While the Premier League's profit and sustainability (PSR) situation has turned into a kind of money-centred quagmire, clubs such as Everton deserve credit for successfully identifying loopholes and outwitting the constraints of financial limitations.
There have been understandable concerns at Goodison Park after breaching FFP rules in both the 2021/22 and 2022/23 campaigns, but Lewis Dobbin has been sold to Aston Villa for £9m, Dominic Calvert-Lewin had been closing in on a transfer to Newcastle United and Jarrd Branthwaite remains of a vested interest to Manchester United, transfer-listed in the bracket of £75m.
Sean Dyche will need to ensure compliance ahead of the June 30 deadline but this is looking decidedly more positive after recent movements in this transfer merry-go-round, with the Toffees waving goodbye to Dobbin, headed for Villa Park, but rolling out the carpet for Tim Iroegbunam in return, who has joined for £9m too, from Villa.
Cross-player transactions are rife in the Premier League deal zone right now, but one appears to have come undone, and Everton must now change track.
Everton forced to change track
Everton had thought themselves frontrunners for Newcastle United youngster Yankuba Minteh, with the player seemingly wanting to move to Goodison Park.
However, as per Sky Sports' Keith Downie, Newcastle have pulled out of contention to sign Dominic Calvert-Lewin, consequently knocking down the deal for Minteh.
Everton, however, have acted prudently. Jack Harrison has walked through the door for a successive loan spell while also fighting to sign Wilfried Gnonto, with the Whites losing the Championship play-off final.
According to Football Insider, it's believed that Everton are now readying an approach for the Italy international after failing to sign him with a series of bids last summer, the last of which totalling £26m.
Yankuba Minteh's 2023/24 season in numbers
Everton thought they were getting a top talent in Minteh. For now, that case is closed.
Last season, in the Dutch Eredivisie, Minteh scored ten goals and added six assists across only 17 starting appearances, as per Sofascore, creating nine big chances, completing 2.2 dribbles and winning 5.0 duels (per match average).
Harrison averaged 1.0 dribbles and 3.7 successful duels per game in the Premier League last term. Dwight McNeil? 0.9 dribbles and 3.7 duels.
At an early stage, the five-cap Gambia international (with two goals) is already laying the foundation for a complete style of play that would serve him very well indeed on Premier League soil. Sure, Odense's chief executive Steffen Nielsen has hailed his "magic" ability with the ball but the above-mentioned attributes also feature at the core of his playing style.
Goals scored
0.62
Top 3%
Assists
0.31
Top 13%
Shots taken
0.31
Top 7%
Shot-creating actions
5.81
Top 3%
Progressive carries
7.85
Top 2%
Successful take-ons
3.65
Top 2%
Touches in the attacking box
9.89
Top 1%
Tackles made
2.84
Top 4%
One keen-eyed scout has even noted that if it all clicks for the Gambian gem, "he can reach Sadio Mane level", such is his prowess down the right wing, emulating Liverpool's former Senegalese sensation.
The Newcastle youngster has gone from strength to strength since signing for his current club, and while missing out on him comes as a blow, Gnonto is a brilliant, Premier League-tested player and Everton would seal a bargain in bringing him to the club.
Why Everton could actually benefit from signing Gnonto
During the 2022/23 campaign, Leeds went down after a bitter, bitter season that just didn't come together, though there were a few bright sparks, with Gnonto underlining his name as one to watch, scoring four goals, adding four assists but impressing through his physicality and tenacity.
Since starring for Daniel Farke's side in the Championship, Gnonto might have failed to lift Elland Road back to the Premier League but he's continued to prove why he's such an attractive talent, clinching 12 goal contributions across the campaign despite spending the opening months on the fringe.
Indeed, only one goal and one assist arrived before the new year, speaking of his bouncebackability after languishing initially.
To emphasise how well he's done: Gnonto ranks among the top 6% of attacking midfielders and wingers across divisions similar to the Championship for goals scored, the top 10% for progressive carries and the top 18% for tackles per 90. He's the complete package, tailor-made for Premier League football.
Everton's industrious approach under Dyche last season led to a comfortable 15th-place finish that belied their eight-point deduction for breaching FFP rules. Everyone put in a shift, crushing the notion that the troubled Toffees were destined for the drop.
Gnonto's electric pace and sharp, natural-born ability to strike the back of the net suggest that he could be the perfect alternative signing to Minteh. Moreover, he's as versatile as they come, capable of performing across the frontline.
But there was an element of fizz that proved to be lacking. Gnonto might be the ideal fit, having been profiled last summer, hailed as an "absolute nightmare for defenders" by talent scout Jacek Kulig.
The stars looked to have aligned with Newcastle's Minteh turned toward Merseyside. While it looks unlikely that he will be plying his trade under Dyche's wing next year, Gnonto could prove to be every bit the solution and more.
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ByEthan Lamb