At face value, David Moyes’ tactical vision doesn’t strain too far from the blueprint that prompted Farhad Moshiri, two years ago, to bring Sean Dyche to the Everton helm.
Frank Lampard had been dismissed, Everton needed greater steel-backed resistance, Dyche fit the bill. It worked, for a time, but the Toffees could only stretch so far under the pragmatic boss’ wing. Thus he departed several weeks ago after reportedly informing the new owners, The Friedkin Group, that he felt he had taken the project as far as he could.
At face value, Moyes also employs a drilled and defence-heavy style, but just ask Spurs about the Scot’s attacking credentials, and they’d be sure to concede that the Blues tore them to shreds with startling bite.
It was hardly the look of a side previously scoring only 15 Premier League goals, the second-lowest tally in the division. Nor was it the feel of a side that had just welcomed a manager with a reticence toward attacking play.
Admittedly, though, 16th-placed Everton need to dip into the January transfer window to maintain enough firepower over the business months of the term.
Everton pushing for January signing
As per The Daily Telegraph, Everton have added Sunderland midfielder Dan Neil to their shortlist of transfer targets, though snapping him up this month may prove difficult.
Moyes, who used to manage the Black Cats, is a big admirer of the 23-year-old and is believed to have tracked his career ever since.
While Everton scouts have been keeping a close eye on Neil, Sunderland are certain to play hardball at the season’s midpoint, especially as they are fourth in the Championship, pushing for promotion.
He’s been priced in excess of £15m, which is big money for an up-and-coming talent in the second tier but a marker of Neil’s quality, and why Everton should pull no punches in getting the deal done.
Why Everton are interested in Dan Neil
Everton clicked together against Tottenham; play like that every single week, and Goodison Park would be throwing down with the best that the Premier League has to offer.
Consistency is key, though, and players like Neil work wonders in knitting fluency into a squad’s fabric to create a ripple effect for players like Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who snapped a 16-match goalless run in the top flight on Sunday.
Having risen through the Sunderland youth ranks, Neil has chalked up 177 senior appearances for the club, notching 11 goals and 20 assists during his journey so far.
Neil recently dominated for his side as they defeated Derby in the league, keeping their foot on the pedal as they chase automatic promotion.
Reporter Ethan Todd was among those to have been coloured impressed, saying that Nail: “Has absolutely controlled and dictated the whole game, with great forward passing and drives whilst keeping things tight in midfield. Constantly instructing the team, proper captain’s performance.”
It goes to show that Everton would not only be signing a player capable of injecting some dynamic quality into the middle of the park but a leader too, someone who could galvanise and inspire, berate and demand. It’s what Everton need.
Here is a team that has proved its attacking flair has not been negligible under Dyche’s wing, merely latent, languishing in the subterranean part of Goodison Park. The Merseysiders blew Tottenham away; we keep coming back to it but it was such a marvel, such a spectacle, that it revealed the true capacity of this team.
Neil may well be the architect, hailed as a “brilliant footballer” and a “real leader on and off the pitch” by his teammate Patrick Roberts. As you are about to see from his match metrics in the Championship this term, there are few who play a more complete role in the engine room, balancing his product and covering so much ground across the field.
Matches (starts)
27 (27)
Goals
1
Assists
3
Touches*
57.9
Pass completion
84%
Key passes*
0.8
Dribble (success)*
0.8 (51%)
Ball recoveries*
5.7
Tackles + interceptions*
3.2
Total duels (won)*
4.5 (51%)
Moyes might even be able to sign his next version of Mikel Arteta by bringing Neil to the fold, such is the rounded nature of his skill set.
Everton signed Arsenal’s manager during his playing days, bringing him in from Real Sociedad for a £3m fee in August 2005, proving to be one of the finest signings of his distinguished Toffees tenure.
He eventually joined the Gunners in a £10m deal, six years on, but Arteta had already featured 209 times for the Merseyside unit, scoring 35 goals and supplying 36 assists, contributing centrally to the most prosperous era in their modern history.
But hang on a moment, how does this pertain to present interest in Sunderland’s Neil? Well, aside from Moyes repeating his trick by bringing the player to Goodison – as he did with Arteta way back when – Neil has sharp playmaking skills while also excelling across the gamut of midfield duties.
The Spaniard was typically deployed in midfield alongside an anchor, allowing his creativity and ability on the ball to be properly showcased. He would dictate play and control the pace of the game, acting as a metronome of sorts.
Arteta added something different to the Everton midfield, a different dimension that Neil could replicate, sitting alongside players such as Idrissa Gueye, Orel Mangala and Abdoulaye Doucoure.
Moyes once claimed that his former midfielder was “head and shoulders” above his peers, and you just get the sense that Neil could be too, 15 years later, Moyes back in the Everton dugout.
Talk about circularity.
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