It has gone all quiet on the transfer front over the past couple of weeks at Everton, but the club have eyes on a player who could be their next Steven Pienaar.
Everton moved very productively a few weeks ago, landing Hayden Hackney from Middlesbrough before agreeing deals for Tyrique George and Merlin Rohl to sign permanently.
How excited are you by Everton’s signing of Tyrique George on a permanent deal? Can he really kick on now after his loan?
The deal is now official, with the Toffees paying an initial £18m, with £6m to come in potential add-ons… ✅
But there has been little movement over the past couple of weeks, with some supporters growing slightly concerned.
Pre-season has now started, and Everton still have plenty to do.
But work is still being done behind the scenes, and Konstantinos Karetsas is apparently of interest to the Toffees.
Everton eyeing Konstantinos Karetsas, he could be their new Steven Pienaar
According to TEAMtalk, Everton are one of a few clubs keeping an eye on Konstantinos Karetsas.
Karetsas plays over in Belgium with Genk, and is seen as one of Europe’s brightest young attacking talents.
Despite only being 18, he has been on the scene for a while, making his first-team debut for Genk back in February 2024, having been impressing for Jong Genk (Genk’s reserve team).
To date, he’s clocked up 20 appearances for the club, scoring six goals and providing five assists.
For Jong Genk, he’s scored six and made 23 assists in 92 appearances.
His performances have attracted the attention of some top clubs around Europe, including:
- Borussia Dortmund
- AC Milan
- Chelsea
- Liverpool
- Brighton
- Leeds United
- City Football Group
- Everton
Supposedly Karetsas has his sights set on Germany, but Everton might want to get involved. The club did actually scout Karetsas early last season when he played against Rangers in the Champions League.
And if Everton did make a move, it could see them land their 2026 version of Steven Pienaar.
Karetsas has a very similar physical profile to Pienaar in that he is relatively short at 5ft 7in, and he plays in a way that is reminiscent of the South African former Goodison cult hero.
He excels in the tight spaces, using elite technical ability to protect the ball and escape. His close control and ability to use both feet are particularly impressive.
His low centre of gravity helps him to keep his balance under pressure from defenders, and he is great at evading challenges.
In terms of his running, he is relatively quick off the mark, but does lose explosiveness when running into space. Pienaar, of course, was known for his short bursts and acceleration.
He tends to play from the right side and is left-footed, making him the inverse of Pienaar. But he does also drift inside like the former Everton man, and the similarities are certainly there.
It seems like it will take a huge effort to sign him this summer, given the competition and also the price.
Apparently, Genk are looking for about €35 million, which is a very large amount for a teenager playing in a non-top five European league.
But we’ll see if Everton look to get involved to potentially land their 2026 Pienaar.
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