It is fair to say that Everton have made a poor start to the new season. The Toffees have played two games in the Premier League so far, losing 3-0 to Brighton at home and suffering a 4-0 loss away to Tottenham Hotspur.
There is still time for Sean Dyche’s side to get new signings in the door, however, with the transfer window still open for another two days. They have recently been linked with one man who could add plenty of experience and creativity in attack.
Everton target Premier League defender
The player in question here is Newcastle United and England international right-back Kieran Trippier. According to a report from The Athletic, the Toffees are ‘among the clubs showing interest’ in signing the defender before Friday’s deadline.
The report explains that the 33-year-old’s ‘future is in the balance’ at the moment, but if he does depart St James’s Park, Everton are one side who could make a move. Football Insider recently reported that a bid of £15m would be enough to acquire his services.
Why Trippier would be a good signing
Although the former Spurs full-back has fallen out of favour under Eddie Howe in recent weeks, there is no doubting his quality on the ball. During his time at Newcastle, Trippier has played 93 games, scoring four goals and registering 23 assists.
That included ten assists in just 28 top-flight games last term. That was the joint 3rd most in the Premier League and four more than the leading Everton player for assists as per Sofascore. That would be the difference Trippier could bring to Goodison Park; quality in the final third, particularly from crosses.
Over the past two seasons, he has statistically been one of the Premier League’s best crossers, and can often be seen marauding down the right wing looking to whip crosses into the penalty area. Moments like these led Sky Sports presenter Dougie Critchley to describe him as "the best right back in Europe".
According to FBref, he ranked in the top six for crosses into the penalty box last season, with 19, and second in the 2022/23 campaign, with 26, bettered only by Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold, as per FBref.
Season
Crosses per 90
Crosses
PL rank
2022/23
0.7
26
2nd
2023/24
0.77
19
6th
In terms of his numbers per 90 minutes on FBref, the 33-year-old averaged 0.68 crosses into the penalty box, which ranked him in the 78th percentile, and 8.89 crosses which placed him in the top 2%.
This is certainly something that Dominic Calvert-Lewin can benefit from. The 27-year-old had a tough campaign last season, scoring seven goals and grabbing two assists in 32 Premier League appearances.
For a number of years, the Toffees number nine has been renowned as one of the biggest aerial presences in the Premier League. Over the last 365 days as per FBref, the Everton striker has won an average of 5.68 aerial duels per game, which ranks him in the top 7% of strikers in Europe. He also has a 49.5% success rate, placing him in the 73rd percentile.
Given Trippier’s crossing ability, which is among the best in the Premier League, and Calvert-Lewin’s proficiency in the air, it could be a match made in heaven.
With the Toffees yet to score a league goal this season, it could be a smart move to make to help bolster their attacking output and avoid a relegation fight once again.
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