Initially reported by Fabrizio Romano last week surrounding our interest, Di Marzio has reported on Thursday evening that Everton have now reached an agreement with Napoli regarding a loan deal for the 24 year old Danish forward, Jesper Lindstrøm. The deal being negotiated between Everton and the Italian outfit would see him join for the season, with the Toffees having a buy option included in the deal. The one time target of Liverpool joined Napoli last season for a reported fee of 30 Million Euros from Eintracht Frankfurt, however he failed to hit the ground running in Naples with a goalless season for Gli Azzurri. Ahead of his potential transfer to the Blue half of Merseyside, this article should give Evertonians a good indication of what to expect from the 24 year old and where I think he will fit into the Dyche system.
What kind of player is Jesper Lindstrøm?
Primarily being deployed as an attacking midfielder during his time in Germany and Italy, Lindstrøm can also play on either wing which would offer a versatile option for Sean Dyche’s squad. His game is largely centered around running with the ball at his feet and being progressive in his attacking play. Lindstrøm is incredibly quick and I believe he would adapt to the pace of the Premier League very well. His excellent footwork and ability to beat defenders offers evidence that he can be deployed on the wing, as well as through the middle.
With an eye for goal, Lindstrøm would offer us a different means of scoring goals from midfield, an aspect of the squad which I feel we have been lacking in for a number of years now; especially since the departure of James Rodriguez in 2021. Lindstrøm has shown spells of being a prolific finisher from distance, as well as one-on-one with the keeper. This was seen especially in his time with Brøndby and Eintracht Frankfurt. This would mean we wouldn’t solely have to rely on the prolific Idrissa Gana Gueye for goals from this position!
Another positive of the 24 year old is his work rate. As we know, Sean Dyche tends to favour players with a strong work rate and a willingness to get stuck in and defend. Lindstrom is a player that has the awareness to fulfil this and would therefore work very well under a Dyche system, similar to the likes of Dwight McNeil and Jack Harrison.
The only downside to his play seems to be his decision making in the final third. His stats suggest that he only has a 32% success rate of take-ons per 90, as well as him being tackled in 60% of his take-ons per 90. Due to the nature of the Premier League, and how quickly teams can turn defence into attack, this may represent a cause for concern if he was to be deployed as a winger in a Dyche system. However, I believe that this is an area that can be worked on with coaching under Dyche, and coupling this with his decent work rate, this can be ironed out of his game.
Lindstrøm’s stats in 23/24: A Cause for Concern?
The large proportion of opinions surrounding Lindstrøm and his proposed move to Everton were quick to reference his poor stats from the 2023/24 season. His first season in Serie A with Napoli was somewhat underwhelming and didn’t really reflect the reported 30 Million Euros which the Italian side paid for him. He finished last season with no goal involvements in 29 appearances in all competitions. Therefore, it was no surprise that he was omitted from the Danish EURO 2024 squad by Kasper Hjulmand.
Whilst I fully agree that this is worrying form for a 30 Million Euro asset, if we scratch beneath the surface on these stats, only 2 of his 22 appearances for Napoli last season in Serie A were from the start, with the other 20 being cameos off the bench. With only 430 minutes played in the league last season, it is clear that he has fallen out of favour at Napoli and needs a fresh start to revitalise his career.
To get a better understanding of what he would offer in terms of goals and assists, his final season in Germany with Eintracht Frankfurt is his most prolific. The Danish international tallied 9 goals and 4 assists in 38 games in the 2022/23 season under current Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner. Lindstrøm played the majority of these games in Attacking Midfield, which seems to be his most comfortable position.
My overall conclusion is that his basic stats don’t really tell the story of what kind of player he is and what he would offer to Sean Dyche and Everton. Deeper analysis will uncover the fact that his pace and power in his running will offer us more chances going forward. In his best season of football in Germany, he averaged 2.14 carries into the penalty area per 90, as well as 2.2 carries into the final third per 90. Putting him high up in percentile statistics, this shows he is a powerful runner with the ball at his feet, a style of player we have been lacking since the departure of Demarai Gray last year. Ultimately, with more gametime under Dyche than what he has had this season at Napoli, I believe he offers a prospect for Evertonians to get excited about.
Where will he fit in for Everton under Sean Dyche?
I believe a lot of Evertonians’ first thoughts surrounding the potential arrival of Jesper Lindstrøm to the Toffees will jump to the recent arrival of Iliman N’Diaye from Olympique Marseille, and how they will fit in this team together due to the pair both being primarily deployed in Attacking Midfield. I believe it is possible to accommodate both of them in Sean Dyche’s Starting XI due to the versatility of both players. Lindstrom’s pace and power in his running means that I believe that he could comfortably be deployed as a winger in the Premier League this season. He showed on multiple occasions with Eintracht Frankfurt that his running from deep with the ball led to many goal scoring opportunities; this would offer different attacking attributes to the likes of McNeil and Harrison, who don’t possess as much pace as Lindstrøm does.
With regards to Iliman N’Diaye, I believe he may play more central to what Jesper Lindstrøm does, potentially just behind the striker coming from deep, the Abdoulaye Doucoure role you may say. This would mean Lindstrøm would play off one of the wings. The beauty of this is that it offers a different tactical opportunity for Sean Dyche as both N’Diaye and Lindstrøm have interchangeable qualities which could see them switch in games, therefore offering a different outlook for Sean Dyche. A positive selection headache for the manager!
Whether this will impact the potential arrival of Wilfried Gnonto from Leeds United remains to be seen. Personally, I believe it would be exciting to see both Gnonto and Lindstrøm join the club but whether our financial situation permits that is a different story. Time will tell on that one.
Final Thoughts
Blues, for me this is one to get excited about. I completely understand the reservations that some may have about him, especially considering his recent season at Napoli falling below par. However, the loan deal with the option to buy is definitely a positive. It gives the player the opportunity to play for the move to the Premier League full time after falling out of favour in Italy, whilst also gives us the security of not exercising our option to buy 12 months down the line, should he not be up to standard. For me, he offers a completely different type of player to what we currently have at the club, a powerful, direct runner with an eye for goal. An absolute no brainer for me, hopefully we can get this over the line and see him in a Royal Blue shirt soon!
Thank you for reading this piece on Jesper Lindstrøm, let me know your thoughts on his potential arrival at Everton. Any feedback would be much appreciated!
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