Would Luis Nani be an upgrade on Everton’s current wide options?

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Ex-Manchester United player Luis Nani is a man that certainly divided opinion during his nine years at Old Trafford, and after recently plying his trade in Europe, it seems that he is set for a return to the Premier League with a move to Ronald Koeman’s Everton potentially on the cards.

Since the European Championship began in France, Nani has been a player catching the eye with his impressive performances, scoring twice in three group games and threading a beautiful, defence-splitting pass through to Ronaldo in the Hungary game.

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The Portuguese international reportedly has a £6.4 million release clause in his current Fenerbahce contract, but it is believed that Koeman will be given sufficient funds by the Everton owners to comfortably meet this demand and fund the move.

With Everton already having a fair few attacking options out wide in their ranks, would Nani realistically be able to fight for a place and add something to the current side? During his time at Manchester United, he was brilliant and frustrating in equal measure, often seeming capable of matching the natural skill of Cristiano Ronaldo, but never reaching those heights due to inconsistency.

Arguably one of the Toffees’ best players since his arrival at Goodison Park in 2012 is the Belgian international Kevin Mirallas, although he too has suffered from the same failings of the ex-Manchester United man.

With 35 goals for the club in just over 100 appearances, Mirallas quickly became a fan favourite with his determination and skill, and the Belgian link with striker Romelu Lukaku has been priceless in recent years – particularly in 2014, where Everton achieved Europa League football.

Unfortunately for Mirallas, last season’s efforts were riddled with inconsistency and he just hasn’t quite been able to play to his potential, and due to this Roberto Martinez often favoured Aaron Lennon or Gerard Deulofeu over him in the wide position. In addition to this, Mirallas’ poor campaign has since seen him left out of the Belgian national side for the Euros, despite going with them to the 2014 World Cup.

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Toward the latter end of last term however, Mirallas signed a three-year extension on his contract, so it seems like the owners have confidence in him regaining the form he had a few years back.

One of the men that kept him out of the side for much of the 2015 campaign was ex-Tottenham Hotspur and England winger Aaron Lennon, who seemed to revive his career last year.

Lennon’s pace has always been his defining feature, and when he’s running at a defence with full intent, it is very tricky to defend against – yet Lennon has always seemed to lack the cutting edge at the end of his attacking runs. Despite scoring five times in 25 Premier League games last season, it could easily have been closer to double figures if he could find a finishing touch more often.

This is where Nani could come into his element at Everton, for he has the same tricky approach as Lennon, but far more ability to finish in front of goal. In his spell at Turkish side Fenerbahce last year, Nani accumulated 12 goals and eight assists. It is this end product that would be more than welcomed at Goodison come August.

Everton’s two other options on the wings at present are Gerard Deulofeu and Aiden McGeady, and although Deulofeu has impressed at times in the past year, he is far more effective coming off of the bench in the second half to use his pace against tiring back lines.

Despite making the Irish squad for Euro 2016, McGeady’s Everton career simply hasn’t got going yet, to the extent that Martinez loaned him out to Championship side Sheffield Wednesday last year, and it is hard to see him immediately fitting into Koeman’s set-up, especially with most Everton fans already fed up with his erratic displays.

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One of the main issues with Nani is his inconsistency, and this is a factor that frustrated Manchester United supporters during his spell at the club and could come to frustrate Everton supporters. However, when a player of Nani’s calibre can produce match-winning performances out of nowhere, it may well be a risk worth taking as Everton look to improve on their 11^th place finish last season.

Despite Lennon’s rise to prominence last year and Deulofeu’s impact from the bench, Mirallas’ and Nani’s playing styles are cut from a very similar cloth. Both are pacey, skilful wingers that are not afraid to take a defender on. With one on either side of the field, it could give Everton huge attacking impetus, especially when you bear in mind that their natural versatility could see them switch flanks from time to time.

If Nani does indeed sign for Everton, the competition for the wide positions could easily bring the best out of Mirallas, and if this does happen, it could seem like a whole new signing for the Toffees.

After being sold for a little over £4 million back to parent club Sporting Lisbon by ex-United manager Louis van Gaal, Nani could be a man with a point to prove in the Premier League. As he has shown in the Euros so far, he is still more than capable of making an impact on the biggest stage.

Koeman will be looking to show signs of intent for the upcoming season with the signings that he makes over the summer, and he could certainly do a lot worse than starting off with Nani. If the Dutch manager is able to get the best out of the Portuguese star, Everton could be well on their way to challenging for European football once again.

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