The Malcom to Everton transfer stories have hit the press, in what could turn out to be the most exciting Premier League signing outside of the so-called Big Six this summer.
Everton will be looking to rebuild this season after Sam Allardyce was drafted in to fix the mess left by Ronald Koeman halfway through the previous campaign. The torch has now been passed to Marco Silva who should bring a more palatable brand of football to Goodison Park, if nothing else.
Silva likes to put his trust in players that have ability on the ball, pace, energy and, of course, an element of flair, and 21-year-old Brazilian winger Malcom would appear to fit the bill there, as we will now explain
So how good is Malcom? Here are the important stats Everton fans need to know…
Last season Bordeaux finished a commendable sixth in Ligue 1. Inevitably out-gunned by bigger spenders in PSG, Monaco, Lyon and Marseille, they had to rely upon the qualities of versatile forward Malcom to keep them competitive in a league competition that ultimately resulted in an astonishing 19-point gap between fourth and fifth.
The Brazilian, who can operate as a winger or as an attacking midfielder more centally, bossed every offensive stat going at the Nouvelle-Aquitaine club.
His contribution to the side was such that he was involved in over 35% of all goals the club scored in Ligue 1, leading his side in goals (12) and assists (7).
His ability on the ball never allowed opposing defences to rest and it was no surprise to anyone that he also led the team in shots taken (71) and shots on goal (31).
Defenders struggle to deal with his pace and energy, leading them to take the only course of action left – bringing them down. Malcom drew more fouls per game (2.6) than any other player on the Bordeaux roster last season.
Despite not playing for one of the top-four sides, his stats were still comparable to many of household names playing in Ligue 1. Only four players created more chances per game than Malcom (2.5) in the French top flight last season, and only three players were fouled more times than the Brazilian.
Why would Everton want him? Because Malcom might be Silva’s next Richarlison
When Marco Silva brought Richarlison to Watford, he would have been unknown to many Premier League viewers but turned out to be a star in the making, one even compared to Cristiano Ronaldo – for the first few months of the season, at least, before Watford fell apart and Silva was sacked.
Richarlison, with whom Everton are also linked, shares a similar statistical profile with his Brazilian compatriot Malcom, and Silva would be the kind of manager to get the latter to thrive in the English top flight. He also fills a hole that made Everton very one-dimensional during Koeman’s brief spell in charge on account of Yannick Bolasie’s injury struggles.
The Dutchman was criticised by the home faithful for not employing high-quality wingers, something which defanged the toothless Toffees in attack and saw them score only 44 goals. Malcom would be an ideal candidate to fill that void and reintroduce some verve and excitement up top on the blue side of Liverpool. He is deadly from range, at that, with all but three of his seven strikes last season coming from outside the box, second only to Lyon striker Mariano (5) in Ligue 1.
OFFICIAL: Malcom won the award for Ligue 1 goal of the season for his long-range stunner against Dijon in December. pic.twitter.com/2qHwM8b2c9
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If Everton fans need any more convincing as to why they should be chasing Malcom, then perhaps the fact he is young and clearly has massive potential is top of the list of things that might do the trick.
Said potential is demonstrated by the fact that of all players under the age of 23 in Europe’s top five leagues, no one created more chances than Malcom, whose 87 was 21 more than the next-best contender, Dele Alli, and only one player under the age of 23 completed more than his 97 take-ons.
Will Bordeaux do business?
It would appear the answer is yes.
Malcom was a target for some big-hitters last January with clubs like Arsenal, Tottenham, Manchester United and Bayern Munich said to have been monitoring his availability.
The player wanted to go but in the end, by his account, settled for a gentleman’s agreement allowing him to leave this summer.
Speaking about his future last February Malcom was quite clear about his plans to leave. “Yes, there was a promise that I will be negotiating in June,” Malcom told the Brazilian media. “I will choose the team, and Bordeaux will let me go.”
He added: “I already said that I would have liked to leave this winter to meet new challenges.
“But I must also remember that Bordeaux helped me a lot. I gave my word to Bordeaux that I will continue [with the club] to be able to have more time to choose my future club. These next three or four months will make a big difference.”
This leaves the question of a fee, which is widely expected to be in the region of £30 million.
If Marco Silva manages to buy the Brazilian’s talents for less than the cost of, say, Moussa Sissoko or Islam Slimani, it would constitute a transfer coup for Everton and could end up being the marquee signing that puts them back in the mix for European football.
The post Key stats and facts on the Malcom to Everton transfer story – Silva’s next Richarlison? appeared first on Squawka News.
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