Everton’s 20m transfer failure proves to be blessing in disguise after latest injury news

Tyler Adams was linked with a move to Everton in the summer window in a move worth £20m but they failed to secure the midfielder.

On paper, Adams is an experienced, young and Premier League proven defensive midfielder who’s tackling statistics from last season have him up there with the best in the division.

It seemed like a no-brainer to target the best players from the relegated clubs but they faced stiff competition and their lack of funds also played a huge part in Bournemouth sweeping in to sign the American.

Fast-forward a few months and Everton’s most recent game saw the likes of James Garner, Amadou Onana and Abdoulaye Doucoure run all over Bournemouth’s midfield as they powered to a 3-0 home victory - but there was no sign of Adams.

This week it was revealed that the 24-year-old is likely to be out for a significant amount of time and he is likely to be sidelined until at least mid-February after undergoing another hamstring surgery.

So far, he’s featured for just 20 minutes in total in the EFL Cup and it is likely that he will struggle to make much of an impact as he will surely be eased back into action when the time is right.

That is one area Everton would love to improve in; Idrissa Gueye is now 34-years-old, although, it must be said that he did manage the third most tackles in the league last season which suggests he still has something to offer.

Amadou Onana is clearly a brilliant young player but Sean Dyche only has a small midfield contingent that also includes Garner and Doucoure, with Andre Gomes likely to depart in January, so one more midfielder in that area would certainly be welcomed.

One name that has been thrown around is Manchester City’s Kalvin Phillips; the England international has struggled to feature under Pep Guardiola and reports are increasing around a loan move away so he can get some much-needed minutes under his belt.

Everton is one destination listed and he would certainly be welcomed with open arms at Goodison if a deal could take place. It will certainly end up being less costly than Adams, that’s for sure.