Why Everton targeting Maxime Gonalons is the right move

Everton have joined Crystal Palace in the race to sign AS Roma midfielder Maxime Gonalons in order to enhance the quality of their midfield. New manager Marco Silva confirmed that he needs more players to improve the performance levels next season and get Everton back to where they belong.

Gonalons is a French international and played the pre-season friendly against Tottenham but Roma are willing to sell him this summer. The 29-year-old is rated at around £10m, which would be a good deal for any club looking to sign him.

He was a bit-part player last season and in spite of having various qualities in abundance, he wasn’t able to breach through the first-team on a regular basis. The Frenchman certainly possesses enough attributes to be a good addition to an Everton squad which is in need of quality in the midfield.

Here’s why Everton should do everything to get him before Crystal Palace snap him up:

Player Analysis – Maxime Gonalons

Age – 29

Main Positions – Defensive midfielder, Central Midfielder

Gonalons’ impressive height (187cm) allows him to dominate games physically and he also has great control of the ball to go past opponents. He generally wins aerial duels at a rate of 3.1 per game and does not get dispossessed easily, at an average of only 0.8 per game.

The French midfielder is a stout defender, who never shies away from making tackles and stepping up to make interceptions at crucial junctures of the game. He has a tackle and interception rate of 1.6 and 1.4 per game respectively.

Gonalons is a very incisive passer of the ball from midfield, which shows his reliability in possession. He has a pass accuracy rate of 87.2% with a key pass average of 0.9 per game.

Verdict

Everton have sold Dutch midfielder Davy Klaassen to Werder Bremen, so they would be needing a new central midfielder of much better quality. Gonalons will not only add a different dimension to their midfield but also has the know-how of playing some big games in European competitions.

The Frenchman has fallen down the pecking order under Eusebio de Francesco and might be looking for opportunities elsewhere to resurrect his career. Everton could be the right place for him to perform well on a regular basis.

Stats Courtesy – Whoscored.com