da wazamba： This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…
da bet nacional： As told in a recent report from Blick, Everton are keeping tabs on AC Milan defender Ricardo Rodriguez. In the summer, Leighton Baines is out of contract, whilst Lucas Digne was subject to transfer speculation this recent window. Such situations may force Marco Silva’s hand in the market, especially considering the lack of cover in his defence.
What was reported?
Rodriguez has been in Italy for two seasons, where he has been a regular for the Italian giants. However, he has only played four times so far this term, losing his place to 22-year-old Theo Hernandez in recent weeks.
Considering his age, Hernandez is perhaps the future of the left-back spot at the San Siro, which may force Rodriguez to move elsewhere for his own career. The reports do indeed suggest that the 27-year-old’s days are numbered in Milan, with the Frenchman seen as the main number 3, but Blick have not specified a specific reason why the Toffees are so interested in the former Wolfsburg man.
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Silva needs all the cover he can get
Everton have conceded 13 goals in just eight games so far this season, and sit in the drop zone early on in this Premier League campaign. As a result of such defensive woes, Silva should be keen to bring in as much cover as he can within these positions, especially considering the versatility and experience of Rodriguez.
He’s predominantly a left-back, but as WhoScored demonstrates, Rodriguez has been used as a centre-back in Milan too and has even provided cover in the left-midfield spot.
In the centre-back slots, Michael Keane and Yerry Mina have played every minute of Premier League action so far. However, should one of them get injured, there is little backup for Silva to ponder, with Mason Holgate the only other out-and-out centre-back in the squad this season.
This term, Rodriguez has averaged 1.5 tackles per game in Serie A and made 2.8 clearances from the back. This also comes after making 1.4 tackles each game for Switzerland in the Nations League – a time where he averaged a 6.99 rating on WhoScored. The Milan man has also made 1.3 interceptions per fixture in Italy this season, to clearly shown his defensive capabilities.
Those could be vital to help Silva sort out a defence that is shipping far too many goals at the moment.