Everton will be looking to avoid a repeat of their last two Premier League campaigns as Sean Dyche aims to significantly bolster his squad during the summer transfer window.
Ashley Young is the only arrival at Goodison Park so far, but now the Toffees are plotting a move for Leicester City striker Kelechi Iheanacho.
How much could Kelechi Iheanacho cost Everton?
According to Football Insider, Everton have ‘registered their interest’ in the striker as Dyche looks to add some attacking reinforcements to his squad ahead of next season.
The Foxes find themselves in a precarious situation whereby they may have to sell the majority of their prized assets due to their relegation to the Championship. James Maddison and Youri Tielemans have already left and now it appears as though the Nigerian could be next.
Iheanacho has only 12 months remaining on his current contract and Leicester may have to cash in on him this summer as opposed to losing him for free next year.
With that in mind, they have placed a valuation of between £10m-£15m on the 26-year-old and this could represent a solid investment by Dyche.
How good is Kelechi Iheanacho?
The former Manchester City starlet earns £90k-per-week at the Championship side and although this is nearly double that of Neal Maupay (£49k-per-week) a summer arrival in 2022, there is no doubt he could be a major upgrade on the Frenchman next season.
Having cost the club £15m from fellow Premier League side Brighton and Hove Albion, he was expected to take his game to the next level having netted 27 goals for the south coast side in three seasons.
The 26-year-old ended up registering just two goal contributions – one goal and one assist – across 29 matches for Everton in what was an underwhelming campaign to say the least and Iheanacho could offer so much more.
Not only did he offer a greater attacking threat by scoring more league goals (five to one) last term, but he also created more chances (seven to zero), averaged more key passes per game (0.8 to 0.3) and completed more successful dribbles per game (0.7 to 0.3) with this clearly suggesting he would be a much better option for Dyche in 2023/24, adding goals along with the ability to create plenty of opportunities for others in the team.
Iheanacho also impressed when compared to similar players across Europe’s big five leagues, ranking in the top 2% for assists per 90 (0.4), top 9% for shot-creating actions per 90 (3.59) and successful take-ons per 90 (1.6), again, evidence that he offers more than just goals, with a more rounded approach which could benefit the rest of the Everton forward line during matches.
In contrast, Maupay failed to even rank in the top 70% across the big five European leagues in the same attacking metrics, suggesting that there is a massive difference between both his and Iheanacho’s attacking output.
Former professional Tony Cottee lauded the Nigerian striker back in 2021 following a goal against Crystal Palace, saying he was a "special talent."
Considering how poor his forwards performed last season, it certainly appears to be a no-brainer in spending just £15m to lure the player to Merseyside this summer.