Marcel Brands risks following Steve Walsh in signing unneeded players for Everton with a summer move for Granada goalkeeper Rui Silva currently being touted.

What’s the word?

According to Mundo Deportivo, the Toffees are showing a determination to acquire Silva at the end of the season when his £2,700-per-week contract is due to expire.

Sevilla, Valencia and Real Betis have been considering moves for the Portuguese shot-stopper, who Granada are yet to rule out offering a new contract to, despite him having one foot out the door since last summer and him rejecting new terms already.

Betis had sought to sign Silva in January after failing to complete a deal in the off-season, with Granada rejecting the Benito Villamarin Stadium natives’ offer of just over €4m (£3.5m) as Director of Football Fran Sanchez pushed for the 26-year-old’s €15m (£13.5m) release clause to be met in full.

Silva, who his Granada teammate Aaron Escandell lauds for playing at a “top level”, is now able to agree pre-contract arrangements with any side of his choosing ahead of becoming a free agent in the summer.

Caution advised

Mundo Deportivo describes Silva as one of the best goalkeepers in Spanish football over the past year and a half, but caution must be advised as there are a smattering of key flaws to the former U21 international’s game.

No ‘keeper has allowed a higher number goals to be scored in La Liga fixtures from shots taken inside the penalty area than Silva has over the opening 17 games of the season, with the Portuguese titan allowing 18 in 14 appearances despite keeping five clean sheets, per SofaScore.

He allows a goal to be scored inside the box with almost every other shot faced, in fact, with Silva recording 22 saves to date, while also rarely leaving his line to collect the ball with just one punch, four high claims and four successful runs out to his name.

Silva’s pass accuracy is additionally the 11th-worst by a goalkeeper in Spain’s top-flight at 55.76%, which drops to 39.18% for long balls, areas where Jordan Pickford’s current understudy, Robin Olsen, excels with a 64.58% pass accuracy rating and 45.16% for long balls.

With Carlo Ancelotti also keen to retain Olsen beyond his season-long loan deal, it would be very questionable for Brands to acquire Silva at the end of the campaign, unless he expects to offload either Pickford or 21-year-old prospect Joao Virginia.

But retaining both and signing Silva alongside Olsen would only serve to see the Dutchman repeat the Walsh blunder of acquiring Maarten Stekelenburg, who went three seasons without playing a single minute in the Premier League before his departure last year.

AND in other news: Marcel Brands must axe a total dud costing Everton £600k-a-game.