da imperador bet： Everton have very lofty ambitions as a club, which was just as evident when appointing a manager that has enjoyed a rather trophy-laden career in Carlo Ancelotti.
da pixbet： And the Italian has made it abundantly clear himself, proclaiming that the squad has to push for a place in Europe next season, speaking after their win over Crystal Palace, he said:
“The work everyone has done was really good, players, club, staff everyone and now our table is good and we can dream to fight for the Europa League in the next games. It is not enough to fight for the Europa League but I think we have the quality to fight.”
Such a target could well be achieved if the Merseyside outfit clinches Espanyol lynchpin, Marc Roca, this summer.
According to La Razon, the Toffees are eyeing up a cut-price move for the midfielder with the La Liga strugglers flirting with relegation – it’s claimed that Espanyol would accept a lower bid than his release clause of €40m (£36m) as a result.
Ancelotti has been working his magic at Everton already, largely deploying a 4-4-2 system, but the balance of Andre Gomes and Tom Davies in central midfield isn’t one that’ll reap the rewards long-term.
Which is why Roca makes for an interesting case as a defensive-minded option, he’s averaging a massive 2.4 tackles and 1.5 clearances per game as well as 4.4 long balls a match, via WhoScored.
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The 60-year-old has had world-class talent wherever he’s been – when winning the Champions League with AC Milan, he had Andrea Pirlo at his disposal and likewise at Real Madrid where Xabi Alonso protected his backline on their way to four trophies.
And while Davies and Gomes are decent options in their own right, neither are in the same category as the above two names.
Roca can be Ancelotti’s Alonso at Goodison Park and he comes primed to breed the very success that the boss is demanding – he’s been playing in a 4-4-2 at Espanyol, and his tackling and superb passing vision has been pinpointed in just one scout report about the 23-year-old.
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His best performance of the season came in a 2-2 draw against big dogs Barcelona where he recorded seven tackles, two key passes and six long balls.
That in itself hints at the sort of potential he’s got hiding in his locker, and just as he did with Pirlo, Alonso and many more, Ancelotti can transform him onto a new level and at the same time, it’ll help Everton get into European contention.
AND in other news, Ex-Everton player Tim Cahill makes joke about Phil Neville…