focus that her daughters were sad because they “love Chelsea.”

Speaking on Sky Sports Monday Night Football Earlier this month, Fulham club captain Tom Cairney believes Willian is the best player he has ever played with, saying the Brazilian is one of the most ‘underrated’ players in the game. Premier League history, adding that he doesn’t get the “recognition” he deserves. deserved”.

So the Fulham faithful were upset to see the Brazilian leave last summer, showing that there is still a high quality player somewhere, even if Arsenal fans won’t believe you, suggesting that Everton should take the plunge.

Even after the three goals scored on Sunday, the first time the The Toffees have scored multiple goals from open play in the same match all season, they rank second in the Premier League for goals scored (18) and expected goals (21.1).

So, Moyes certainly needs some help in attack, so could Willian have a similar impact at Goodison to James Rodríguez?

Another big name with plenty of money after an illustrious career in Europe, the Colombian spent just one season on Merseyside but scored six goals and racked up eight assists, helping them to a top ten finish in 2020/21, finishing no higher than 15th then, become a cult heroeven if he only played behind closed doors.

So, could Willian do something similar? Let’s compare the Brazilian’s time at Fulham to the Colombian’s time at Everton.

Given that Willian had two seasons at Fulham, while Rodríguez was at Everton for just one, the latter provides a very small sample size, so we rate the stats on a 90 basis.

In short, the two players are largely very similar in many metrics, including shots and successful pass percentage.

James was much more of a goal threat though, although he significantly outperformed his xG during his time at Goodison, which is obviously excellent, if not overly sustainable.

Willian, meanwhile, is ranked higher when it comes to dribbling and shot-creating actions, suggesting he could definitely add something more to Everton’s attack; over a Bosman, he could be the low-cost, low-risk signing they’re looking for.

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