Everton could hijack move to sign hulking £42m striker who’d be Lukaku 2.0

Everton’s centre-forward issues date back several years. Indeed, while Dominic Calvert-Lewin looked like he could be the new messiah, his final few years at the club were poor.

Not since Romelu Lukaku left in the summer of 2017 have the Toffees enjoyed the services of a striker who knew how to find the back of the net on a regular basis.

David Moyes has splashed out £27m to sign Thierno Barry in the hope that the Frenchman could finally be the answer to the club’s centre-forward dilemma.

The Scot won’t stop there, however, as he looks keen on adding another attacking player this summer. Could he be close to hijacking a deal for a recent target?

Everton’s search for another striker

Hamza Igamane is on the club’s shortlist, as Moyes looks to potentially hijack Lille’s deal to sign him from Glasgow Rangers.

It might not be the only deal Everton are set to hijack. Recently, the club showed interest in Stuttgart striker Nick Woltemade, but it appeared as though Bayern Munich were going to secure his signature.

According to journalist Sebastien Vidal, however, the German side have temporarily pulled out of any potential deal, leaving the door ajar for Everton to swoop in and hijack a deal.

Any move could cost Moyes around £42m, but given he is a young striker with plenty of room for development, it might be a masterstroke.

He could even turn into Lukaku 2.0 for the club.

Why Everton must sign Nick Woltemade

Lukaku arrived at Goodison Park as a young, strong centre-forward. Fast-forward four years later, and he departed after scoring 87 goals in 186 appearances for the club.

The bustling striker was a menace in front of goal, and Moyes would dearly love someone to replicate these types of performances.

Woltemade doesn’t look like a typical centre-forward. Possessing a hulking frame like Lukaku, the 6-foot-6 German might not offer the most aesthetic-looking performances, but there is no denying how effective he is.

Indeed, last season for Stuttgart, Woltemade scored 17 goals in all competitions, helping the club win the German Cup in the process.

Following his stunning campaign for the club, Antonio Mango hailed the striker as “exceptional”, and he looks set for a bright future indeed.

Not just competent in front of goal, Woltemade is also impressive at taking on opposition defenders and working the ball into the box, as Lukaku was in Everton blue.

Indeed, when compared to his positional peers across Europe’s big five leagues, the German ranks in the top 1% for touches in the penalty area (8.82), in the top 4% for successful take-ons (1.72) and in the top 3% for shot-creating actions (4.38) per 90.

These are the sorts of statistics which Lukaku has exuded throughout his career, turning into a powerful centre-forward capable of moments of magic.

Should Moyes manage to hijack a move for the current Stuttgart starlet, it would prove to be a significant coup for the club. The next few weeks will be interesting indeed.