As most Everton fans have heard, probably expected, and maybe resigned themselves to, Romelu Lukaku is by all intents and purposes on his way out this offseason, on his quest for top-tier European football.
Whilst that fact could be tough for the club and our supporters to accept, the brain trust at Everton Football Club will then be tasked with finding a new head man to replace the Belgian that has become one of the faces of our great club.
Playing each Premier League club at the minimum twice a year gives us a great look at the top talents in the league and also those who could be coming up in the ranks in future seasons.
With that in mind, and in no particular order, here are three possible Premier League replacements that Everton could look at after the eventual departure of Lukaku.
Saido Berahino
The 22-year-old West Brom man had a breakout season in 2014, scoring 20 goals in 45 appearances, instantly displaying his potential as a top player.
While he struggled to follow that season up this past year (seven goals in 32 appearances), it can be argued that the shenanigans that took place off the field between Berahino, Tony Pulis and the West Brom board greatly impacted his play.
After the club rejected his transfer request and four separate bids for the player, Berahino said that he would never play for the club again under chairman Jeremy Pearce. Although he eventually reconciled and returned to the lineup, it is quite easy to see how these off-field controversies could have affected Berahino’s game. Valued at around £22million, the speedy striker could be due for another fantastic season.
Wilfried Bony
A player who has been in the minds of Everton fans ever since the rumblings of Lukaku leaving started, Bony would be the most like-for-like replacement for Lukaku of the three discussed in this article.
After breaking out at Swansea City in 2013 and 2014, he sealed a £28million move to Manchester City two season ago and has struggled for consistent playing time behind the likes of Sergio Aguero and other attack-minded players like Kevin De Brunye and David Silva.
At age 27, Bony is still in the prime of his playing career and could fancy a move to a club like Everton where he would most definitely be one of the first names on the team sheet.
Should the Ivory Coast international look to leave Manchester in search of more full-time first team football, Everton would be remiss not to take a look in Bony’s direction.
Odion Ighalo
The past two seasons at Watford have proved to be fantastic for the Nigerian Ighalo, who has scored 20 and 15 goals in those seasons, in the Championship and Premier League, respectively.
Ighalo proved to be one of the catalysts in what turned out to be an impressive season for the newly-promoted Hornets who finished in 13th, the highest of the three promoted clubs.
Linked with Manchester United, Arsenal and West Ham, Ighalo has proven that he can compete and thrive at the top level of English football and would be a welcome addition at the front of Ronald Koeman’s new Everton 11. and, as Evertonians, wouldn’t it be great to steal a player out of the grasps of the Hammers?
With new investment, a new manager, and room for new players in the squad, this summer transfer window is shaping up to be one of the most intriguing in recent memory for the Toffees.
