Everton sent a scout to Belgrade’s Eternal Derby on Thursday night, according to Scouts in Attendance.
The Toffees had a man in the stands as Red Star beat city rivals Partisan 2-1, and while there is no confirmation on who the Blues were watching, the report names two potential targets.
Red Star prospect Dejan Joveljic spent that game on the bench, while 17-year-old Partisan centre-back Strahinja Pavlovic completed the full 90 minutes.
#efc scout attended Belgrade's 'Eternal derby' on Thurs as #fkcz beat #fkpartizan 2-1….Red Star's top prospect Dejan Joveljic was on bench…17yo Partizan CB Strahinja Pavlovic played the full 90
— Scouts in Attendance (@scoutsattending) April 26, 2019
OPINION
Obviously, there is no guarantee as to who Everton were watching at the match, but the fact that they sent a man halfway across Europe would probably suggest that they had somebody in mind. Regardless of the details, Everton fans should take great heart from the fact that the club is taking such a proactive approach to their recruitment drive early on in the year. There is some top talent in the Serbian league that tends to slip under the radar a little, and if you can steal a march on your rivals and bring in a top quality prospect, you can have a world class player for years to come. Look at Nemanja Vidic at Manchester United. Entirely unfancied, brought in by a diligent scouting network, he went on to be one of the greatest defenders in Premier League history. If Everton could find a player to replicate even half of his success, they would be in dreamland.