Everton: Hull move for flop; Algeria winger linked; new stadium plans

By grvadmin

It’s relatively quiet as far as rumours of further transfers go for Everton this morning. With the Blues expected to dip their toes back into the transfer market for a couple more signings, it may well be the case that this is merely the calm before the storm.

One man who could be on his way out of Goodison Park is Oumar Niasse, with the Daily Mail reporting that Premier League new boys Hull City are in talks to sign the player on loan. The 26-year only joined the Toffees in January but has struggled ever since making the move from Lokomotiv Moscow. After making just five appearances last campaign, it was widely anticipated that Niasse would be moved on by new boss Ronald Koeman this summer.

The Tigers endured a turbulent pre-season, with Steve Bruce resigning as manager, and the club making just one summer signing so far in the form of Peterborough United’s Jonathan Edwards (not the Olympic gold medal winning triple jumper). Somehow, despite the negativity surrounding the club, caretaker boss Mike Phelan managed to inspire his side to a 2-1 victory over champions Leicester City on Saturday, but the club are still desperate to add to the squad ahead of what could be a long, gruelling season on Humberside.

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If the report is to be believed then Hull have identified Niasse as a player who can help them in their quest for survival. Although he did not show anything to suggest he is capable of such a thing in the very small amount of game time he was afforded by Roberto Martinez, his record in Russia was reasonable enough. With just two weeks of the transfer window remaining, the fact that Everton are desperate to off-load the Senegalese international should mean a deal between the two clubs would be relatively straightforward.

Meanwhile, French news outlet Le10sport claim that Everton are in pole position to sign Lyon winger Rachid Ghezzal. The Algerian international has been a reported target of a number of Premier League clubs this summer but the latest claims are that Everton will make a bid of £11.25 million to the French club.

The 24-year-old scored eight times in 29 Ligue 1 games last campaign, but is now entering the final year of his contract at Parc Olympique Lyonnais. His current employers are believed to be keen to keep the player, however, with Ghezzal yet to sign a new deal, they may opt to cash in before the window closes in order to get a respectable sum for their academy graduate.

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After the signing of Yannick Bolasie last week, the news that Everton are looking to bring in another winger probably comes as a surprise to many on the blue side of Merseyside. Ghezzal’s favoured position is on the right flank, a position that Gerard Deulofeu has made his own at Goodison. With Koeman already possessing able deputies in the form of Aaron Lennon, Kevin Mirallas and Arouna Kone, a new right winger should hardly be a priority of his, so we may have to be take this one with a pinch of salt.

Finally, away from the transfer news, the Liverpool Echo report that Everton would have to pay around £20 million to secure land in the North Docks area of the city in order to build a new stadium there.

For years, the club have acknowledged the desperate need for a new stadium in order to progress to a higher level, but have been met with a number of challenges in their attempts to do so. With fresh investment from majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri, plans seem to have been reignited. A new stadium by the waterfront would be spectacular and is what many supporters have their hearts set on. However, as has often been the case in this saga, there are barriers in the way.

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The land is currently owned by The Peel Group, who have not confirmed whether they are willing to sell, but the estimates are that the area commands an asking price in the region of £20 million. Moshiri met with the mayor of Liverpool, Joe Anderson, last month to discuss the plans for the new ground, and also identified another potential site in Croxeth’s Stonebridge Cross area.

Of course, this prospect is hugely underwhelming for supporters compared to having a new stadium by the docks, but after two failed plans to move to King’s Docks and Kirkby, which were both criticised for their lack of a plan B, the club are only being prudent by considering another potential option should their originals plan be scuppered.

Featured image: all rights reserved by Ronan Caroff