Everton tracking Blackburn’s Armstrong


Carlo Ancelotti should urge Everton to launch a pursuit of Blackburn Rovers striker Adam Armstrong in the summer transfer window.

What’s the word?

According to Football Insider, the Toffees have begun tracking Armstrong and had scouts watch the Rovers sensation in action against AFC Bournemouth on Monday.

Armstrong has been one of the Championship’s stand-out talents this term and his efforts at Ewood Park have not gone amiss on Merseyside.

Should Everton sign Blackburn’s Armstrong?

Yes, he’d be perfect

No, he isn’t good enough

No, he isn't good enough

The 24-year-old has 20 goals and three assists in all competitions, including 19 in 34 league games for the division’s third-best record behind Ivan Toney (28) and Teemu Pukki (25).

Everton are monitoring Armstrong’s situation as his prolific record has club chiefs on alert, with the Goodison Park outfit set to be in the market for a new centre-forward this off-season.

The Blues are set to part with winter signing Joshua King when his contract expires in June, while doubt has arisen over the futures of Cenk Tosun and Moise Kean with both available for suitable offers.

Blackburn are expected to value Armstrong at £25m as Newcastle United would be due 40% of any fee received, while the striker also has interest from West Ham with David Moyes said to have carried out personal checks, per The Sun.

Brighton & Hove Albion have also been linked, while Newcastle are reportedly ready to re-sign their academy product regardless of the outcome of their fight for Premier League survival.

Should Everton sign Blackburn’s Armstrong?

Ancelotti could do far worse than to urge Everton’s owner Farhad Moshiri to bankroll a pursuit of Armstrong in the off-season, when the Goodison Park outfit strive to bolster the Italian’s attacking options.

The Blues will likely have to meet Blackburn’s valuation in full to snap up Armstrong given the widespread Premier League interest, but would acquire a lethal centre-forward in the West Denton-born frontman.

Armstrong has been thriving in the second-tier this season in a Rovers side that has seen any hopes of promotion be completely dashed, with the Play-Off positions almost out of reach with a 20-point deficit to sixth-placed Reading with eight games to play.

That cannot be said for Toney or Pukki, with the Championship’s top-scorers playing for sides contending for automatic promotion with Brentford sitting third and Norwich topping the table with an eight-point lead over second-placed Watford.

Armstrong has also averaged the most shots-per-game in the second-tier this season with 4.6 – 1.1 more than Pukki and 1.7 more than Toney – while only five players across the division have attempted more from outside the box (1.3), per WhoScored.

What has counted against Armstrong is that the £17,000-per-week star missed five games with a hamstring injury before returning to face Bournemouth on Monday, depriving Blackburn boss Tony Mowbray of a forward he lauds for his “dynamic movement”.

Mowbray also hails Armstrong for having “amazing attributes” and was surprised that no Premier League side sought his signature in January, which Ancelotti should see is not the case come the summer if moves are secured for Tosun and Kean to leave Everton.

AND in other news, Everton have landed a huge boost in the race to sign a £20m “victim of circumstance”





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