Everton are looking for ways to improve their squad and must take advantage of the summer transfer window ahead of next season, and now a new potential transfer target has come to light.
What's the latest?
According to De Telegraaf (via Sport Witness), Everton are 'concretely' interested in signing AZ Alkmaar’s Owen Wijndal this summer.
As per the report, Napoli and Sevilla are also named as interested in the player this summer, however, Ajax are suggested to be the first choice for Wijndal's agent.
Better than Mykolenko
Everton desperately needs reinforcements in their squad after struggling in a relegation battle that saw them fight to remain in the Premier League until the penultimate game of the campaign.
Frank Lampard could secure a major coup by adding a high-quality left-back like Wijndal into the team next season, especially when you consider his effectiveness and output in the Eredivisie.
The £10.8m-rated dynamo scored one goal, contributed ten assists and created nine big chances, making 1.5 key passes, 1.4 tackles and 1.2 clearances, winning the majority of his duels combined (51%) and proving successful in the majority of his dribble attempts (63%), proving that he is better than Vitaliy Mykolenko.
Mykolenko managed to equal Wijndal's goal tally but did not provide any assists, making just 0.7 key passes and completing no dribbles, so the Dutchman could add more depth in terms of an attacking threat coming from the back-line throughout 2022/23.
The 22-year-old who was dubbed "dangerous" by Ajax Analytics, has deployed his attacking prowess combined with his defensive attributes to lead his side to a fifth-place finish in the Dutch top-flight and having a game-changing player who can be link-up player would be huge for Everton next term.
With that being said, signing Wijndal this summer would be a huge signing for Everton as he is clearly a very impactful player at both ends of the pitch and Lampard will need players who can hit the ground instantly to ensure they are not in a similar situation as 2021/22.