According to reports in The Sunday Mirror, new Everton boss Sam Allardyce has targeted unhappy Sevilla midfielder Steven N’Zonzi as one of his priority transfer targets.
What’s the word, then?
Well, The Sunday Mirror says that having been promised a bumper January budget by majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri, Allardyce could look to be reunited with the 28-year-old.
The 63-year-old signed the Frenchman when he was Blackburn Rovers manager, and The Sunday Mirror also says that he was keen to see if the midfielder was eligible to play for England when he was in charge of the Three Lions.
The report adds that N’Zonzi is keen to leave the La Liga outfit and although Sevilla would be reluctant to let him go, they could be tempted if they are offered £20m.
How has N’Zonzi done this season?
The 28-year-old has been a regular in the Sevilla side this season, but he wasn’t happy when he was taken off at half-time in the draw against Liverpool in the Champions League, and he failed to turn up to training the next day.
Since then, the Frenchman hasn’t made the squad for the La Liga matches against Villarreal and Deportivo La Coruna, with the relationship between himself and manager Eduardo Berizzo still not repaired.
Do Everton need him?
With the likes of Idrissa Gueye, Morgan Schneiderlin, James McCarthy, Mo Besic, Beni Baningime and Tom Davies in the middle of the park, you wouldn’t necessarily think that they need N’Zonzi but the former two especially have been performing far worse than they did last season.
There is no doubt that the Sevilla man would add some strength and power in the centre, and he would prove to be an important player at both ends of the pitch when it comes to set-pieces.
What’s the verdict, then?
Well, if Everton could pick N’Zonzi up for £20m Allardyce would probably be happy to do it, especially having worked with the Frenchman before and the fact that he has experience of playing Premier League, Champions League and Europa League football.
That said, his fall-out with his current boss in recent weeks would bring some question marks over his attitude and character.
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