Everton agree deal in principle for Sporting CP star Youssef Chermiti
According to the Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano on Twitter, Premier League side Everton have agreed a deal in principle with Sporting CP to sign striker Youssef Chermiti in the ongoing summer transfer window.
The Toffees have been in the market for a new striker given their attacking woes last season. Losing Richarlison and Anthony Gordon in successive windows without bringing in adequate replacements has hurt the side and lost the attack its edge.
English star Dominic Calvert-Lewin is a tour de force on his day but his availability has been patchy in recent times thanks to injuries. His absence more or less robs the Blues of arguably their lone natural goalscorer.
EXCL: Everton reached an agreement in principle with Sporting to sign Youssef Chermiti as new striker 🚨🔵🇵🇹 #EFC
Deal in place between clubs — verbally agreed in the recent hours for 2004 born striker to join PL side. pic.twitter.com/ksetorB2ur
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 31, 2023
Having staved off relegation in the last two seasons by a small margin, Sean Dyche cannot afford to take any chances. The Toffees were linked with former Almeria star El Bilal Toure who has now joined Atalanta, Leicester City’s Kelechi Iheanacho and Leeds United sensation Wilfried Gnonto.
There were several challenges in their pursuit of the three aforementioned players and it now appears that Everton have looked elsewhere to reinforce their roster. A verbal agreement has been reached between Everton and Sporting for Youssef Chermiti and he looks set to arrive at Goodison Park in the coming days.
The 19-year-old is a giant of a player and has excellent potential. In many ways, Chermiti is a rough diamond who needs to fine-tune several aspects of the game. While his potential is clear, it is questionable if he can hit the ground running in the English game.
A player who likes to dribble, Chermiti is also a threat on set-pieces. It would be an educated guess to believe that Dyche will slowly yet steadily familiarise the youngster with the Premier League before entrusting him to make a difference on a consistent basis.
For now, it would appear that Everton are adding numbers to their roster if not readymade quality. They can only hope that the 19-year-old goes on to develop into a reliable player for them in the years to come.
