According to reports from Mirror Football, Everton manager Ronald Koeman has confirmed his interest in signing Manchester United winger Memphis Depay.
What’s the word?
The young but certainly growing Depay-to-Everton saga has taken another another step forward.ÂLast week, Toffees boss Ronald Koeman discussed his openness to signing the Netherlands international with FOX Sports Netherlands, quoted by Mirror Football as saying; “I would like to have him. I think he is an interesting player. He has great individual qualities. He just needs to play games.”
That was later followed by Everton’s official handle mentioning the former Feyenoord man in a tweet last Sunday, as he bagged a brace during Oranje’s 3-1 over Luxembourg.
Now, Koeman has added further fuel to the speculative fires by once again commenting on a potential swoop for Depay in the buildup to Everton’s Premier League clash with Swansea this Saturday. As quoted by Mirror Football, he said…
“If there is any opportunity then of course I’m interested. I was interested at Southampton, that has not changed. We have to be patient but we will do business in January.â€
Flop of the year?
Considering the £25million price-tag and fanfare surrounding his arrival, some even dubbing him ‘the Dutch CR7’, Depay has to go down as the ultimate flop of the 2015/16 Premier League season. He fell afoul of Louis van Gaal in just a matter of months and finished the campaign with just 16 top flight starts to his name – most coming in the opening weeks of the season.
No doubt, however, Depay isÂsupremely talented for his age. The 22-year-old proved as much at PSV, firing them to the Eredivisie title with 22 goals during 2014/15, and with a series of impressive showings under LVG at the 2014 World Cup.
It’s simply not worked out for him at Old Trafford but the winger-forward remains laden with world-class potential. Let’s not forget United had to fight off PSG for his signature in 2015, forcing LVG to sign him a year earlier than planned.
In a different system, at a different club and working under a more accommodating manager, Depay could flourish into the worldly star heralded during his Eredivisie days.
Is a January deal likely?
Football FanCast certainly wouldn’t rule it out. Everton didn’t fully maximise the financial backing of new investor Farhad Moshiri during the summer and a failed £30million swoop for now-Tottenham’s Moussa Sissoko on deadline day suggests there’s plenty left in the transfer kitty.
Likewise, Koeman’s taken the unusual step of actively expressing an interest in Depay, suggesting it wouldn’t take much persuasion to put some money on the table if United made it clear that they’re open to a deal.
At the same time, Depay’s future at Old Trafford looks incredibly bleak. He simply doesn’t fit the template of winger Jose Mourinho tends to go for – those who track back and put in a shift off the ball – and that’s evident from him picking up just four substitute outings, totalling a meagre twenty minutes, in the Premier League this term.
All the signs suggest both clubs would be open to some mid-season business, but one potential stumbling block could be the league standings. Depending on how their respective campaigns pan out over the next six weeks, United will be reluctant to strengthen a side they could be competing with for Europa League qualification.
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