Everton have offered to sign the “underrated” PL winner

Could 2025 be the year of optimism for Everton after all?

On Sunday, David Moyes picked up the first win of his second term in charge on Merseyside, overseeing a 3-2 win against Tottenham in which the Toffees led 3-0 at half-time at Goodison; Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Iliman Ndiaye both goals.

This moved the Toffees four points clear of the relegation zone, they desperately needed to hold on Premier League before moving to their new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock in the summer.

As Moyes tries to assemble a squad strong enough to survive comfortably, now is his chance to bring in new players, so can the Blues sign the multiple Premier League winner on a free transfer?

Everton want to add a new winger

According to the report of Matt Law for the Telegraph last week, Everton were “offered” the chance to sign him William this month.

The winger joined record 47-time Greek champions Olympiacos in September, earning a reported £100k per week in Piraeus, but made only 11 performances for the red and white, zero goals, so that’s why they are eager to break his one-year contract only halfway through, making him a free agent as of New Year’s Eve.

Willian is best known for his time at Chelseascoring 63 goals and 57 assists in 339 appearances, he arrived from Anzhi Makhachkala on reported £32m in 2013, winning two Premier League titles, the FA Cup, the EFL Cup and the Europa League.

To be fair, the Brazilian is a beloved figure at the Blues, but the same cannot be said for their London rivals Arsenal.

Out of contract in 2020, Willian joined the Gunners on a free transfer but only scored one goal in 37 appearanceswith a journalist Phil Costa on Twitter describing him as “one of the worst professionals” in Arsenal’s history, while former striker John Hartson he added he contributed “absolutely nothing” during his time at the club.

After a short stay in Brazil with Corinthians, shorten after receiving countless death threats from irate fans, has returned to English football with Fulham, and it’s safe to say he’s more popular at Craven Cottage than at Highbury.

How Willian could help Everton

Willian bagged ten goals for the Cottagers, most notably scoring against his former side in a famous West London derby victory, revealing afterwards in the BBC’s Football Focus that his daughters are sad because they both “love Chelsea”.

Speaking further Sky Sports Monday Night Football earlier this month, Fulham captain Tom Cairney believes Willian is the best player he has ever played with, claiming the Brazilian is one of the “most underrated” players in Premier League history, adding that he doesn’t get the “recognition he deserves”.

So the Fulham faithful were upset to see the Brazilian leave last summer, showing there is still a top-quality player out there somewhere, even if Arsenal fans won’t believe you, suggesting Everton should make a move.

Even after Sunday’s three-goal match, the first time The Toffees have scored more goals from open play in the same game all season, still rank second-bottom Premier League for goals scored (18) and goals expected (21.1).

So Moyes certainly needs help in attack, so can Willian have a similar impact at Goodison to James Rodríguez?

Another big-money name after a stellar career in Europe, the Colombian spent just one season on Merseyside but scored six goals and collected eight assists, helping them to a top ten finish in 2020/21, finishing no later than the 15th, becoming a cult herodespite always playing behind closed doors.

So could Willian do something similar? Let’s compare the Brazilian’s time at Fulham with the Colombian’s time at Everton.

Given that Willian had two seasons at Fulham, while Rodríguez was at Everton for just one, the latter provides a very small sample, so we estimate the stats on a 90-by-90 basis.

In short, the pair are mostly very similar in many metrics, including shooting and passing percentage.

James has been much more of a goal threat though, although he has vastly surpassed his xG during his time at Goodison, which is obviously great, if not overly sustainable.

Willian, meanwhile, ranks higher when it comes to dribbling and shot-making actions, suggesting he could certainly add something extra to Everton’s attack; on Bosman, he could be the cheap and low-risk signing they are looking for.