Everton have been heavily restricted as to what they can spend in recent transfer windows, following their recent financial situation which resulted in an eight-point deduction last season.
Sean Dyche’s side have desperately lacked investment, with the club needing to act in a sensible manner this window if they are to pull further clear of any looming relegation worries.
He brought in Udinese striker Beto for £30m last summer, but the 26-year-old only managed to score three times in the Premier League in a disappointing campaign for the Portuguese frontman.
It was certainly a bold move from the club to splash that amount of money on a new talisman given their PSR troubles and it appears to be a move that has backfired, with Beto failing to make the impact he would’ve envisaged.
However, despite his failings at Goodison Park, Dyche and Co are looking to recruit another Portuguese talent on Merseyside, with the club looking to splash some of the cash they may potentially raise during the window.
Everton set to reignite interest in January target
According to journalist Ben Jacobs, the Toffees are still interested in Benfica midfielder Florentino Luis, despite having a €30m (£25.5m) bid rejected for the 24-year-old in January.
The Benfica academy graduate, who has a €120m (£102m) release clause in his current contract, wouldn’t require a big anywhere near that figure for the Portuguese club to part ways with their talent.
Jacobs also goes on to state that despite the uncertainty around the club’s ownership, the Toffees will reignite interest in Luis ahead of the summer window in an attempt to bolster their midfield.
He’s featured 30 times in Liga Portugal during 2022/23, with only 17 of those appearances coming from the starting lineup, featuring for a total of 1,683 minutes under boss Roger Schmidt.
Whilst it may seem surprising that the club are willing to spend big given their financial woes, they may be able to reinvest with Amadou Onana rumoured to be available to leave the club for £60m this summer.
Why Florentino Luis would be the perfect Onana replacement
Whilst many fans would be devastated to see Onana depart Goodison Park this summer, they simply can’t turn down a bid over £50m – a figure that would see the club make at least a £17m profit in just two years.
However, should the 21-year-old depart the club Merseyside, Luis would be the ideal replacement for Onana, with his stats proving how much of an upgrade he would be for Dyche’s side.
It’s very evident that the Portuguese talent is more confident than the Belgian, who has largely been seen as a ball-winning player for Dyche’s side.
He averages 74 passes per 90, with 89% of the passes he’s attempted this campaign finding a teammate, 7.6 of which are progressive, with Luis eager to play the ball forward.
Unfortunately, Onana can’t get anywhere those tallies this season, with his figure of 45 passes and 4.6 progressive passes respectively, considerably short of the 24-year-old Benfica sensation.
| Florentino vs Onana in 2023/24 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Statistics | Florentino | Onana |
| Passes per 90 | 74 | 45 |
| Pass percentage | 89% | 84% |
| Progressive passes | 7.6 | 4.6 |
| Tackles | 4.2 | 3.1 |
| Interceptions | 2.6 | 0.9 |
| Blocks | 1.9 | 1.1 |
| Stats via FBref | ||
Despite his tackling ability, the Everton midfielder has been outclassed by the “superb” ace, as described by Jacek Kulig, with Florentino producing some simply sensational numbers this campaign, having been hailed as “the kind of player every coach would like to have in their squad” by former Benfica coach Joao Tralhao.
He averages one more tackle than the Toffees’ star midfielder, whilst also making nearly three times more interceptions per 90, albeit in a lower-quality division
Onana has been excellent during his time on Merseyside, but with his rumoured departure and Luis’ ability with and without the ball, Dyche and the board simply must focus on a deal for the Benfica talent, with the ace having the ability to transform the club’s midfield.
