Everton haven’t concluded any business in the ongoing summer transfer window but you sense it’s only a matter of time before Rafa Benitez dips his hands into the club’s coffers.
What’s the word?
Unsurprisingly, the Toffees could spend a fair amount of money in the coming months with eye-catching swoops for Ben White and Allan Saint-Maximin touted.
The latter isn’t the only player associated with Newcastle to be linked, however.
In an interview with This is Futbol, Marcus Bent suggested that former Magpies forward Ayoze Perez could sign and become a squad player.
He commented: “If a manager has a player they clicked with and did really well, they are going to be interested.
“I think he is someone who is probably on his radar. Perez went to Leicester and probably hasn’t done so well there. They won the Premier League when no-one thought they would and now no-one knows whether they are going to win or lose against Leicester because of their playing style and system.
“Maybe he wouldn’t start in the Everton first 11 but he could be a squad player.”
Perez joined Leicester a few years ago for a sum of £30m but hasn’t found too much consistency at the King Power.
Walcott 2.0
Everton have made some puzzling signings in recent years, especially in the forward department.
The Toffees brought Josh King to the club in January but he spent just six goalless months in Merseyside.
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Walcott did score in Everton colours but he hardly set the world alight after a sum of £20m was paid to Arsenal for his services.
The former England international was incredibly inconsistent and has now moved back to Southampton on a permanent deal.
The speedster found the net on just ten occasions in the league throughout three separate campaigns.
Thus, by signing another inconsistent player in Perez, Benitez could repeat their howler from a few years ago.
He thrived under the Spaniard during their time at Newcastle together as the 27-year-old scored 35 times under the new Everton manager’s watch.
During his stint in the north-east, Benitez even compared him to one of the best footballers we’ve ever seen.
After scoring a remarkable goal against the Toffees in 2019, the 61-year-old commented: "The first goal - if Messi did this - people would be talking about that for a while. He [Perez] did really well.”
Though, the fact of the matter is that Perez is far too inconsistent. Since penning terms with Leicester, the attacker has beaten the goalkeeper on just 11 occasions in 76 outings.
He has won an FA Cup but only scored three times last season, starting only 15 league matches.
With that in mind, it would be a questionable decision to spend a fair amount of money on such a bit-part player.
In reality, Leicester and Everton are two clubs that should house similar ambitions. If he’s not good enough for the Foxes, he’s not good enough for Benitez’s side.