The EFL can be a rich hunting ground for exciting talents if you’re a Director of Football at the head of a Premier League outfit looking for shrewd ways to strengthen.
Angus Kinnear, who will leave Leeds United and take Kevin Thelwell’s seat at Everton this summer, knows the myriad prospects across the Championship and will no doubt target a few stars this summer.
In fact, TEAMtalk revealed last week that second-tier Player of the Season Gustavo Hamer and Sunderland’s Dan Neil are both on Everton’s radar, with relegated Leicester star Wilfried Ndidi an option too.
However, Kinnear knows his stuff, and might have already recommended a shrewd purchase who could make a real difference on Merseyside next year.
Everton chasing Championship star
As per Football Insider, Everton have joined West Ham United in the race to sign Burnley centre-midfielder Josh Brownhill, a leading architect behind Scott Parker’s side’s promotion to the Premier League this season.
He’s out of contract this summer, and it’s understood that presently the Clarets have not convinced the 29-year-old into reaching a decision on his future but are ready to open talks pertaining to an extension.
With Celtic also keen, Everton will need to work fast if they want to seal his signature in the coming weeks. However, given that he’s been placed on the shortlist, their interest seems concrete.
What Josh Brownhill would bring to Everton
Burnley’s captain would be a brilliant, under-the-radar kind of signing for Everton. The leadership and experience he would instil (he has 111 Premier League appearances) are elements that Moyes is desperate to stir into his squad.
It’s something the Merseysiders achieved only a few years ago by signing James Tarkowski, who had just been relegated with Burnley and joined at the end of his contract in July 2022.
Hailed as an ‘incredible leader’ by Dyche, Tarkowski has been a solid, no-nonsense defender but also a galvanising presence, barking and baying at his teammates as he upholds strong defensive virtues.
Now, Brownhill could be the next version, walking the same path at a similar point in his career as a free agent.
TFG would be addressing a glaring issue in an astute fashion, as the former owners did three years ago. Everton conceded 66 top-flight goals during the 2021/22 season, and they have bettered that tally across the three years since, shipping 43 goals this year with three games remaining.
Fans eagerly await news of a talented striker to restore the attacking incisiveness, but Brownhill’s industriousness and creativity would be a great way to fortify the ranks.
While Burnley have earned renown for their steely defending this season, they have also been effective and economical in attack, with Brownhill blending an art for well-timed goalscoring with a fundamental playmaking quality.
Indeed, the midfielder has scored 18 goals and laid on six assists across his 42 league outings this term, as per Sofascore, creating eight big chances and averaging 1.2 key passes per game.
Ranking among the top 1% of Championship midfielders this season for goal involvements, his influence is illustrated further, something that could have a marked impact on an Everton side who won’t want to be overreliant on a new striker, whose success in hitting the ground running will be an anxious thing.
Given that the relegated trio are the only Premier League sides to have been outscored by Everton, it’s clear that a deep-lying goalscorer of Brownhill’s ilk could be the dimension-adding star Moyes needs.
16th
West Ham
40
17th
Everton
36
18th
Ipswich
35
19th
Leicester
29
20th
Southampton
25
Reuniting with Tarkowski in an Everton team looking to reach heights that haven’t been seen for several interminable years, Brownhill could prove a real difference-maker.
He might not have become the “superstar” that pundit Lee Johnson predicted he would shape into back in 2019, but Brownhill is a fiercely underrated player and would slot right into Moyes’ Everton midfield.
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