Former Everton striker Tony Cottee has backed new signing Christian Norgaard to be an upgrade on Idrissa Gueye in the holding midfield role, and has confidence in David Moyes to resolve the club's long-standing right-back problem.
Norgaard's arrival
Norgaard, who has made over 200 appearances in English football, completed his £7million move from Arsenal last Wednesday. Cottee, who scored 99 goals in 241 appearances for the Blues after joining in August 1988, told the ECHO: “Christian is a really experienced Premier League player. He did well at Brentford but just didn’t get the opportunities at Arsenal.
“I think he’s what you’d call a typical David Moyes signing. It might not have worked out for him at his last club, but I think he’ll slot into that midfield and give them a nice bit of experience to allow those in front of him to go and play, so I think he’ll be a good acquisition for the club.
“You need that experience, someone who knows the game. You can’t have everyone charging forwards.
Gueye comparison
“Although he always did a job when he played, I’ve got to be honest, I’ve never been a massive fan of Idrissa Gueye. Hopefully Norgaard will be a better option in there and an upgrade to do the holding job that Everton needs.
“I think he’ll be more of a technical player. When you play in that area, you’ve got to know the role.
“When I first arrived at Everton, we had Peter Reid in that position. We’d all love to have a Reidy back, someone who can get about the pitch and play as well.
“You’ve got to be something of an all-round player in that position but most importantly, you’ve got to protect the back four. It will pretty much be a straight swap for Gueye I’d think.”
Right-back search
Cottee, speaking courtesy of football betting, also believes Moyes can find a suitable solution in the search for a right-back, which has lasted over 18 months. With the Blues unable to strike a deal with Celtic for Alistair Johnston, midfielder Merlin Rohl started Saturday’s 3-1 defeat to Stuttgart in the role before an early injury to Tim Iroegbunam prompted Jake O’Brien to move there.
The 61-year-old said: “Whenever I’ve seen Jake play, he’s never let the club down, but he’s obviously more of a centre-half. It’s never really worked out for Nathan Patterson, which is a disappointment, and with Seamus Coleman going too, there’s a big hole.
“I’m sure David Moyes will work it out and get a replacement in. If all Everton have to worry about is getting a right-back in, I think it shows that they’ve progressed as a football club because we’ve been talking about strikers and goal threats for years.
“The full-back areas are key positions now though. It isn’t so much about defending these days, you’ve got to be able to get forward, overlap and push on into midfield.”
