The Athletic (subscription required) have dropped something of a bombshell in the aftermath of the Moise Kean incident on Sunday, stating that the Italian wasn’t wanted and didn’t feature on the original Everton transfer wish-list compiled by Marco Silva and Marcel Brands back in the summer.
What’s the word, then?
Well, Kean was of course brought on and then taken off just 18 minutes later by caretaker manager Duncan Ferguson in the 1-1 draw with Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday, which has certainly sparked a lot of debate – many supporters on Twitter backed the Scot over the player.
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Now The Athletic has revealed that the 19-year-old didn’t even feature in the original recruitment plan – which presumably included more than one option – put together by Silva and Brands, who were knocked back in their efforts to sign a number of centre-forwards, including Kean’s former teammate Mario Mandzukic.
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The report says: “There were five names on that list,” a source said. “Kean wasn’t even on it. Nobody had discussed, or wanted, Kean up to that point.”
The deal was helped by Brands’ relationship with super-agent Mino Raiola according to the report, although he was hardly the ‘proven striker who could hit the ground running’ the Merseyside outfit were said to be looking for despite his impressive record of seven goals in 17 matches last term for Juventus.
Was he ever wanted?
Brands may have promised the teenager’s mother that he would take care of him when he signed, but the fact he has played just 467 minutes of football so far this term despite costing £25.1m suggests otherwise.
This isn’t even an Everton team that has been performing well while the youngster has been watching on from the substitutes’ bench either – they have been poor for much of the campaign.
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The facts are that Silva rarely trusted him in the XI with two top flight starts to his name, and Ferguson hasn’t either in his first two matches at the helm either with his weekend action showing he was far from impressed from Kean’s cameo at Old Trafford.
The signs all point to him being a player that wasn’t really wanted by management at Goodison Park, but now they have the choice of sticking with him and hoping he adapts and comes good, or putting the feelers out over a potential sale or loan exit.
In other Everton news, Richard Keys has given his view on Duncan Ferguson’s future following the Moise Kean incident…