The last few months of Moise Kean’s career haven’t been exceptional by any means. While he has been at fault, Everton have been as well, even more so than the Italian. As things stand, his situation now demands some improvements.
A host of reasons have now led to links with AC Milan. While there’s no denying the player’s qualities, both parties should avoid a potential San Siro meeting in January.
The Toffees have failed to replace Romelu Lukaku ever since he left for Manchester United in 2017. The Belgian had scored 25 times across all competitions in the 2016-17 season – his last at Goodison Park. When he left, Everton didn’t sign a single proper striker. They signed Wayne Rooney, Gylfi Sigurdsson and Davy Klaasen that summer but none of them were pure strikers.
They signed Richarlison last summer when he isn’t exactly an out and out forward. Cenk Tosun’s move in January of 2018 hasn’t worked out well either. Dominic Calvert-Lewin has always been there, but the Englishman isn’t a prolific goalscorer either.
These struggles to sign a striker who can score 25 goals in a season led them to Kean. Backed by the influential Mino Raiola, the move was hyped up more than any other Everton transfer in recent times.
Kean isn’t a bad player. But he hardly ever proved to be a consistent goalscorer over a large amount of time. At 19, Kean did score six times in the Serie A for Juventus last season. But what is worth pointing out is that these numbers have come in a single bunch.
The youngster had scored those six in just six games. That was the first time he had got some regular football at the Bianconeri.
Miralem Pjanic lauded the youngster during last season’s golden spell. The Bosnian said (via FootballItalia):
“Kean is a good lad, very humble, he works hard and has made enormous steps forward this season. Even before he was playing regularly, we saw his improvements in training, they were clear for all to see.
“He’s very young, it’s not easy to be in Serie A, but he’s scoring in every game he plays in. He should set his sights high, because playing for Juventus means you need to aim for the top.”
In his loan spell at Hellas Verona in the 2017-18 season, Kean had scored four goals in 19 appearances. An injury towards the end of the campaign had spoilt that time at the Bentegodi but Kean hadn’t made too much impact despite playing regular football.
While one can’t blame him for not scoring enough at a club that got relegated, it shows how Kean’s signature by Everton lacked proper research into what they needed upfront.
When it comes to Milan, the move won’t be the best. Raiola made a bad decision when it comes to the Everton move. A Rossoneri switch would represent a similar decision.
As things stand, Stefano Pioli’s men have three striker options. Summer signing Rafael Leao has rotated in that position with January signing Krzysztof Piatek. Another summer signing in Ante Rebic can also play as a striker – as evident from his Eintracht Frankfurt stint.
Milan decided to back out of Europa League football to improve their financial situation. They will play fewer games and there isn’t a need for depth. Another striker will not get any game time at all.
More so, the Rossoneri permanently sold Patrick Cutrone to Wolves in the summer. They wanted to make way for Leao and add pace to their attack. Signing Kean months after selling Cutrone would present stupidity and hypocrisy on their part.
More than that, signing Kean would show how badly run the club is. It would scream out for a lack of a plan when it comes to recruitment. Ideally, they will not want their summer and winter signings to be replaced by unproven 19-year-old who they freshly sign.
As for Kean, there will be numerous options. The answers might lie closer home in England. Crystal Palace are currently without a proper goalscorer. Jordan Ayew is their highest scorer with four goals and he isn’t a proper striker. Roy Hodgson’s direct system demands a tenacious striker like Kean.
He needs a loan move to prove that he can consistently lead the Everton backline. And he still has a bright future. But it doesn’t lie anywhere near Milan.
