Bengaluru, July 21: Former Liverpool manager and Kop favourite Rafael Benitez controversially has taken the manager's hot-seat of the Reds' crosstown rivals, Everton, this summer and the Spanish manager has been exceptionally quick in working with Marcel Brands in order to start making moves for his key transfer targets ahead of the new campaign.
The Blues have already confirmed the signings of Asmir Begovic and Andros Townsend, and are said to be closing in on a move for former Leicester City star Demarai Gray as well.
Despite the fact that the Toffees have already signed Townsend and are closing in on Gray, Everton are said to be preparing a £25 million move for Burnley winger Dwight McNeil. However, they face strong competition from Aston Villa for his signature. And, the Blues will have to fend off interest from Villa who are said to be in pole position to land the former Manchester United youth graduate.
With Townsend already signed and Gray looking set for a move as well, Everton look pretty well-stocked on the flanks with the likes of Alex Iwobi, Bernard, Anthony Gordon and star man Richarlison all at the disposal of Benitez. James Rodríguez and Gylfi Sigurdsson can both be used on wide roles as well. However, with the pattern of wingers Benitez has been linked with, it seems that the Toffees are likely to adopt a completely changed style of play.
Benitez is known to be a pragmatic manager who is a believer of a counter-attacking and direct style of play relying on a strong foundation at the back. Everton already have a pretty solid backline and are likely to bolster in that area and have a pretty decent midfield as well. What they lacked for Benitez's liking are traditional old-school wingers who like to take on defenders and put in dangerous crosses into the opposition area. And, McNeil is exactly the kind of a wide player the Spanish manager wants in his side.
Unlike most modern-day wide players who are mostly deployed as inside forwards, McNeil is an out and out winger who can cause havoc from the left flank with his strong left foot. Everton have one of the biggest aerial threats in the Premier League in the form of Dominic Calvert Lewin upfront and it is pretty understandable that the 24-year-old would benefit if he is deployed in a system comprising of natural wingers rather than players who cut in from wide positions and create chances.
McNeil is one of the most prolific crossers in the Premier League and the left-hand side of Everton would become much more dangerous and unpredictable with him and Lucas Digne. McNeil is just 21 years of age now and already has 107 appearances for Burnley to his name. The 21-year-old still has almost his whole career ahead of him and is likely to improve a lot if he moves to Goodison Park. And, £25 million certainly seems like a more than fair deal for the Burnley wideman.