Rafa Benitez is going about his business in a quiet fashion after arriving at Finch Farm as the new manager of Everton Football Club.
However, his short tenure hasn’t been shy of controversy. Supporters protested against his appointment and one of the club’s highly-rated youngsters, Thierry Small, is already refusing to train.
What’s the word?
Speaking of controversy, the 61-year-old boss could look to axe Jordan Pickford from his plans this season, as the Toffees are in the market to sign another goalkeeper.
They’ve been on the tail of former Aston Villa stopper Pierluigi Gollini in the last few weeks and their pursuit has now stepped up a notch.
According to Calcio Mercato, Everton are one of a few clubs who have presented an offer to the Atalanta goalkeeper.
The report suggests that proposals have also arrived from Tottenham and Wolverhampton Wanderers. A deal may cost in the region of €20m (£17m).
Rocking the apple cart
This is a deal which has the potential to really set the cat amongst the pigeons. Pickford is arguably in the form of his life after five consecutive clean sheets at the European Championship set England on their way to finishing as runners-up.
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The Three Lions ‘keeper was in inspired form as his range of distribution, reflexes and agility ensured he broke Gordon Banks' record for the most minutes without conceding a goal for England.
If that wasn’t enough, Pickford also saved two penalties during their shoot-out heartbreak against Italy in the final.
Sadly, he hasn’t managed to replicate that kind of form for his club. In fact, the former Sunderland man has been the most error-stricken goalkeeper in the Premier League with seven individual mistakes in the last two seasons.
Gollini may have struggled to make the grade at Villa but his form since heading to Italy has been captivating. Juventus star Wojciech Szczesny went as far as to say that the Italian has “performed miracles” for his club.
Standing at 1.94m 6 foot 4, Gollini is a colossal presence between the sticks and could be an upgrade. The 26-year-old ranks in the 62nd percentile for post-shot expected goals minus goals allowed. Pickford, however, falls into the 54th percentile.
In simple terms, the higher your percentage in this department, the better you are at stopping goal-bound shots. Consequently, it would be wrong of us to suggest that Benitez doesn’t really need him.
After all, this could be the spark to ensure that Pickford maintains his England form at club level. Failing that, he will be straight out of the team.