Hill Dickinson Stadium is now officially open for business.
On Saturday, Everton’s senior men’s team played at Bramley-Moore Dock for the very first time, although they’re still waiting for their first goal at their new home, beaten 1-0 in a pre-season friendly by Roma.
This brought to an end a rather miserable pre-season for David Moyes’ men, winning just one of seven fixtures, this against EFL League One side Port Vale, scoring just six goals in these matches.
Thus, it is no wonder Moyes is seeking attacking reinforcements ahead of his team’s Premier League opener against Leeds United at Elland Road next Monday night, so could the Toffees sign an exciting young striker?
Everton's need for firepower
With stalwarts Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Abdoulaye Doucouré having both been released following the expiration of their contracts, Everton were always going to need to add attacking threat to their squad, having scored a miserly 42 goals in the Premier League last season.
Transfer Focus
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Well, the Blues have so far signed striker Thierno Barry from Villarreal and attacking midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall from Chelsea, but more is required.
Thus, they have reached an agreement with Manchester City over the signing of Jack Grealish on a season-long loan, a move that Graham Ruthven of Total Soccer Show believes will be “exciting”.
Meantime, according to a report from Spain, Everton are “interested” in signing striker Franculino Djú, adding that he is valued at around £17m by FC Midtjylland, with Roma and RB Leipzig also considering a move.
Sport Witness add that the 21-year-old’s performances in the Danish Superligaen have ‘attracted interest’ from several of Europe’s top clubs, but could Everton steal a march and bring the youngster to Merseyside?
What Franculino Djú would bring to Everton
Born in Guinea-Bissau, Franculino joined Benfica’s academy at the age of 15, but never made a senior appearance for the Portuguese giants, instead moving to Midtjylland on a free transfer in the summer of 2023, with Jacek Kulig of Football Talent Scout stating that the Danish side hit the “absolute jackpot”.
That’s because, to date, he has scored 40 goals in 79 appearances for the Wolves, thereby averaging a goal every 118 across all competitions.
Ten of these goals have come in European competition, including a hat-trick against Omonia 12 months ago, scoring seven goals in six appearances so far this season, bagging a hat-trick when Sønderjyske visited Herning, also breaking the deadlock during last Thursday’s Europa League qualifying victory over Fredrikstad.
The aforementioned Jacek Kulig of Football Talent Scout labels him “unstoppable”, adding elsewhere that he has a “big future ahead”.
Farzam Abolhosseini of Tipsbladet asserts that he was the “highest-scoring teenager” across Europe last season, while Joost van der Leij documents how ‘finishing’ is the youngster’s primary asset.
Meantime, writer Tom Maston praises his “impressive strike-rate”, with Jake Entwistle of Scouted adding that he is a ‘well-rounded’ centre-forward, comparing him to the in-demand Alexander Isak, a man who could also be set for a move to Merseyside.
So, let’s analyse his statistics in the Superligaen this season so far.
Goals
6
1st
Goals per 90
2
1st
Goals inside the box
6
1st
Assists
2
2nd
Shots
10
5th
Shots on target
6
3rd
Shots on target %
60%
11th
Goals-per-shot
0.6
2nd
Big chances missed
2
3rd
Big chances created
1
14th
Average SofaScore rating
8.53
1st
As the table documents, Dju has absolutely been on fire at the start of this season, scoring seven times in all competitions already, adding to the 11 Superligaen goals he bagged last season, netting 16 times overall.
If any Evertonians are sceptical, worth noting that, according to Global Football Rankings, Denmark’s top division is the 13th strongest league in the world, just below the EFL Championship and the Eredivisie, so he is performing at a relatively high level.
So, why would he be a better signing than possible future teammate Grealish?
Well, the England international is set to join Everton on loan but an expensive one, with reports noting that this is set to cost the Toffees around £15m in a loan fee and wages, with Grealish currently earning around £300,000-per-week.
Franculino, on the other hand, could prove to be a bargain at just £17m in the long run.
If the Blues are going to get back to where their supporters believe they belong, challenging for European qualification, they’re going to have to work smarter in the transfer market, buying lesser-known players for low fees, before ultimately selling them on at a huge profit.
Franculino certainly fits that profile, with the striker seemingly ticking both boxes, boasting enough quality to improve Everton’s team right now.
Meanwhile, at 21 years old, his value will surely increase exponentially over time, while Grealish only does the former. The experienced England international has barely kicked a ball in recent years and he’s out of form.
Dju, on the other hand, is bang in form.