da 888casino： Everton are yet to make a signing in the summer transfer window and now a new update has emerged from a reliable source on the club's pursuit of a potential target.
What's the latest on Everton's interest in Ashley Young?
da bwin： According to Everton transfer insider Alan Myers, the Toffees are plotting a move for former Aston Villa and England ace Ashley Young who is currently a free agent.
Myers took to Twitter to reveal:
"Everton have held talks about the possibility of bringing former Aston Villa defender Ashley Young to the club, the 37-year-old is available on a free transfer, nothing decided yet, talks are continuing."
Would Ashley Young be a good signing for Everton?
It was reported last week by The Athletic's Patrick Boyland that Everton are sacrificing long-term prospects for short-term necessities after finding themselves battling against Premier League relegation over the last two seasons.
The Merseysiders escaped a drop down to the Championship with just two points to spare on the final day of last season and now Sean Dyche will be looking for ways to steady the ship at Goodison Park by any means necessary.
As a result, the signing of Young may not be an appealing prospect for supporters when envisioning the long-term future of the club due to the fact he turned 38 this weekend, however, he could provide an ample solution to one of Everton's biggest pain points.
Dyche struggled with the lack of depth in his full-back roles due to numerous injury issues plaguing the wide defensive flanks; Seamus Coleman, Vitaliy Mykolenko, Nathan Patterson and Ruben Vinagre all suffered setbacks over the 38-game campaign, often resulting in the need to deploy centre-backs Mason Holgate and Ben Godfrey to cover the positions.
For that reason, Young could, in fact, be a highly valuable move for Everton if he could emulate his strong presence seen at Villa Park last season.
Over 29 Premier League appearances, the 5 foot 9 former England international scored one goal, won 62% of his aerial and ground duels combined and kept eight clean sheets for Aston Villa, as well as averaging 2.1 clearances, 50.5 touches and 1.7 tackles per game, as per SofaScore.
When comparing his output to that of the full-backs at Everton, only Nathan Patterson completed more tackles per 90 (2.6), whilst only Mykolenko completed more blocks per 90 (0.5) and more key passes (0.6) than Young, according to WhoScored.
Not only that, the 38-year-old is comfortable and experienced in playing both right-back and left-back meaning he could cover for both sides of the defensive set-up, having been lauded for that versatility by former Villa boss Steven Gerrard, who also dubbed him "outstanding".
Young's experience, leadership skills and strong presence in the back line could make the same much-needed impact that James Tarkowski had on the Everton squad upon his arrival on a free transfer last summer, with the ex-Burnley centre-back having enjoyed a solid debut campaign at Goodison.
Lauded as "the best English centre-half we have that's playing regularly" by BBC pundit Danny Murphy back in October, the 30-year-old started every single Premier League game last season, with his average match rating of 7.20, as per Sofascore, seeing him ranking joint-first in the Toffees squad (excluding Asmir Begovic who featured just once in the league).
With Tarkowski having evidently proven a bargain capture on a free, Dyche could now repeat the transfer masterclass by snapping up the services of the Stevenage-born veteran without paying a penny on transfer fees.
With that being said, the signing of Young could be a great piece of business for Everton this summer as he could add depth to the full-back roles and provide Dyche with a utility player who can provide quality in various roles next season.