What would Euro 2016 winner William Carvalho offer Everton in midfield?

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Everton have today been linked to Portugal’s Euro 2016 winning star William Carvalho. Reports over the past few weeks have suggested that the Toffees are in the market for a central midfielder and with Chelsea apparently leading the way to sign Zenit St. Petersburg’s Axel Witsel, it appears as though attentions have turned towards Carvalho as a possible alternative.

The Sporting Lisbon player was already being tracked by Southampton and Leicester City, and will decide where his future lies over the coming weeks following the culmination of Portugal’s successful European Championship campaign. Carvalho started five of his country’s seven matches in the tournament, and was on the pitch throughout last night’s dramatic 1-0 win against France.

His current club value him at around £20 million, a fee which Everton’s new manager Ronald Koeman is likely to see as fairly reasonable value for money. With the Merseyside club looking to flex the financial muscle that they now possess thanks to the arrival of Farhad Moshiri as owner, it is believed that Carvalho’s agent, Jorge Mendes, has offered his client to the club.

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The 24-year-old would certainly improve Everton’s options in the middle of the park. With Gareth Barry not getting any younger, Koeman could do with an energetic holding midfielder in the mould of Carvalho. He is certainly different to any of the current options in the role. Often compared to Patrick Vieira, mainly due to his physical stature, the Portuguese player is a destructive force in the middle of the park whose willingness to do the dirty work enables more talented players to express themselves going forward. With his ability to knock opponents of the ball due to his sheer strength, Carvalho’s style is very different to the likes of James McCarthy, Darron Gibson and Muhamed Besic.

With the abundance of attacking quality that Everton possess going forward, Carvalho would fit in nicely as a midfield anchor, shielding the backline whilst allowing the likes of Gerard Deulofeu, Ross Barkley and Kevin Mirallas to go forward. His presence would also offer an insurance option when Seamus Coleman and Leighton Baines attack from the full-back positions.

Although not the most eye-catching of midfielders, Carvalho is extremely effective at what he does and his tough tackling style would be a welcome addition to a team that was too naive at times last season. Manchester United and Arsenal have both been heavily linked with the player in recent years, and although nothing materialised it is possible that he will see this summer as the right time to test himself in a more competitive league.

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After a period out on loan at Cercle Brugge in Belgium, Carvalho broke into the Sporting side during 2013/14 and has become a defensive mainstay ever since, making over 100 appearances. As well as playing in midfield, Carvalho is also comfortable operating as a centre-back. He won Player of the Tournament at last summer’s European Under-21 Championship, but missed the decisive spot-kick as Portugal were surprisingly beaten on penalties in the final by Sweden.

A potential deal for the Angolan-born midfielder is still only at the rumour stage, and Everton are believed to be confident that they can still beat Chelsea to the signing of Witsel. However, if they were to miss out on the Belgian international then the signing of Carvalho would not be a bad alternative at all.

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