Everton Opinion: Toffees should drop their interest in Davie Selke and look at more established alternatives
According to Liverpool Echo, Everton are scouting Hertha Berlin forward Davie Selke in the summer transfer window, with a view to a potential move before the deadline.
Selke is not the only Hertha player to be on Everton’s radar, though, with former Man City centre-back Karim Rekik also believed to be on manager Marco Silva’s shortlist of potential targets. (h/t Liverpool Echo)
Everton are in the market for a new centre-forward, and quite understandably so, given that Cenk Tosun and Oumar Niasse have already been deemed surplus to requirements at Goodison Park. And it seems that the Toffees have now set their sights on the emerging German striker to spearhead the attack next season.
Selke contributed with 3 goals and 5 assists in 30 appearances for Hertha Berlin in the Bundesliga last season, figures which certainly do not look too impressive on paper.
However, the 6ft 4-inch former German youth international might as well be on his way to the Premier League, with Everton reportedly interested in securing his services.
Selke made his Bundesliga debut for Werder Bremen back in the 2013-14 season but it was in the 2014-15 campaign that he shot to prominence, scoring 9 goals in 30 appearances.
Surprisingly, he completed a move to then second-tier outfit RB Leipzig following his successful breakthrough season in the top-flight and Selke netted 10 goals in his debut season in the 2.Bundesliga to propel his new club to the mainstream of German football for the first time.
The 24-year-old slipped down the pecking order at Leipzig upon their promotion to the Bundesliga and scored only 4 goals in the 2015-16 season before switching boats to join Hertha Berlin in 2017. Selke hit the ground running instantly in his first season at Hertha and starred with 10 goals in just 19 starts in the league, whilst also netting 4 in 3 Europa League games.
However, he struggled to capitalise on those numbers and managed only 3 goals in the Bundesliga the last term, thus failing to live up to his reputation as one of the best emerging strikers in German football.
Selke has been in the frame for quite a long time now and despite being labelled as one of the brightest emerging prospects across the nation, the 24-year-old is yet to take any significant strides towards fulfilling his potential.
A part of the German side that won the silver medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics, Selke has scored a total of 26 goals in 116 Bundesliga outings for the likes of RB Leipzig, Werder Bremen and Hertha Berlin. Those figures aren’t the worst, however, one cannot help but feel that he has largely underachieved, given his obvious talent and vast potential.
To put things into perspective, Everton should look at options elsewhere if they are genuinely interested in bolstering their attacking ranks ahead of the upcoming season. That is because Davie Selke, though a really talented striker, might not offer good value for money due to his inconsistencies.
Everton are in the market for a new centre-forward after Cenk Tosun’s failure to deliver the goods in the previous campaign but the Toffees need to make sure that whoever comes through the door arrives as an upgrade on their existing options.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who enjoyed considerable first-team involvement last season due to lack of depth in Everton’s striking options, came up with some really fine displays and netted 6 goals in the Premier League. Richarlison and Sigurdsson contributed with 13 goals apiece, thus partially making up for the lack of a natural No.9.
Looking at those figures, it is hard to see how Selke could be an upgrade on likes of Tosun, Calvert-Lewin, and Niasse, simply because he just doesn’t have enough goals under his belt to improve Everton’s current forward line.
He perfectly fits the bill with his towering 6ft. 4-inch frame but a look at his scoring record should definitely prompt the Toffees to weigh up their options carefully.
It is true that Selke still has plenty of time to make significant improvements to his game and realise his potential in the years to come but Everton already have someone like Calvert-Lewin as an exciting prospect.
Truth be told, the Toffees need to bring in a proven striker with a prolific record to break the top-six lock and secure a European spot next season.
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Keeping that in mind, splashing the cash on Davie Selke looks like a pretty risky proposition for the Toffees and they would probably be better off looking at other alternatives, preferably more established ones.