Everton are keeping close tabs on a new centre-back as they weigh up a move, but they aren’t the only club who are hoping to bring him to the Premier League in January.
Everton transfer updates
Sean Dyche currently has James Tarkowski, Michael Keane, Jarrad Branthwaite and Ben Godfrey as his four natural options at the heart of the defensive backline, but with the former pair both being 30 years of age, the boss will soon need to enter the market to find long-term replacements.
If the Toffees are able to successfully complete their takeover, which would see the 777 Partners Group at the helm, the manager is likely to receive better financial backing which means he can be competitive when pursuing transfer targets, and he’s set to need a lot of cash to secure this one in particular.
At the Deutsche Bank Park, Eintracht Frankfurt’s Willian Pacho only arrived from Royal Antwerp this summer, but he's already established himself as Dino Toppmoller’s overall best-performing player with a match rating of 6.98 (WhoScored – Eintracht Frankfurt statistics).
Therefore, Ecuador’s international has brought himself onto the radar of the Goodison Park side, but with two other top-flight clubs also keen, the 22-year-old is expected to be the subject of a transfer tug of war, whether that be at the start of next year or later in the summer.
Willian Pacho to Everton news
According to TEAMtalk, who have shared a transfer update on Willian Pacho, Everton, Crystal Palace and West Ham are all monitoring the progress of the defender, who has thrived since his switch to Germany:
“A trio of English clubs are tracking Willian Pacho of Eintracht Frankfurt to see whether he lives up to the hype as one of the Bundesliga’s next breakout stars. At this early stage of his career in Germany it is understood Crystal Palace, Everton and West Ham have an eye on his big breakthrough.
"While Frankfurt will be in no mood to let Pacho leave soon, there is already talk that a player signed for £8million from Royal Antwerp holds a value closer to £35million.”
How good is Willian Pacho?
According to football talent scout Jacek Kulig, Pacho is a “top-class” defender and he provides an excellent physical presence, which he’s proven by averaging 3.3 clearances and 2.6 aerial wins per league game so far this season (WhoScored – Pacho statistics).
Standing at 6 foot 1, the left-footed colossus also loves to get stuck into challenges and gain back possession, as he’s won ten out of his 19 tackles made since the start of the term which is the joint-highest success rate throughout his squad (FBRef – Eintracht Frankfurt statistics).
Furthermore, Pacho already knows what it takes to compete and be successful at the highest level having secured five trophies across all age ranges since first bursting onto the professional scene (Transfermarkt – Pacho statistics), so he would be able to pass his winning mentality onto the Everton squad.
