“Generational” star set to sign for Everton this week

Everton seem to finally be making moves in the transfer market ahead of the Premier League season.

Thierno Barry is through the door, while a move to sign Malick Fofana is edging closer to happening.

David Moyes isn’t finished yet, of course, as there are still several areas which need bolstering heavily.

A new right-back is urgently required, and another centre-back wouldn’t go amiss either. Moyes might be able to call upon Vitaliy Mykolenko on the left side of the defence, but recent news suggests he is closing in on another left-back.

Everton’s search for defenders

Despite their need to improve a backline that conceded 44 times last season, there has been a distinct lack of transfer links.

James Tarkowski looks set to renew his partnership with Jarrad Branthwaite, who will come into the new campaign with a new contract under his arm. But, who could join them?

Well, according to Paddy Boyland of the Athletic, Everton are closing in on a deal to sign Bayern Munich youngster Adam Aznou.

The move will cost the Toffees around £8m initially, which, given his potential for growth, could turn out to be a shrewd move for the club.

Boyland reports that he is “set” to undergo a medical early this week and fly to the USA to join up with the squad on their pre-season tour.

His arrival would add dynamism to the left flank and, over the course of the next few years, the Moroccan defender could be a perfect signing for Iliman Ndiaye.

Why Adam Aznou is perfect for Ndiaye

Last season, Ndiaye finished as Everton’s top scorer with 11 goals, and it was a solid debut introduction to English football for the Senegal international.

If he can kick on from this, Moyes will have a devastating left winger at his disposal who can help fire the Merseyside club into the top half of the Premier League table this term.

The winger also succeeded with 2.1 dribbles last season, while creating three big chances and recording a 24% goal conversion percentage.

By adding Aznou to the squad, the young left-back has the ability to link up well with Ndiaye going forward, and this partnership could cause chaos for the opposition defence.

In 2024, talent scout Jacek Kulig dubbed Aznou as a “generational talent” and should he impress at Everton, he will live up to this hype.

Aznou has already made four appearances for Bayern Munich, with one coming at the recent Club World Cup, but it was during his loan spell with Real Valladolid where he shone.

He started ten La Liga games for the club and looked impressive in the final third. Indeed, he succeeded with 1.5 dribbles per game – a 56% success rate – while also averaging 0.5 key passes and registering 0.3 shots per game.

The youngster has also shown defensively. When compared to his peers across Europe’s top five leagues, Aznou ranked in the top 9% of full-backs for tackles (2.82) per 90, in the top 1% for blocks (2.51) per 90 and also in the top 30% for aerials won (1.11) per 90 during his stint in Spain.

Given his lack of senior appearances, these statistics point towards a trend that Moyes will hope continues at Everton.

His ability to go past defenders will aid Ndiaye, who can use the youngster as the perfect foil for attacking success this coming season.