Everton

Everton

Premier League • England

Everton close to signing Rennes talisman Serhou Guirassy to fill gap left by Richarlison

Serhou Guirassy, Rennes, November 2020.

Everton are reportedly nearing the signing of Rennes forward Serhou Guirassy in a bid to replace the departed striker Richarlison.

Everton’s 2021/22 campaign was less than successful. The Toffees managed to narrowly avoid the drop, finishing four points above Burnley in the final Premier League relegation place.

Were it not for star striker Richarlison, their fate might have been very different. The Brazilian bagged 10 goals and provided five assists in the league, and was the Toffees’ top goalscorer.

Since the season finished, though, Richarlison has moved to Tottenham for around £50million.

As such, the onus will be on somebody else to find the back of the net.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin will need to be on top of his game as one of only two strikers in the squad. However, should he suffer with injuries and poor form – as he did last season – Everton might struggle once again.

He has started this season on the sidelines thanks to a knee injury. As such, Everton may need to improve their depth in the position.

They have been linked with Rennes forward Guirassy – the striker has scored 19 goals in Ligue 1 over the past two seasons.

He appears as if he could be a good addition to the Toffees side, especially with Calvert-Lewin out of action.

French outlet L’Equipe reports that Frank Lampard’s side are closing in on a deal for the 26-year-old Guirassy. The move may be made easier as Paris Saint-Germain’s Arnaud Kalimuendo has just joined Rennes.

The report does not state at what price point Guirassy will move for.

Everton need firepower to survive

After Richarlison – who scored 10 goals last season – there was a big drop to the next highest Everton goalscorer. Indeed, the joint second-highest goalscorers were Calvert-Lewin and Demarai Gray, with five each.

Should goalscoring be a problem again, Everton might see themselves suffer a worse fate than last season.

Being relegated from the Premier League would, of course, be far from ideal for Everton. Especially since they escaped the drop after spending a while in a precarious position last term.

As such, they will hope that the signing of Guirassy helps them to find the back of the net more often. Indeed, they will hope to be nowhere near the bottom come the end of the season.