Why Troy Deeney Could Help Everton To A Strong Top Table Finish This Season
New Everton boss Sam Allardyce is considering signing Watford striker Troy Deeney during the January transfer window, according to reports in The Sunday Mirror. Allardyce is expected to get a bumper budget to spend, from majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri in January. Deeney, who was a target for the Merseyside outfit a year ago and in the summer, is the former England manager’s top target who is willing to pay up to £40m on a new centre-forward to replace Romelu Lukaku.
Deeney, 29, skipped Watford’s pre-season training camp in Austria, after failing to recover in time from a groin injury that required minor surgery. His status as Watford’s undisputed talisman appears to have extinguished under manager Marco Silva.
With Andre Gray arriving at Watford from Burnley for a club-record fee and Brazilian Richarlison taking Premier League by storm, Deeney, despite being the club captain, has found first-team opportunities hard to come by.
The English striker only played 33 minutes of Premier League football in his first four top-flight appearances this season and his first start came in the dramatic 2-2 draw against West Brom on September 30. He made a huge impact from the bench in the win against Arsenal in October but created headlines post-match for his statement-Arsenal lost due to lack of ‘cojones’.
With Gray struggling to hit form and Stefan Okaka nowhere in the picture since starring against Liverpool, Deeney, however, has been more of a regular for the Hornets.
If the comments about Arsenal were not enough, the striker landed a three-match ban for grabbing Joe Allen’s face in the 1-0 defeat against Stoke in October. The FA took action after video footage showed Deeney wrapping his hands around Allen’s face before gouging his cheek.
So far, Deeney has made 11 appearances in all competitions, scoring 2 goals and providing one assist. On Saturday, he played for 88 minutes as Watford picked up a 1-1 draw against Spurs at Vicarage Road.
Coming to Everton, Allardyce has made it apparent that he would like to boost his attacking options by adding an experienced centre-forward to his ranks and the Hornets skipper certainly fits the bill. Deeney is a decent striker and has proved himself in the Premier League, but with him turning 30 next June, he can’t be viewed as a long-term investment.
By scoring 23 goals for Watford in the last two seasons, a move to Everton would be a step up in Deeney’s career. His impressive hold-up play and ability to bully opposition defenders is likely to appeal to Big Sam as he looks to bring a striker in the mould of Lukaku. In addition, the Watford man’s experience will be vital and he should be able to take some pressure off the young Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s shoulders.
Allardyce’s reign at Everton started off in a fine way with a 2-0 victory over Huddersfield Town on Saturday. He has a big task cut out to take the club out of the mess they are in.