OPINION
Never was Everton’s need for a truly top class striker more evident than in the team’s 2-1 victory over League Two leaders Lincoln City in the FA Cup on Saturday.
Not because they needed one to win the game necessarily, but because of how many chances were spurned and how obvious it was that they needed a high level frontman to hold the ball up and bring others into play.
Perhaps the Toffees could do with taking a look at a striker who was one of the stars of the FA Cup weekend. Tottenham Hotspur man Fernando Llorente won’t be in North London for long, and Everton could do worse than making a bid for him this January.
The Spaniard would only be a short term fix to a much larger problem for Marco Silva’s side, of course, but he would shore up the position while allowing the club to find a true solution at the sharp end of the pitch.
Llorente has been much maligned for his time at Spurs, but the veteran has been feeding off scraps throughout his time at the club. At Everton he would be getting much more regular football. Given the struggles of Cenk Tosun and Dominic Calvert-Lewin his path to the first team would be pretty straightforward.
The 33-year-old gave a reminder of his quality with a throwback performance in Tottenham’s 7-0 mauling of Tranmere Rovers on Friday night.
Making a rare start up front the former Swansea City man scored a terrific hat trick to help fire Mauricio Pochettino’s side through to the fourth round.
His play in that game showed everything that the Toffees have been missing up top. He kept the opposition defence occupied, brought others into play and made the most of his chances in front of goal.
Spurs would likely be averse to selling the Spaniard without having a replacement lined up but, hey, it’s worth a try.
Still, Everton fans must have been watching Llorente on Friday and thinking ‘we could do with a bit of that’. His signing would improve the team in the short term and allow the club breathing room while they find their long term solution up top.
It’s not the worst idea in the world, and the Toffees could do a hell of a lot worse than making a January move for the out of favour Spurs star.