Everton

Everton: Two potential knock-on effects of Mykhaylo Mudryk signing

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According to a recent report from Calcio Mercato in Italy, Everton are interested in a move for Shakhtar Donetsk winger Mykhaylo Mudryk in January.

The Toffees saw star forward Richarlison leave in the summer and managed to fend off interest in Anthony Gordon, with the 21-year-old staying at Goodison Park.

And having received £60m for the Brazilian striker, it is no surprise another attacker is reportedly on Frank Lampard’s transfer wishlist – although the Italian outlet also claimed Arsenal have an interest in the Ukrainian winger.

Rumours of a potential move for the 21-year-old from Everton’s side come after the north London side had a move for Mudryk reportedly fall through despite an agreement over personal terms, according to The Sun.

But if Frank Lampard’s side were to win the race for Mudryk, what could some of the potential knock-on effects be? Let’s take a look. 

Potential pathway for Gordon to leave

Throughout the final weeks of the summer transfer window, it was reported that Everton’s youth academy prospect Gordon could move to Chelsea in a potential £60m deal.

Whilst a move for the 21-year-old winger didn’t materialise in the summer, the Toffees’ potential addition of Mudryk could potentially enable Gordon to leave Goodison Park in January, with Everton being in a much stronger position to cope with his departure should they secure the signature of the Shakhtar winger.

It would be premature to suggest that Mudryk could immediately step up to the plate if he was to act as a direct replacement for Gordon in January due to his complete lack of Premier League experience, but the five-time Ukraine international has had an impressive start to the campaign, scoring one goal and providing three assists in four appearances according to Transfermarkt. 

The Toffees may not openly admit it if Mudryk signs for the club, but it wouldn’t be a shock to see Gordon, who plays in the same sort of role as the Ukrainian, move on to pastures new soon after his arrival – especially given the youngster had expressed his desire to move to Stamford Bridge.

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Do you remember who Alex Iwobi was signed from?

Iwobi flourishes in midfield

One of the changes Lampard has implemented to his Everton side this season has been to deploy Alex Iwobi as a midfielder rather than in his natural position as a winger.

The experiment has seemingly worked so far, with the former Arsenal man putting in a string of impressive performances for the Merseyside club from the beginning of the Premier League season, as shown by his average SofaScore match rating of 6.90 for the current campaign, ranking him as the club’s sixth-best performer so far this term. Meanwhile, he has earned rave reviews for his performances this season. 

If Mudryk was to sign for the Goodison Park club in January, his arrival would arguably lessen the need for Lampard to move Iwobi back out onto the wing should there be an injury crisis or a sale, with the £13.5m-rated ace providing the former Chelsea manager with another option out wide. 

We therefore believe that the potential signing of the Krasnograd-born wide-man could have a positive impact on the consistency of Lampard’s side, with the 21-year-old’s signing likely to enable Iwobi’s impressive midfield performances to continue into the second half of the campaign.

TIF Thoughts…

Could Mudryk’s signing be the enabling factor in a potential Gordon departure? Or could it boost Iwobi’s chances of staying in the centre of the park? Only time will tell.

But it is clear Everton have funds, so if they can stave off the threat of Financial Fair Play sanctions that has limited their activity in the transfer market in recent windows and keep Gordon in the meantime, perhaps they can find an optimal solution where they add Mudryk’s services to their squad whilst maintaining their academy product.

You would imagine they’d have to stay up in order to prevail in that particular endeavour, while they would have to at least beat the likes of Arsenal to the Ukrainian’s signature on top of that, so we feel it would be a tall order for a positive scenario to emerge for Lampard and Everton.

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