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10 minutes ago
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Adam Aznou — An Everton Wonderkid?
Well, Everton are getting frighteningly close to the big season kickoff, stumbling as they are towards a Monday 18th August meeting against newly-promoted Leeds United, with a threadbare squad. Technically, numbers are now up to a theoretically healthy seeming 22 players – just three short of a maximum 25-man Premier League squad – although anyone who's been watching Everton struggle to field a competitive team during the club's semi-embarrassing US summer tour will know better. It's worth noting that this conjectural squad contains third-string goalkeeper Harry Tyrer, the perennially-injured Seamus Coleman, the surely-he-won't-be-here come September 1st Nathan Patterson, along with a trio who'd be better served gaining experience away from the Toffees — in Youssef Chermiti, Harrison Armstrong and Tim Iroegbunam. Given that Everton seem nowhere near to signing a midfielder at present, the last-mentioned player may end up being retained. Incidentally, both 18-year-old midfielder Armstrong and exciting new signing Adam Aznou are exempt from the league's registration rules. Speaking of whom, let's take a look at the club's fourth addition this summer, the young left back signed from Bayern Munich for €9m at the end of last week. La Masia Graduate The Barcelona native started out at local youth team Damm, before joining the famous La Masia academy at age 12. Whilst at the Barcelona academy, Aznou, who is of Moroccan heritage, played for the Spanish under-16 setup, but his time in Catalonia would soon come to an end. By the age of 16 he was attracting attention from a number of major European outfits, including Bayer Leverkusen, Juventus, Benfica and Dortmund, before accepting an offer to join Bundesliga juggernauts Bayern Munich, in July 2022. In Bavaria The youngster seems to have adapted to his new environment relatively seamlessly, though his first year in Germany was disrupted with a hip injury which extended into the summer of 2023. He did feature for Bayern's youth side, as well as making a number of appearances in the Spanish U17 setup. During this period, as are many developing players, he was deployed in various positions. In the following season, he made it to the first team bench on several occasions, nailed down a position at left back and switched international allegiance to Morocco. Most notably, he announced himself as a player to watch by starring in the UEFA Youth League — and catching the eye of Everton's scouts in the process. Last season was a pivotal one in Aznou's nascent career. He was moved to the Bayern first team in the autumn, but found minutes hard to come by — behind Alphonso Davies and the experienced Portuguese international Raphaël Guerreiro. Still, he earned a senior cap for Morocco in September, but was then surprisingly loaned out to bottom-placed La Liga outfit Real Valladolid at the start of February. A Spanish Ordeal If the verdict on the 18-year-old was that he needed to work on the defensive side of his game, in addition to earning minutes in senior football at a high level, then both boxes were ticked during his loan spell in Spain. The club majority-owned by legendary Brazilian striker Ronaldo Nazário were abject, ensuring that Aznou would have to spend a lot of time without the ball. The young left back featured 13 times, starting ten and losing all but one, with the team conceding 29 goals en route. If that appears unflattering, consider that in the three games Aznou didn't play in, Valladolid shipped an alarming 14! With the Spanish side roundly relegated at the end of the season, the defender rejoined his parent club, with Bayern heading to the USA to take part in the expanded FIFA Club World Cup over the summer, but saw just eight minutes of action in the team's initial match — a 10-0 massacre of part-timers Auckland City. With Davies out, having sustained an ACL tear in March, it appears that being overlooked in favour of the veteran Guerreiro pushed Aznou into asking for a move — and the Blues were quick to act. Analysis Aznou is listed at 5'10, though could be a little taller, and is quite lightly built, which is something which panics a lot of Premier League managers; David Moyes has already referenced the need for Adam to add a little weight to his frame. Personally, I think this is often overstated and the full back looks fairly sturdy in challenges. He only turned 19 lat month, and will naturally get stronger, without adding artificial bulk. In La Liga, Aznou won an impressive 68.8% of his aerial duels and racked up good defensive numbers — which is partly due to Valladolid being on the back foot much of the time. The defender's natural strengths are in his technical attributes, speed, agility and quick thinking. An modern full back, his touch is excellent and he's able to burst forward quickly whilst remaining in control of the ball. He's left-footed, but is comfortable with his right, which aids in him making fluid changes in direction when driving up the pitch. Aznou is well able to hug the touchline and put in well-delivered crosses, or to take up intelligent positions inside, sometimes popping up in attacking midfield areas, which makes him both versatile and unpredictable. His defending – not something which he'd had to do a lot of – was given a genuine field test during his spell with Valladolid and came on leaps and bounds. He is barely 19 and so has plenty of room to develop in this area, but he showed tenacity, winning 52.8% of his ground duels and stuck to his duties gamely, demonstrating that he's not just some elite academy product, but has grit and character about him. Aznou provided one of Valladolid's few attacking outlets, being able to break forward on occasion on the counter, an ability which will serve him well at Everton. Evaluation Signing a player with this amount of potential for a very reasonable fee is a genuine coup for the Blues. Aznou's pedigree, in going through the youth systems of both Barcelona and Bayern, is impeccable and his ceiling as is very high indeed. He ticks all the boxes required of a full back in the modern game — except experience in senior football, which is no surprise, given his age. In order to develop into the player he can become he needs regular game time, something that was denied him in Germany. That the Spaniard pushed for a move away from the Bundesliga titans at barely 19 in search of this, speaks highly to his desire to reach his full potential. I believe that Aznou is the kind of player who, under normal circumstances, rapidly moves out of a club like Everton's reach, and that they were able to take advantage of this small window of opportunity to sign him is without doubt a great piece of business. For now, the steady Vitaly Mykolenko will be the Blues' starting left back, but it is imperative to integrate Aznou as much and as quickly as possible. He's not a developmental player, he's a first team talent and, given enough opportunities, should displace the Ukrainian as a starter during the campaign. A full international for a very decent side, Aznou has the talent to transform Everton's left side, combining well with the likes of Iliman Ndiaye, and any other good players who the club may sign before the end of the transfer window. Making predictions is a fool's game, but I'm going to take a chance and claim that this could be the club's sleeper signing of the summer. I look forward to seeing him in action. Statistics provided by and
Yahoo
10 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Alan Shearer claims Liverpool has questions to answer with transfer advice
Newcastle United legend Alan Shearer believes that Liverpool has glaring issues that must be resolved defensively, amid its pursuit of striker Alexander Isak. Liverpool has heavily pursued Isak this summer, and Newcastle rejected a bid worth $146 million from the Premier League champions. Liverpool has already spent $106 million on Hugo Ekitike this transfer window, a player Newcastle intended to sign. It's been an exciting summer window for Liverpool, as Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong, and Milos Kerkez have all been acquired alongside Ekitike. However, despite being linked with Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi, Shearer is concerned about Liverpool's depth in the center-back role. READ MORE: Darwin Nunez agreement could spark transfer merry-go-round as Man Utd makes $98M offer READ MORE: Liverpool transfer news LIVE: Isak misses training, Barcola move 'considered', Nunez exit looms Liverpool's starting center-back partnership is among the best in world soccer. Virgil van Dijk is still world-class at age 34, and Ibrahima Konate continues to improve with each season following his arrival in 2021. Behind them, though, are Joe Gomez and Rhys Williams. Gomez has made 137 Premier League appearances for Liverpool across 10 seasons, but has never held down a consistent role. Williams is only 24, but all nine of his league appearances came during an injury-ridden 2020-21 season. Since then, he has been sent on loan five times, but he did make 33 appearances for Morecambe last season in League Two. While the offensive targets are exciting for Liverpool, Shearer believes the club should prioritize a center-back. "Looking at Liverpool, there are still a few questions defensively, and I'd guess that center-half is still a position that they want to fill, certainly with added numbers because they are light in that position," he told Betfair. "It wouldn't surprise me if they're in the market for another centre-half. There'll be even more money spent by the big clubs come the end of the transfer window." Liverpool remains keen on breaking the British transfer record to sign Isak, but for Newcastle to grant his release, the club needs to sign a replacement. However, the window has been disastrous for the club. When Newcastle signed Anthony Elanga from Nottingham Forest for $74 million on July 10, optimism was high. Since then, Newcastle has seen pursuits of Burnley goalkeeper James Trafford, Ipswich striker Liam Delap, and Brentford winger Bryan Mbeumo fall through. All three players opted for moves elsewhere in England, and Liverpool hijacked Newcastle's pursuit of Ekitike. After Newcastle finally saw a bid accepted for RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko, Manchester United turned his head with a late approach. If Newcastle cannot sign a new forward, then it's likely that Isak will remain at the club next season. However, given his desire to leave the club, which has forced him to train alone, head coach Eddie Howe must resolve the situation before the start of next season. "The biggest thing they have to do is, somehow, sort the Isak situation out - and if they can't get anyone in, I guess that means he isn't going anywhere," Shearer added. "Eddie will have to be at his persuasive best to try and turn Isak's head around because it has been turned in terms of him wanting to go to Liverpool. "On the proviso that he does want to go and Eddie can't turn his head, then you get the money. But prior to that, you have to get people in to replace him." Newcastle also released back-up striker Callum Wilson, meaning 22-year-old William Osula is the only center-forward on the roster besides Isak. Even if Newcastle does sign a new striker before the end of the window, Shearer is concerned about the club's inability to attract new players. "Whether that has anything to do with Newcastle's lack of business and the number of players that have said no to them, I don't know. It's not a good look."
Yahoo
31 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Liverpool exploring deal for PSG winger Bradley Barcola
Liverpool have added Bradley Barcola to their list of high-profile attacking targets as they continue to reshape their squad this summer. According to L'Equipe, the Paris Saint-Germain winger has emerged as a serious option for the Premier League champions, who have already made headlines with bold moves in the transfer market. While Alexander Isak remains a top priority, with the Reds submitting an offer between €120 million and €138 million, Newcastle United are unwilling to sell. That stance has forced Liverpool to keep their options open, and Barcola is now firmly on the radar. The 22-year-old was a standout performer in PSG's treble-winning 2024-25 campaign, scoring 22 goals and providing 19 assists in all competitions. Despite facing competition from Ousmane Dembele and Desire Doue in the front line, Barcola established himself as one of the club's most influential players. Liverpool are not alone in tracking the French international, who has 14 senior caps, but their long-standing interest could give them an edge. The club have followed his progress since his days at Lyon and may hope their persistence pays off. Barcola joined PSG from Lyon in a €50 million deal two years ago, and the Ligue 1 giants are reluctant to sell. Reports suggest it would take a bid of at least €100 million to tempt them, particularly from a club expected to challenge for the Champions League. Despite spending heavily already this summer, Liverpool remain aggressive in the market. More than £260 million has gone into transfers including Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong. This has been partly offset by a wave of big-money outgoings. Caoimhin Kelleher, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jarell Quansah, Luis Diaz and Tyler Morton have all departed, with Darwin Nunez also expected to leave. The combined total in player sales has neared £190 million. Harvey Elliott could add another £50 million if ongoing talks with RB Leipzig reach a conclusion. While reinforcements are also being sought in defence, the club are clearly focused on adding more firepower up front. Should their move for Isak fall through, Barcola appears to be one of the leading alternatives. Another name under consideration is Rodrygo, but with Real Madrid reluctant to sell, the path to Barcola may prove more straightforward. Liverpool's summer window is already historic, and further developments are expected in the coming days.
