Big upgrade on McNeil: Everton close in on sealing Moyes’ first signing
By Ben Gray
17 – 22 minutes
Fair to say, it’s been an eventful week at Everton.
On Thursday, mere hours before their FA Cup tie at home to Peterborough United, it was announced that Sean Dyche had been sacked, leaving Leighton Baines and club captain Séamus Coleman in caretaker charge, overseeing an unspectacular 2-0 victory.
Remarkably, this is the first time any Premier League club have sacked their manager on the day of a game, prior to kick off, for 30 years.
Everton manager Sean Dyche
Then, on Saturday morning, it was confirmed that David Moyes had returned, 13 years after leaving Merseyside for Manchester United, having overseen a whopping 518 matches during his first spell in charge.
With the Toffees currently 16th in the Premier League table, a mere one point clear of the relegation zone, reinforcements are needed, but could the first arrival of the second Moyes-era be imminent?
Everton want to bolster their forward line
According to a report by TEAMtalk, Everton are ‘in talks’ with Olympique Lyonnais over the signing of Ernest Nuamah.
Meanwhile, reports from France on social media claim the deal is only ‘one step away’ with an ‘agreement almost reached between the different parties.’
Numah joined Lyon from Danish Superligaen side Nordsjælland for a reported €30m in 2023, suggesting the Blues are unlikely to get him on the cheap.
However, as noted by Colin Millar, Matt Slater and Matt Woosnam of the Athletic, les Gones have been provisionally relegated from Ligue 1 “following an audit of their finances”, informed they must “satisfactorily improve their financial situation before the end of this season”.
Olympique Lyonnais’ Ernest Nuamah during the match
As a result, Nuamah appears set to be sacrificed, although no Everton supporter should consider this a done deal until he has officially put pen to paper.
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That’s because, in the summer, Nuamah was reportedly on the verge of joining Fulham, only to “vanish” part-way through his medical, after breaking down in tears, declaring his love for OL and refusing to move to West London, with American owner John Texter subsequently forced to send an apology letter to the Cottagers.
Fair to say, the Toffees will be hoping to avoid similar complications.
How Ernest Nuamah compares to Dwight McNeil
Ghanian commentator George Addo Jnr on Twitter describes his compatriot as “some talent”, with journalist Owuraku Ampofo adding that he is “a fantastic dribbler”.
Wesley Mak of Opta’s The Analyst labels him as “a multi-functional forward” capable of playing anywhere across the front three, comparing him to West Ham’s Mohammed Kudus, another Ghanian attacker who began his career at the world-renowned Right to Dream Academy.
Well, considering Everton are the Premier League’s second-lowest scorers this season, ranked rock-bottom for xG, the Blues need all the attacking reinforcement they can get, but how does Nuamah compare to their joint-top scorer Dwight McNeil?
Nuamah vs McNeil comparison (23/24 & 24/25)
Statistics
Nuamah
McNeil
Appearances
56
56
Minutes
3,205
4,732
Goal
8
7
Expected goals
6
4.3
Assists
4
10
Expected assists
5.1
12.2
Shots on target %
39.7%
27.4%
Shot-creating actions
109
190
Crosses
122
365
Attempted take-ons
160
103
Progressive carries
146
111
All statistics courtesy of FBref.com
The table outlines that these two wingers are stylistically very different.
McNeil is much more a creator, hence why he’s accumulated significantly more assists and expected assists while, last season, only eight players across Europe’s “top five” leagues put in more crosses than his 229; Dyche-ball at its finest.
Dwight McNeil for Everton
Meanwhile, Nuamah is much more of a dribbler, registering more take-ons and progressive carries, with the Ghanian significantly more of a goal threat, bagging 15 goals during his final campaign at Nordsjælland, on target against such illustrious opponents as Paris Saint-Germain and Eintracht Frankfurt since making to move to Lyon.
A carry is considered progressive if the ball is moved towards the opponent’s goal at least 10 yards from its starting point or is carried into the penalty area.
Well, considering Everton have scored nil during eight of their last ten Premier League outings, failing to find the net in a whopping 39% of the league games Dyche took charge of, Nuamah will certainly be a welcome addition for all Evertonians.
Ademola-Lookman-Everton-Atalanta
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