New Everton manager Sean Dyche already appears to be getting a tune out of his previously struggling squad after picking up two wins from his opening three Premier League games in charge, with that solid start to life in the dugout having come despite the club failing to sign any new players in January.
That lack of incomings has ensured that the focus is already on who could be coming in the door in the summer transfer window – provided that the Toffees stay up – with a squad overhaul likely to be needed to break from the recent cycle of merely scrapping for survival.
It does appear that the Merseysiders are already keeping a close eye on potential new recruits ahead of next season, with recent reports claiming that Benfica midfielder Florentino is one such potential target.
What’s the latest on Florentino to Everton?
According to Portuguese outlet Record (via Sport Witness), the Goodison Park outfit are said to have sent scouts to watch the 23-year-old in action in the recent Champions League win over Club Brugge, with Dyche and co seemingly ‘in love’ with the Lisbon native.
The report outlines that any deal could well prove difficult as the player has a €120m (£105m) release clause in his existing deal, albeit with the midfield machine said to be valued at closer to €18m (£16m) by Football Transfers.
The Primeira Liga club will no doubt be reluctant to sell having only recently allowed another playmaking star in Enzo Fernandez to make the move to England, with the World Cup winner having joined Chelsea last month in a mammoth £107m deal.
Could Florentino be the next Enzo Fernandez?
Like Fernandez – who swooped the Best Young Player award in Qatar – it would appear that Florentino has the quality to be able to perform at the elite level.
He was praised by his former coach Joao Tralhao, who stated: “He is the kind of player every coach would like to have in their squad. He’s an amazing boy, a hard worker, calm, professional, always prepared to listen and he is a proper team player. He doesn’t think only of himself.
“Technically speaking, it’s not easy to find a midfielder with the defensive qualities he has. I used to joke with him and say that he saw the game two seconds before everyone else. It’s amazing the amount of interceptions he makes, the way he can be in the right position all the time.
“He is always in the right space to regain the ball and he has improved so much in terms of duels, using his body, protecting the ball in contact and so on. He has the talent and quality to play in elite teams.”
Also like his former team-mate – who has averaged 3.5 tackles and 1.5 interceptions per game in the Champions League this season – the former Portugal U21 international has shone on the European stage this term, having averaged 3.1 tackles and 3.4 interceptions per 90 from his seven outings in the competition.
Such ball-winning prowess has ensured that the 6 foot 1 monster ranks in the top 1% for interceptions, the top 6% for tackles and the top 13% for aerial duels won among those in his position in the ‘Men’s next eight competitions’, as per FBref, having proven himself a truly effective screen in front of the back four.
That doesn’t mean that the “exquisite” gem – as lauded by writer Zach Lowy – can’t also make an impact in an attacking sense, as he ranks in the top 9% for progressive passes and the top 1% for attempted passes, while Fernandez ranks in the top 1% for both those metrics respectively.
It would no doubt bode well for Dyche and co to be able to snap up their answer to the latter, as the Argentine starlet having already made a fine start to life at Stamford Bridge, having looked “very accomplished” according to talkSPORT commentator Clive Tyldesley.
While Florentino had endured a difficult few seasons out on loan prior to the current campaign – notably making just nine Ligue 1 appearances for Monaco in 2020/21 – it has been a real breakout last few months back at his parent club, ensuring that the defensive-minded asset is perhaps destined for a big move sooner rather than later.
Whether it is Everton who can win any potential race for his signature remains to be seen, although if the relegation strugglers can strike a deal in the summer, it could well prove a notable coup for the club.