da pixbet： Everton have scarcely populated their offensive ranks since selling dynamic forward Richarlison to Tottenham Hotspur for £60m in the summer.
da cassino： Neal Maupay was signed from Brighton & Hove Albion for £15m at the start of the campaign, but the French forward has only scored once from 22 appearances across all competitions, while recognised talisman Dominic Calvert-Lewin has been plagued by injuries yet again this year and has managed just one strike himself, unable to make the match squad 17 times in the Premier League.
Ellis Simms was recalled from his loan spell at Championship outfit Sunderland in January and notably scored in the dying embers against Chelsea to restore parity at Stamford Bridge.
The recent managerial appointment of Sean Dyche, renowned for his stoic work at Burnley, has tided up the ranks and instilled confidence and tenacity, with the relegation-threatened Toffees now 15th in the table having avoided defeat in their past three matches, but securing a new striking force is paramount this summer.
According to 90min, Dyche might just have distinguished his man, with Everton among the lengthy list of suitors for Borussia Mönchengladbach phenom Marcus Thuram, who is out of contract in the summer.
Clinching a deal would be a massive coup considering the likes of Inter Milan and Newcastle United are pushing for a deal, but should his signature be procured, the Blues would boast a talismanic force to catapult them back into contention amid the European-chasing outfits in the English top-flight.
How good is Marcus Thuram?
In the 2021/22 season, Thuram was beset with injury issues and only scored three times, but this year the nine-cap Frenchman has responded emphatically and scored 15 goals from 26 appearances for his Bundesliga outfit, also registering four assists.
His progress has somewhat derailed after the seasonal pause for the 2022 World Cup, with the £54k-per-week ace only scoring twice since reaching the final of the tournament in Qatar, but there are a multitude of reasons that he might be faltering in his feats, especially given his contractual situation.
As per Fbref, the forward, who flourishes in a central attacking role or out on the wide flank, ranks among the top 14% of forwards in Europe's top five leagues for goals and the top 9% for progressive carries and successful take-ons per 90, which highlights a driving factor to his game that could pay dividends for Dyche's team.
Hailed as a "goalscoring monster" by sports writer Robin Bairner, Thuram is listed as the tenth most comparable player to Napoli's sensational striker Victor Osimhen, who has scored 25 strikes from 29 outings for his Serie A-topping outfit, also into the Champions League quarter-finals.
Napoli are one of the most free-flowing and exciting sides in Europe, and Osimhen is the catalyst for the offensive fluidity, ranking among the top 1% of forwards across Europe for rate of goals per 90, and has subsequently been dubbed a "goal machine" himself by journalist Mimi Fawaz.
With Everton boasting a tally of just 22 goals from 28 matches in the top-flight this season, the joint-lowest in the division, clinching a formidable force to spearhead the charge is imperative, and if the "world-class" – as once heralded by Wolfsburg sporting director Marcel Schäfer – Thuram is landed, the sun could shine on Goodison Park once again.