According to The Daily Mail, Everton want to sign Chelsea midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek this summer.
While Premier League football remains far from secure for Everton, they can breathe a little easier following their win over Manchester United and Burnley’s subsequent 1-1 draw with West Ham United. The departure of Sean Dyche from the Clarets, too, has boosted hopes of the Toffees staying in the top flight.
The Merseyside outfit will already be forming their summer transfer plans, and as per this report, they are one of a number of sides, including Roma and West Ham, who have an eye on Loftus-Cheek, although the player himself has stated he wants to kick on at Stamford Bridge.
What impact would a potential Loftus-Cheek move to Goodison Park have? We take a look at the potential consequences.
A Fabian Delph upgrade
Loftus-Cheek could easily challenge for a starting place in Frank Lampard’s side if he were to make the move to Merseyside, and his arrival would surely spell the end of another midfielder’s time at the club.
Fabian Delph’s contract is up at the end of the season, and the Chelsea man would surely represent an upgrade on a player who came in and ultimately did contribute when called upon against Manchester United recently.
Taking up similar positions, the two are comparable. Throughout their careers, both Delph and Loftus-Cheek have strong passing ratios and are players who evidently feel comfortable on the ball. However, since Delph moved to Everton, he has not had the impact many will have expected and has failed to reproduce the form that earned him a move to Manchester City.
Loftus-Cheek, meanwhile, has learnt from loans with the likes of Fulham and Crystal Palace to break into one of the most competitive midfields in the Premier League. He also averages more key passes and dribbles than 32-year-old Delph – another illustration of his superior all-round game.
Build the team around him
It has taken a while for Loftus-Cheek to become a well-respected and influential player at Chelsea. His career has been very stop-start, with injuries and temporary spells away from the west London outfit stopping him from developing at perhaps the same rate as others. However, he now appears to be entering a stage of his career where he knows exactly what kind of player he is.
Few in English football possess so many varying qualities. At 6ft 2in, he has a strong presence that allows him to contribute defensively, and has averaged more than one tackle per game this season in the Premier League. 10 goals during the 2018/19 season are also an illustration of Loftus-Cheek’s goal threat, as was his strike in the FA Cup semi-final at the weekend.
He has been called a “Rolls-Royce” in the past and been compared to Yaya Toure. He is a winner, having lifted numerous trophies, and is entering the peak years of his career. With the Blues, given the abundance of talent they have at their disposal, he will unlikely ever be the centrepiece, but at Goodison Park, he could arguably be the player the team is built around.
TIF Verdict…
The ambition to sign such players is impressive from Everton, but this deal does seem far-fetched, even if Lampard could call upon his Chelsea links to at least try and explain to Loftus-Cheek the ideas he would have for him.
Would you like to sign Loftus-Cheek?
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No
Thomas Tuchel selected the England international for the crucial Champions League quarter-final second leg against Real Madrid – if he did not trust Loftus-Cheek to perform, he would not have named him in the first XI, and that choice indicates he is still a big part of the German’s plans.
Would the former Crystal Palace loanee swap European football for a side that, even if they do stay up, will be happy just to avoid a relegation battle next term? It seems unlikely.