Everton have two clear signings they must make after £15m Southampton deal

Everton’s pursuit of Che Adams could see the club finally address another two key areas, as they move in on a £15m deal.

The Toffees have pushed for a move for a central striker in recent weeks despite bringing in Sporting’s Youssef Chermiti and Villareal’s Arnaut Danjuma this summer.

Goals continue to be a real issue for Toffees boss Sean Dyche, but their defence didn’t fare any better during their 4-0 defeat to Aston Villa at Villa Park on Sunday.

Fans are hoping to see more signings before the end of the window, and the Everton manager reiterated this over the weekend.

“These deals at the minute I’m waiting for news. That’s not about Che Adams, it’s any deal. We’re in for a number of situations; whether they come to fruition, I’m waiting on news.”

Adams has already netted on a few occasions for the Saints in the Championship and he is a signing that could be inserted straight into the starting line-up, if it goes through.

That’s all the more important considering Dominic Calvert-Lewin suffered a freak injury in the defeat to Villa, and could be sidelined as a result.

As Adams would be a way to combat their lack of goals, their defence looked particularly shaky against Unai Emery’s side; many fans were pointing towards the poor performance of Michael Keane next to James Tarkowski, and the fear is that another centre-back may now be needed.

Jarrad Branthwaite is the obvious choice to come in following a successful loan at PSV last season, but he is still very inexperienced at this level and there may be another needed following the departures of Conor Coady and Yerry Mina.

Other options include Ben Godfrey and Mason Holgate, both of whom have failed to make any type of substantial impact across the last year. As it stands, their options for the centre-back role look short.

A centre-back would be prudent, but with Idrissa Gueye also coming off at half-time - there could be another issue in defensive midfield. Gueye remains their only natural figure in that role and whilst James Garner could deputise, the Senegal international made the third highest tackles last season with 97 and his presence is hard to replace.

Transfer reports have only linked with the club with more attacking signings and it remains a priority.

However, the club may have to look at their defensive depth before it’s too late, as an injury to Tarkowski - who played every minute last season - would certainly be detrimental to their fate.