OPINION
Everton would effectively be buying a budget car when they should be looking at purchasing a Ferrari if Sam Allardyce decides to sign Eliaquim Mangala on a permanent basis.
The 6ft 2in centre-back is currently on loan at Goodison Park from Manchester City, having joined in January, and could still move to the Toffees on a permanent basis.
Mangala may have only made two appearances for the Merseyside club, before having his season abruptly ended after sustaining a knee injury, but Allardyce confirmed he was still considering signing the colossus defender.
“It’s difficult to say and it’s difficult to tell,” Allardyce told the Liverpool Echo.
“Had he not suffered the injury he suffered so soon I would be in a very good position to say yes or no now because he would’ve played a lot more and we would’ve seen what he would have brought to the team and with him being a natural left footer.”
The Daily Mirror previously reported that the Toffees could buy Mangala for a pre-agreed fee of £15million in the summer, once the defender’s loan deal expires.
It would be an unbelievable decision if Allardyce gave his approval to the Toffees signing the 27-year-old, as it was bad enough he was recruited in January.
Mangala struggled to impress in the 79 appearances he made for Manchester City and his two outings for the Toffees were train wrecks.
The giant enforcer was ripped apart by Arsenal as the Toffees suffered a 5-1 defeat at their hands, and Mangala was one of the main reasons for his side’s heavy loss.
The 27-year-old given his Premier League experience is a bargain for £15million, if based solely on that, but the Toffees shouldn’t be making budget purchases.
The Toffees have a billionaire owner in the form of Farhad Moshiri, who previously promised to give the club whatever he had as reported by the Guardian, so money is no object.
This means Allardyce has plenty of top-quality options to choose from in the transfer market if he wishes to recruit a new defender in the summer.
Therefore this effectively means that if the current Toffees manager approves of signing Mangala, the club would be purchasing a budget car when they should be trying to get a Ferrari.