Upon his arrival, prospective new owner Dan Friedkin could now reportedly use his ownership of AS Roma to his advantage right away at Everton to strike a swap deal which would see the Toffees land a midfield reinforcement.
Everton transfer news
Friedkin’s arrival is certainly going to be one to watch. The group have endured a mixed spell at Roma, having already sacked two managers in the current campaign, including club legend Daniele De Rossi and Ivan Juric after just 12 games in charge. In scenes that should concern Sean Dyche, those at Goodison Park will be hoping to avoid similar chaos after enduring a tumultuous time themselves on and off the pitch in the last two seasons.
Instead, Everton will be hoping to instantly benefit from an injection of money to hand Dyche a handful of much-needed reinforcements. For now, his side remain on course to avoid Premier League relegation, but fresh faces could all but confirm their survival and perhaps more as the campaign progresses.
Related
Calvert-Lewin sold: Three Everton players TFG must axe in January
TFG are looking to purchase Everton, and three players must be swiftly axed.
On that front, the rumours have already got underway too. The likes of Tariq Lamptey and Luiz Henrique have already been linked with moves to Merseyside in recent weeks, but it could be a face more familiar to Friedkin who makes his way to the Toffees.
According to AS Roma Live, Friedkin could now use their Roma links to complete an Everton swap deal for Bryan Cristante, which would see forward Beto head in the other direction.
Considering that both players are reportedly worth up to €20m (£17m), it certainly seems like a fair deal for both sides, especially given Everton’s need for another defensive midfielder and Roma’s desire to reinforce their frontline. If the players are keen on the move too, then it should, on paper, be a fairly simple one to pull off. After all, Friedkin is about to own both clubs.
“Great” Cristante would add vital experience
Now 29 years old and a player who’s won the Euros, the Conference League and picked up silverware in Portugal, Cristante would provide Dyche with an instant boost at the heart of his midfield. Next to the similarly experienced Idrissa Gana Gueye, Cristant could form a solid partnership to hand Everton the foundation that allows the likes of Abdoulaye Doucoure and Iliman Ndiaye to thrive.
The Roma midfielder has earned plenty of praise over the years whilst picking up those aforementioned honours, including from former manager Jose Mourinho, who praised Cristante’s European performance a couple of years ago. He told reporters as relayed by Roma Press: “When Cristante doesn’t play, we are in trouble, it’s the truth and we shouldn’t hide it.
“When there’s the possibility of having a rested version of Cristante on the pitch, it’s a double contribution: he was suspended, he didn’t play in the last match, he was fresh and only focused on this match, then there’s his tactical intelligence and his knowledge of the movements on the pitch which we cannot replace. He played a great game.”
Now, as Roma turn their attention towards Beto, Everton could get the perfect opportunity to land quite the addition at the heart of their midfield.
