Manager gives blessing for Everton-linked £80m attacker to join a league where he can ‘grow more’

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Everton are just one of several clubs currently being linked with highly rated attacker Samuel Chukwueze.

According to a 90Min report from early November, Carlo Ancelotti’s Toffees have expressed an interest in the Villarreal ace.

Some of Everton’s Premier League rivals are also allegedly keen on Chukwueze, with Manchester United, Leicester, Chelsea, Wolves and Liverpool named as potential suitors.

To date, the 21-year-old has made 90 competitive appearances for the Yellow Submarines, registering 13 goals and 12 assists.

Villarreal manager Unai Emery believes Chukwueze has a bright future ahead of him and has given him his blessing to one day join a league where he can “grow more”.

However, the former Arsenal man also claimed his player is happy at the club at the present time, suggesting a departure won’t be any time soon.

“We are very happy with Samuel Chukwueze, he’s growing up with us at this club,” Emery said in a press conference, as quoted by Goal.com.

“His performance is getting better little by little but above all, we want to achieve with him our performance with his skills and capacity.

“He’s young and has a very good future but first, he’s with us trying to get better with his performances for us and the national team.

“In the future, he can go to another league to grow up more, but I think he’s very happy with us and every match he plays, he tries to give the best performance.”

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Chukwueze is a high-calibre attacking prodigy, a dazzling winger with an eye for goal who, very much like the legendary Arjen Robben, loves nothing more than cutting inside from the right onto his favoured left foot before lining up shots.

As things stand, James Rodriguez has the right-hand side of Everton’s attack covered, but were the Colombian – who can also play as a No. 10 – to be moved centrally, then a vacancy on the right opens up.

That said, a reported release clause of £80million is ridiculously expensive for a relatively raw player whose goal and assist tally, while decent, isn’t eye-opening – but with so many clubs reportedly interested in him, it plays into Villarreal’s hands.