Everton made five signings in January to bolster their squad for the final months of the season in an attempt to improve their chances of getting into a more comfortable league position in the Premier League, however, Frank Lampard has already been reported to be looking forward to his full season in charge after the summer.
The club is struggling to stay safe in the top tier this term, with the side currently sitting 16th in the league table, just four points off the relegation zone. If the new manager can keep the Toffees safe in the Premier League this season, he will not want to be in the same position next season and will want to move the club forward, competing for European spots like the club has done before.
With that being said, Lampard will surely be looking at areas of the team he can make improvements in and according to reports the former Chelsea boss has already put the cogs in motion to secure one player.
It has been reported by TEAMtalk that the 43-year-old manager has already contacted Chelsea about signing Conor Gallagher for Everton next season, and if Lampard could pull of a deal for the young player, it could be a huge upgrade in the team.
Gallagher, who was hailed “impressive” by Thomas Tuchel, has been drawing attention to himself this season during his loan spell at Crystal Palace, with the 22-year-old central midfielder making an impact on the side since he joined them in the summer. He has scored seven goals and delivered five assists across all competitions so far, as well as having the 9th highest chance creation in the Premier League this season.
By luring him to Goodison, he could also discover a new Mason Mount, someone he coached so effectively at Chelsea.
Speaking to Football Insider, Noel Whelan once said: “That’s what I like about the player. Even though he is young, he’s very much in the mould of Mason Mount. He’s got that kind of attitude where he wants to be the star, the next Mount, he wants to be the player who gets hold of the game and is always making things happen.”
Ultimately, Lampard will need to axe a player in his team to accommodate a new arrival and guarantee the youngster a high level of game time over the next season if Chelsea were happy to let Gallagher make the move, and there is no doubt that he would be the perfect upgrade for Andre Gomes.
The £120k-per-week dud has not proven himself to be as effective as he could be for Everton since he arrived at the club, with the midfielder making eleven appearances, delivering one assist this term, accompanied by his questionable defensive statistics, losing the majority of his duels (64%) and making just 0.1 interceptions per game according to SofaScore.
Gomes has the joint highest wages at the club, and when you consider his impact on the team, it doesn’t seem worth having a player on that amount of money when they’re not making consistent outings for the side.
Thus, Lampard could potentially cash in on the 28-year-old this summer, to not only free up a place in the team for Gallagher, but to also bring down the wage bill and boost funds in the summer transfer window.
In other news: Lampard must finally unleash Anwar El Ghazi
