3 Ideal loan destinations for Everton striker Oumar Niasse in January
According to the Liverpool Echo, Everton are hoping to arrange a loan deal for out-of-favour striker Oumar Niasse when the transfer window reopens in January.
The 29-year-old Senegalese international, who is out of contract at Goodison Park next summer, is expected to see out the remaining months in his present deal before cutting all ties permanently at the end of the ongoing campaign.
To that end, the Toffees are looking to find him a club where he could possibly be afforded some playtime in the second half of the season, with current manager Marco Silva completely freezing Oumar Niasse out of the first-team fold.
Once a £13.5m signing from Russian club Lokomotiv Moscow in 2016, the 29-year-old has never really managed to establish himself as a regular starter for Everton and frequent managerial changes during the period haven’t really allowed him to settle down.
Such has been his fall in grace at Goodison Park that Niasse currently finds himself playing for the club’s U-23 side in the Premier League 2. The Senegalese international recently netted a brace in Everton’s victory over Crewe Alexandra in the EFL Trophy.
Niasse has spent time on loan at Hull City and Cardiff City in the Premier League over the course of his ill-fated spell at Merseyside. Here are 3 ideal loan destinations for the 29-year-old in January:
1. Aston Villa
Despite spending a fortune in the summer to complete a massive squad overhaul following their promotion to the Premier League, the Lions haven’t really taken the top-flight by storm in the opening quarter of the season.
Currently placed 15th in the standings after accumulating 4 wins from their first 12 league fixtures, it is clear that Villa need to find a way to improve in the coming months if they are to preserve their Premier League status.
A tally of 18 goals in 12 games isn’t really bad but they would eventually need to push on for a better strike rate in the second half of the campaign to avoid relegation trouble, and bringing in Oumar Niasse on loan could be a gamble worth taking.
Wesley Moraes has somewhat blown hot and cold in the first few months following his move to Villa Park from Club Brugge, and Niasse could certainly offer Dean Smith a different dimension with his pace and directness given that Jonathan Kodjia and Keinan Davis are not the most reliable back-ups in the ranks.
2. Norwich City
The Canaries have endured an injury-hit start to their Premier League campaign after a rather quiet summer window, with several mainstays of the first-team currently on the treatment table.
Daniel Farke’s side currently languish at the bottom of the table and while defensive reinforcements should be a top priority in January, Norwich should also try to bring in a new striker to take the pressure off Teemu Pukki’s shoulders.
Notwithstanding the fact that Niasse failed to find the net even once on his loan spell at Cardiff last season, it is imperative to say that he was largely forced to feed on scraps under Neil Warnock and the obvious quality in Norwich’s supply lines should make the 29-year-old’s job of delivering the goods a lot easier.
3. Southampton
With the ignominy of the 9-0 drubbing at the hands of Leicester City still looming large, it looks as if Ralph Hasenhuttl is going to have his work cut out on steering the club to safety in the Premier League this term.
Bringing in reinforcements at both ends of the pitch should be a priority after scoring just 11 and conceding as many as 29 goals in their first 12 games.
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While Danny Ings has netted on four occasions in the Premier League, the likes of Che Adams and Shane Long are yet to find the net, and Southampton clearly need more goals to climb up the table.
Niasse has never really been afforded a consistent run of games at Everton to prove his worth but he has shown his pedigree in patches, and it won’t be a bad idea for the Saints to turn to him for some valuable goals in the second half of the campaign.