Everton have yet to do any business in January, but have now been linked with a defender who has previously been praised by Conor Coady.
David Moyes’ side have just come to the end of what has been a bad week.
Last weekend the Toffees crashed to a 4-2 defeat against Brentford and a few days later Everton could only draw 1-1 with Wolves.
Yesterday, Everton went out of the FA Cup at the hands of Sunderland, losing the tie on penalties.
All three of these days were at home, and it’s safe to say that Everton are yet to really settle at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
But the Premier League table remains tight, and Everton could well push for European football. It is all going to depend on what opportunities present themselves in the market, and how ambitious The Friedkin Group are feeling.
And today, Everton have been linked with Ben White, who already has the seal of approval from Conor Coady.
Conor Coady rated Everton target Ben White highly a few years ago
At the moment there are definitely a couple of positions that Everton need to address if European football is to be achieved.
And one such position is right-back, with Jake O’Brien having spent the most time there this season.
O’Brien has had some good games there, but is not a natural fit for the position and Everton need someone for it. Nathan Patterson did well at the weekend, but has been linked with an exit.
It’s been suggested that White could be of interest to Everton – and former Toffees loanee gave a glowing verdict of him a few years ago, having shared the dressing room with him at England.
He said of White’s decision to make himself unavailable for selection for England (via Metro): “When I was in the England squad and he was, he was a great character to have around the place.
Thoughts on potentially signing Ben White? 🤔
“He is a great lad, first and foremost. How he trains, how he goes on about his business, he is top, top drawer.”
On whether he felt ‘sad’ about the situation, Coady said: “Yeah, because I think he is a phenomenal player.
“What he is doing at this moment in time with Bukayo Saka down the right-hand side for Arsenal is, I think, incredible. He deserves to play for his country.”
Inn terms of right-backs, Everton have also been linked with a former Arsenal player, Brooke Norton-Cuffy, who has impressed at Genoa.
Everton won’t prise Ben White away from Arsenal
The idea of Everton signing White is nice, but a move to Merseyside feels highly unlikely.
White may not have played all that much this term. But he’s had injury problems preventing him from nailing down his place.
He remains a key player for Arsenal and is likely not someone Mikel Arteta will be looking to offload this month, as his side seek to win their first Premier League title since 2004.
White signed a new deal with Arsenal last year, which puts the Gunners in a very strong position over the defender if any clubs do come calling. they would demand a fortune to sell him.
Realistically, he isn’t going anywhere this month, which is a shame for Everton.
But a new striker is the bigger priority, and Everton should perhaps be looking to sign more of a specialist right-back anyway.
Receive a digest of our best Everton content each week direct to your mailbox
