Jesse Lingard’s is the latest name to be linked with a move to Goodison Park this January as the Toffee’s look to make some late additions to bolster a worryingly thin midfield. Whilst, Lingard would not directly replace the injured Doucoure he would add some much needed quality to the squad should he be able to recapture the form he enjoyed for West Ham during his loan spell last year.
During his 16 matches with the Hammers Lingard scored 9 goals and registered a further 4 assists, an incredible tally, these are numbers that would make him Everton’s highest contributor over that same period. His form was so good that it led to an inclusion in England’s squad for the Euro’s.
Somewhat surprisingly he remained at Old Trafford in the Summer despite rumours that he would return to the London stadium. Instead, he chose to stay and “fight for his place”. Since then, the England International has amassed a measly 97 minutes of Premier League football and resultantly many clubs have been swarming. Cash-rich Newcastle were heavily linked with a move but this was rumoured to have collapsed due to unreasonable demands from Manchester United.
Two days ago the Manchester Evening News reported that Aston Villa, Leicester and Everton are three more teams hoping to strike a deal for Lingard before January is over. Elsewhere, David Ornstein reported three days ago that Everton had approaches rejected from Manchester United, so it seems as though the club are simply “monitoring” the situation rather than engaging in an active pursuit for his signature.
Rumour rating: 2/5
If Newcastle were troubled by the fee it was going to take to bring Lingard to the club, it is very unlikely that Everton, in our current situation would find this a financially viable move. Particularly with other options such as Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Donny van De Beek being touted since the news that Lampard’s appointment is imminent.
With only 6-months on his deal remaining and his lack of playing time it is strange that United are being so stubborn with their demands. Perhaps they will have a change of heart towards the end of the window and we will see some movement regarding Jesse, but even then there is no guarantee that Goodison park would be the destination. This is not a transfer that we would be willing to get our hopes up about. But never say never
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