Yannick Bolasie: Middlesbrough reignite drive to sign Everton winger
Marcel Brands has landed a huge break in his bid to finally rid Everton of Yannick Bolasie with Middlesbrough reportedly reigniting their drive to sign the unwanted winger.
What’s the word?
According to Football Insider, Neil Warnock’s Boro are putting plans in place to bring Bolasie to the Riverside Stadium in January having failed to get a deal over the line this summer.
Everton were believed to have agreed on terms with the Championship side ahead of the window slamming shut, but saw the move collapse on Deadline Day as the paperwork needed to register the DR Congo international was not processed in time.
Warnock is a big admirer of Bolasie’s talents following their time together at Crystal Palace and has stated previously a determination to reunite with the forward in January, feeling the 31-year-old is the type of player who can make a difference in their push for promotion.
Boro sit six-points outside the Play-Off positions after the opening 17 games of the campaign thanks to one of the second-tier’s most evenly-balanced records, featuring six wins, six draws and five defeats, but a tame offence with just 16 goals scored thus far.
Bolasie has not featured in any competition this season after Carlo Ancelotti informed Everton’s £25million signing that he was surplus to requirements at Goodison Park upon returning from a season-long loan with Liga NOS powerhouse Sporting CP.
Millions on millions wasted
Middlesbrough reigniting their efforts to end Bolasie’s Goodison Park nightmare is a huge break for Everton’s Director of Football Brands, who has shouldered the burden of removing Steve Walsh’s disastrous signing since arriving on Merseyside in 2018.
Bolasie has been completely frozen out at Everton since the appointment of Ancelotti, but his horrors date back further with a serious knee injury in December 2016 – just months after his arrival – the start of what has proven to be a long road to nowhere.
The blow brought short a campaign of little promise with four assists and one goal in 13 Premier League appearances, and forced Bolasie to miss more than a year out before offering one goal and no assists in 16 games under Sam Allardyce upon his return.
Bolasie’s seven-minute run out in Everton’s 3-1 loss to West Ham United on the final day of the 2017/18 season remains his last for the club and with his £75,000-per-week contract due to expire next summer, Brands must do all he can to ensure the Lyon-born forward’s record scratches to its final halt this winter.
Everton have already wasted millions on millions through Ronald Koeman’s decision to sign Bolasie and Walsh’s call to pay £25m, as his total salary to date has pushed the Blues’ outlay to £41.87m and will only continue to climb until he says his last goodbyes.
AND in other news, Everton already have their answer to a 48-goal target “every coach wants”.