The Cameroonian king’s tank is running low on gas, but a potential superstar has been sourced to succeed him.
Everton are thought to be considering a £10m bid for Basel striker Breel Embolo, who came to the club’s attention following a strong showing against local rivals Liverpool in the Champions League.
That’s the yarn being spun by the good folk at the Sun this weekend, with the Toffees – 23/10 to follow up their 2-1 win over West Ham with victory against Tottenham next – in the market for a long-term replacement for Samuel Eto’o.
Embrolo – who can play on the wing as well as through the middle – is of Cameroonian heritage, having been born in Yaounde and is immensely experienced for his age.
He has represented Switzerland up to under-21 levels as well as featuring for his club side regularly in both domestic and continental capacities.
It is in the latter where he has been particularly impressive, exemplifying a maturity that belies his tender years and it’s this commodity that suggests he wouldn’t be phased by a high-profile move abroad.
He has got one goal and one assist to his name from just three starts at Europe’s top table, meaning the youngster is directly responsible for one third of his side’s haul in the competition to date.
This solitary strike, which came in a 4-0 routing of Ludogorets, contributes to a total of eight from 14 appearances so far, with three coming in eight Swiss Premier League outings and a further four being plundered from just one start in the domestic cup.
His confidence is epitomised by the fact that Mohamed Elneny is the only Basel regular to surpass his two shots per game average in the Champions League, while no player to feature in each of their group games frequently provides as many key passes as his two.
Furthermore, Embrolo’s record is favourable when compared to that of Divock Origi’s, another talented teenager signed by Everton’s neighbours Liverpool for the same figure as is mooted here.
The regularly-lauded Belgian has just three goals in Ligue 1, despite making 11 appearances compared to his contemporaries eight and has only been able to add on more in Europe.
