Everton want to sign Hellas Verona’s Jackson Tchatchoua, just a month after completing a permanent move to the Italian club, according to Tutto Mercato Web. The Italian newspaper stated on their website on July 3 that the Toffees have “set their sights” on the Cameroon international, who the Serie A club just confirmed as making his loan move from Charleroi in Belgium permanent on June 3 by signing a three-year contract.
TMW reports that the deal only cost €2 million [£1.69 million] last month, but with Everton now interested in bringing in the 22-year-old, who can play right-back or on the flank, Verona are hoping to make a significant instant profit by asking for €8 million [£6.77 million]. Sean Dyche and Kevin Thelwell are considering another Everton deal. Although the mark-up is four times what Tchatchoua paid just a few weeks ago, it is still a reasonable fee if the club believes he can contribute in a variety of roles.
Sean Dyche has brought back Jack Harrison on loan from Leeds United and bought versatile attacker Iliman Ndiaye from Marseille to supplement Dwight McNeil’s options out wide moving forward. However, if the manager sees the two-cap Tchatchoua as an upgrade to his right-back alternatives, it may be a worthwhile investment.
Ashley Young is technically a possibility for both full-back and winger positions and has signed a new one-year contract extension, but he will be 39 in less than a week and was unpredictable at important points last season. Club captain Seamus Coleman has also signed a new contract, but he turns 36 in October and has been plagued by injuries in recent seasons.
Behind the two veterans, Ben Godfrey was utilized last season but has since been moved to Atalanta, while former Rangers player Nathan Patterson has struggled. Dyche doesn’t seem convinced by the Scot, and he was engaged in an unpleasant exchange in Portugal last season where a bad joke forced him to apologise to his player, so there appears to be a need to bring in a dependable right-back who the manager trusts to play frequently. That may be Tchatchoua, who is still not breaking the bank, and there appears to be action underway to add to the left side of defence, with links to Fenerbahce’s Jayden Oosterwolde [Caught Offside, 21 June].
