Everton Keen On Roping In This Chelsea Defender: Why The Toffees Must Step Up Interest | OneFootball

If a report by French outlet Foot Mercato is believed to be true, Chelsea centre-back Malang Sarr is attracting interest from Everton over a potential winter loan. But the Toffees are not alone in the race as the likes of Newcastle United, Leicester City and West Ham United are also keen on the Frenchman to bolster their defence.

The 23-year-old former Les Bleus youth international joined Chelsea on a Bosman from Nice back in the summer of 2020. He was loaned out to Porto for regular football, however, he ended up being involved sporadically under Sérgio Conceição. Sarr was supposed to leave again on a season-long loan, but a move collapsed last summer resulting in his retention as the fifth-choice central defensive option behind Cesar Azpilicueta, Thiago Silva, Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger.

Meanwhile, a few injury woes earned him minutes for the West Londoners and the Nice academy prodigy grabbed his opportunities exquisitely with some headstrong and resilient defending under pressure. So far he has featured 9 times across competitions and the upcoming fixture congestion should see him grabbing more gametime donning the Blues colours. Having said that, the situation might still change if Thomas Tuchel sanctions a loan exit before the January window is slammed shut.

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – JANUARY 15: Raheem Sterling of Manchester City battles for possession with Malang Sarr of Chelsea during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Chelsea at Etihad Stadium on January 15, 2022 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images). The 4th Official uses images provided by the following image agency: Getty Images (https://www.gettyimages.de/) and Imago Images (https://www.imago-images.de/).

Why Everton Must Step Up Interest

Despite a promising start, Everton have slipped to 16th in the Premier League standings after an array of dismal outcomes. Rafael Benitez has been shown the door and the club are undergoing the process of a structural overhaul following years of catastrophe. The majority of current stars are not capable of bringing those glory days back at Goodison Park and the squad needs strengthening to climb up the league ladder.

The Everton defence has been all shambles in recent years. Michael Keane has grown older but has shown no improvement whatsoever. Yerry Mina has been injury-prone, whereas Mason Holgate does not know his best role yet having been deployed across the backline since joining from Barnsley. Although Ben Godfrey has shown glimpses of his quality, the collective failure and frailty indicate the necessity of roping in a new centre-half in order to restore stability in the long run.

January is not the best time for key business and a loan deal, therefore, makes complete sense. Sarr would attune to the demands of the English game and Chelsea, too, must reap the benefits of his development. It remains to be seen now what lies ahead for the young defender amid growing popularity among Premier League outfits.