Everton are in serious need of an upgrade in one position on the pitch – and David Moyes will be annoyed that a move for one of the Premier League’s current stars failed back in January.
David Moyes began his second spell at Everton in January, and only lost four games in the second half of last season to move the club away from Premier League relegation woes to consolidate a mid-table finish.
He’s made some good signings this summer as a result of their move to the Hill Dickinson Stadium, but more will be needed to transform the club.
And missing out on now-Bournemouth star Adrien Truffert really does look like a missed opportunity for the Toffees boss, with the Belgian-born Frenchman shining in the English top-flight.
Adrien Truffert is now shining at Bournemouth after Everton made a move in January
Everton reportedly made a bid for Adrien Truffert in January, struggling to get points on board with the club having sacked Sean Dyche after a poor run of form across the festive period.
The then-Rennes defender was on Everton’s shortlist, but a £20million move didn’t get over the line, despite Truffert admitting he was flattered by interest.
Bournemouth then bought him as Milos Kerkez’s replacement in the summer, and with the latter struggling at local rivals Liverpool, Truffert has shone for the Cherries, who sit just two points away from third place in the table.
Truffert has more than replaced Kerkez, moving into left-back seamlessly in a new-look defence that put Bournemouth into Champions League contention at the start of the month.
Everton would’ve had a top-class star to fit into the left side of their defence for years, and given he’s just 23, it can be considered as a deal that was a missed chance.
Everton’s left-back options have shown that Adrien Truffert is just what they require
Left-back was formerly a position of real strength for Everton.
Leighton Baines was one of the Premier League’s best left-backs over the course of a decade after his move in 2007, and he held that spot down for 12 years before Lucas Digne joined from Barcelona in 2018.
The Frenchman departed for Aston Villa in 2022 under the management of Rafael Benitez, and was replaced by Vitaliy Mykolenko. However, the Ukrainian still hasn’t managed to convince Everton fans that he’s the right man for the role and with his contract up in the summer, a successor is needed.
Adam Aznou joined from Bayern Munich in July, aiming to be the Toffees’ long-term answer for that famed left-back slot, but he’s had a severe lack of game time and has since been listed for loan in a bid to stop his development from stagnating.
If Truffert had signed, Everton could have continued their history of top left-backs at the club, and it’s a deal that David Moyes will be gutted he didn’t complete.
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