Everton manager Sean Dyche enjoyed the perfect start to his time in the dugout at Goodison Park by defeating league leaders Arsenal 1-0 in the Premier League earlier this month.
The Toffees picked up a huge three points in their battle against relegation from the top flight thanks to James Tarkowski’s goal, and the midfield was crucial to the win.
Idrissa Gueye, Amadou Onana and Abdoulaye Doucoure were superb in the middle of the park as they broke up opposition attacks and used their athleticism to counter and put pressure on the Gunners in their half of the pitch.
Gueye held things together in midfield by winning five duels, making two tackles and one interception, and completing an eye-catching 100% of his attempted passes.
However, Dyche may already be starting to think about possible transfer targets for the summer or beyond, as the 33-year-old Senegal international is heading into the latter stages of his career.
One player who could come in as the long-term successor to the former Paris Saint-Germain colossus is Sunderland youngster Chris Rigg, who has been linked with a move to Goodison Park.
Who is Chris Rigg?
The 15-year-old central midfielder is reportedly a target for Everton, whilst also being eyed by a number of other Premier League clubs, and he made his debut for the Black Cats last month.
Rigg, who does not turn 16 until the summer, has played in three FA Cup matches for Tony Mowbray’s first-team in 2023, despite only playing six times for the Wearsiders’ U21 outfit.
Should Everton sign Chris Rigg?
Yes
No
The teenager has “enormous” potential, according to Mowbray, and could be an exceptional addition to Everton’s squad for the future, as the youngster has plenty of years left ahead of him to develop and improve.
Whilst it remains to be seen how much of an impact Rigg can have the in the short-term, as he has only played three first-team matches, the midfielder – who can play in a multitude of roles – is someone who could come in with a view to breaking into Dyche’s squad in a future campaign.
Rigg was hailed as being “like a tiger” by his boss, which indicates that the Championship talent could offer similar defensive qualities to the current Toffees midfielder in terms of pouncing on the opposition to win back possession for his team.
By investing in such a young prospect, who has already shown enough quality at the age of 15 to convince Sunderland to hand him senior game-time, Everton could prevent themselves from needing to splash out big money on a replacement for Gueye further down the line.
Therefore, Dyche could land his eventual heir to the defensive midfielder’s position in the team by swooping ahead of the club’s Premier League rivals to land a deal for Rigg in the summer.
