Everton could be set to move for one of the World Cup’s breakout stars…
What’s the latest?
Following the recent claim from Sky Sports journalist Alan Myers that the Toffees were one of the clubs chasing German forward Niclas Fullkrug, Dean Jones has also had his say on the rumours.
He told GIVEMESPORT: “I like Fullkrug but I’m not sure about whether he could be the answer to Everton’s problems up top.
“It feels risky. This is a team that scored one goal in their last four games – you need to sign someone reliable and while Fullkrug is in a hot patch, he does not have a consistently good goal record at the top level.”
Ditch Calvert-Lewin
Despite Jones’ wariness towards the deal, at the very least the 6 foot 3 German forward could provide Everton with a reliable goal threat and a physical presence up top.
This is a position routinely occupied by Dominic Calvert-Lewin at Goodison Park, but his damning injury record unfortunately outlines him as someone who cannot be trusted to maintain fitness.
Neal Maupay was meant to be the answer to this issue in the summer, but with just one goal since his move from Brighton, it is fair to say that his acquisition seems to be failing.
The Merseyside outfit are crying out for someone with physicality to come in and fire them to Premier League safety, and Fullkrug has shown on the world’s biggest stage that he can step up when he is very much needed.
Having received only 22 minutes per game, with his time limited to a trio of substitute appearances, he scored an all-important late equaliser against Spain before a goal and an assist against Costa Rica nearly saved Germany’s campaign from group stage elimination.
The 29-year-old also boasted a 100% dribble success rate at the finals in Qatar, maintaining an average Sofascore rating of 7.17.
These displays even led The Athletic to label him a “World Cup hero” despite his country’s group stage exit from the competition.
His selection for the World Cup squad was more than merited, as his 19 goals and eight assists helped his Werder Bremen side to promotion in 2021/22, which he has followed up with a further ten goals in the Bundesliga this term for a struggling outfit.
Although Jones seems to think that this would be a risky move for Everton, it seems that Fullkrug is finally entering his prime with a consistent stream of goals.
His emergence could mark a chance for Frank Lampard to boldly ditch his main marksman Calvert-Lewin in favour of this red-hot German talisman.