Phil Kirkbride, Paul Wheelock and Gavin Buckland discussed all things Everton on the most recent edition of the Royal Blue podcast and spent some time talking about Italian striker Moise Kean’s future following his recent loan move to Paris Saint-Germain.
It may be fair to say that Kean hasn’t exactly set the world alight since joining the Toffees from Juventus in August 2019 for £24.75m.
The 20-year-old scored just two goals and made two assists in 33 appearances for Everton last season. Meanwhile, this term, the forward scored two goals in his four appearances for the Toffees in all competitions before he departed for the Parc des Princes for the remainder of the campaign, with both of those goals coming against lower-league opposition in the EFL Cup.
Following the £22.5m-rated forward’s loan move to PSG, Wheelock cast some doubt over Kean’s future at Goodison Park during this recent edition of the Royal Blue podcast, saying: “I think a lot may depend on Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s form. He was already established as Everton’s number nine, but it’s even further now, isn’t it, with the way he’s playing, the way he’s progressing.
“I just don’t see Moise Kean maybe being that backup striker at Everton. I think the fact that he’s backed his ability to go and play at PSG when you’ve got the likes of Neymar, [Kylian] Mbappe and [Mauro] Icardi, shows that he’s clearly confident in his own ability, and I just don’t know if he will be happy being that backup striker again.
“It comes back to his body language in those Carabao Cup games – is he going to be happy doing that? Is he going to be happy coming on after 70 minutes when we have to change formation or maybe Dominic’s not having the best of games? I just don’t know, personally.
“From what I’ve seen of him, I don’t know if he’s going to be happy being a squad player. I think he may not get that at Paris Saint-Germain, but it’s a high-profile move for him, isn’t it? It could go either way. If he manages to play every so often, gets his name in the shop window, he may get another big move again because he’s still young and he’s clearly got potential.
“I do feel maybe if it does go well this could be, not the beginning of the end for him at Everton, but maybe a chance for him to move on. I just don’t know, I’m not sure about his long-term future.”
Do you think PSG will sign Kean on a permanent deal?
YES
NO
TIF Thoughts…
Judging by what Wheelock had to say, it seems as though he is unsure if Everton and Kean are a good fit for each other at present, and it’s clear he thinks that the 20-year-old may be on the verge of leaving the Merseyside club on a permanent basis.
While Kean hasn’t enjoyed a particularly positive time at Goodison Park since joining Everton from Juventus, the forward was named in the final shortlist for the prestigious Golden Boy award just last year, indicating that he has attracted plenty of admirers for his ability in the not-so-distant past.
As per the BBC, PSG have got an option to buy Kean at the end of his loan spell, so if the Italian does enjoy a better run with Les Parisiens than he did with the Toffees, then maybe Wheelock will prove to be right in suggesting that Kean’s long-term future will not be at Everton.