OPINION
Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford has had a pretty poor season by his high standards. The England number one has made a number of costly errors, with his Merseyside derby howler the most obviously egregious.
However, Marco Silva currently has no one to truly put pressure on the former Sunderland man’s status as the team’s undisputed first choice shot-stopper.
Maarten Stekelenburg is Pickford’s back up at present, but the Dutchman is long past his best and has never really impressed in the Premier League. One man who has, though, is Fulham ‘keeper Sergio Rico.
The 6ft 4in 25-year-old is currently on loan at the Cottagers from Spanish giants Sevilla, and he recently admitted that he would be extremely interested in remaining in the English top flight.
“I have to come back to Seville but I would like to come here [England] next season because I am very happy here,” he told Sky Sports News. “I like the Premier League and I enjoy it a lot here in London, I am so happy. I don’t know the future now but I would like to come here again.”
Now, obviously Merseyside isn’t London but Everton will almost certainly be a Premier League team next campaign. A move to Goodison Park would allow the Spaniard to fulfil his dream of remaining in the top flight.
For the Toffees, they would be getting a top-class goalkeeper who is extremely experienced but still young enough to experience improvement. 25 is a fantastic age for the club, giving them two young stoppers who would be fighting tooth and nail for the number one shirt.
Rico came out on top of a battle for supremacy between the sticks at Fulham earlier this term, beating out Fabri and Marcus Bettinelli, making him well suited to the assignment of competing with Pickford.
The best case scenario is that Rico’s arrival will help elevate the Englishman’s game to new heights, the worst that Rico fills the void left by continued Pickford underperformance.
It’s a win-win scenario and something the club should look at seriously come the summer – they’d be hitting the jackpot if they can bring Rico in.