When Mikel Arteta first arrived at Everton to play in front of the beloved Goodison Park faithful, he was a player who lacked physicality.
A diminutive character, David Moyes was scared to play him in a natural number 10 position that he’d thrived in while coming through the ranks at Barcelona.
The Toffees initially fielded him in a role on the wing but his career was changed for the better due to a striker shortage in Merseyside.
With Everton unable to play with a centre-forward, Moyes moved the Spanish magician inside to provide them with dynamism in the middle of the park.
It worked a treat as Arteta quickly became one of the most impressive midfielders in the top-flight.
He created goals on a regular basis, was a nuisance for the opposition and would pop up with a plethora of goals. A master of the set-piece, he could also strike a ball incredibly well from long range.
During the 2006/07 season, only Wayne Rooney, Frank Lampard and Cesc Fabregas assisted more goals than his nine while is he is one of the most fouled players in Premier League history.
The current Arsenal manager had a canny ability of arriving late in the penalty area to score goals, or tip-toeing between defenders with his quick feet.
Everton may have the dancing shoes of James Rodriguez in their side now but they don’t have a midfield playmaker like Arteta.
With that in mind, they should consider signing Aaron Ramsey this summer, someone linked with a move a few months ago.
Described as “outstanding technician” by Martin Keown, the 67-cap Wales international is cut from a similar cloth. His ability to arrive on the scene at the nick of time to score a goal is uncanny.
Flash through Arteta’s highlights reel at Everton and you’ll notice the Spaniard popping up on the edge of the area time and time again. This was a quality synonymous with Ramsey’s time at Arsenal.
He scored 16 times in one season, eventually ending his stay in north London with 65 goals and 65 assists in all competitions.
Both players have a career average of 1.2 key passes per game and they do their bit from a defensive point of view as well.
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Arteta eventually became a holding player after moving to the Gunners, using his incredible game intelligence to his advantage. Ramsey has played in a quarterback role as well but he’s now more of a box to box playmaker, just as his former teammate was when he played in the royal blue.
It’s been a considerable period of time since Everton have had a midfield player capable of scoring goals and assisting them in equal measure. Ramsey, however, could bring that vibe back to Merseyside.
In the process, he could provide a similar style of play to Arteta.