Joel Ordonez has been catching the eye at the World Cup – and hopefully Everton have been paying attention.
The Toffees have been quiet over the last couple of weeks, with some fans starting to get a little tetchy.
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The seven-game winless run to end 2025/26 did not go down well, and many people have wanted to see the club respond efficiently.
That’s not been the case so far, with the World Cup taking centre stage.
Everton are thought to be keen to land a centre-back in the current window, and having been linked with several players so far, one wonders if the club should perhaps reignite interest in an old target – Ordonez – instead.
Joel Ordonez could stop centre-back becoming a problem position for Everton
Ordonez has played twice at the 2026 World Cup so far, and has been one of the standout players for Ecuador, who have qualified for the Round of 32 after finishing third in their group.
He did not feature in the goalless draw against Curacao, but played against Ivory Coast and, most recently, Germany.
Against the Germans, Ordonez was superb. As per Sofascore, he made 11 defensive actions and won five of the seven duels he contested.
He was also fairly good on the ball, completing 33/39 (85%) of his passes.
Alongside William Pacho at the heart of Ecuador’s defence, he is looking strong – and it’s hard not to make a case for Everton to make an approach.
Ordonez plays his club football with Club Brugge, where he’s been since 2023. While he did sign a contract extension in 2025, there is a sense that Ordonez could now be ready to move to a more challenging league.
Everton showed interest in Ordonez last year, but no move materialised. But now might be the time to try again.
He’s just had a great season over in Belgium, where he featured heavily for Brugge in their title-winning season.
Ultimately, Ordonez is the exact kind of centre-back signing Everton need to be making, given the current pool of options.
There isn’t much aggression in the four choices at the moment, but he would bring that in abundance.
He also has decent pace, with CIES sharing data earlier this year that showed him to be one of the fastest centre-backs in the Champions League.
As we know, Tarkowski and Keane are not quick players, having been exposed on that front several times in 2025/26.
Given that Tarkowski and Keane are also both 33, Everton need an option they can bring in who could potentially be a staple of the defence for years to come. There is also the fragility of Jarrad Branthwaite to think about.
Centre-back could very well become a problem for Everton soon, unless they prepare well.
Ordonez is 22 now. He’s young, but has also had a lot of experience, making him an attractive option.
There have been suggestions that Ordonez could cost about €45 million this summer, which is a lot. If Everton can negotiate that asking price down a little, then this South American starlet really could be a cracking bit of business.
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