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

On Sunday, David Moyes claimed the first win of his second stint in charge on Merseyside, overseeing a 3-2 victory against Tottenham, in which the Toffees raced into a 3-0 half time lead at Goodison; Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Iliman Ndiaye both on target.

This propelled the Toffees four points clear of the relegation zone, desperately needing to retain their Premier League status, before moving into their new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock in the summer.

As Moyes seeks to put together a squad strong enough to comfortably survive, now is his chance to bring in new recruits, so could the Blues sign a multiple-Premier League winner on a free transfer?

Everton looking to add a new winger

According to a report by Matt Law for the Telegraph last week, Everton have been “offered” the chance to sign Willian this month.

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The winger joined record, 47-times Greek champions Olympiacos in September, earning a reported £100k-per-week in Piraeus, but made only 11 appearances for the Red and Whites, scoring zero goals, hence why they were eager to terminate 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 Chelsea, scoring 63 goals and providing 57 assists in 339 appearances, having arrived from Anzhi Makhachkala for a reported £32m in 2013, winning two Premier League titles, the FA Cup, an EFL Cup and the Europa League.

Fair to say, the Brazilian is a beloved figure at the Blues, but the same cannot be said of their London rivals Arsenal.

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

After a short spell back in Brazil with Corinthians, cut short after receiving countless death threats from furious supporters, he returned to English football with Fulham, and safe to say he’s rather more popular at Craven Cottage than in 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 on BBC’s Football Focus afterwards that his daughters were sad because they both “love Chelsea”.

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

Thus, the Fulham faithful were upset to see the Brazilian depart last summer, showing that there is still a top-quality player in there somewhere, even if Arsenal supporters won’t believe you, suggesting Everton should take the plunge.

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

Thus, Moyes certainly needs some attacking help, so could Willian have a similar impact at Goodison to that of James Rodríguez?

Another big name on big money after an illustrious career in Europe, the Colombian spent just a solitary season on Merseyside, but scored six goals and accumulated eight assists, helping them to a top-ten finish in 2020/21, ending up no higher than 15th subsequently, becoming a cult hero, despite only ever playing behind-closed-doors.

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

Appearances

67

26

Minutes

4,644

2,032

Goals

0.19

0.27

Assists

0.14

0.35

Goals – xG

+0.5

+3.2

Shots

1.86

1.81

Shot-creating actions

4.19

3.19

Progressive carries

3.66

1.59

Attempted passes

39.86

50.84

Pass completion %

79.9%

78.4%

Touches

47.56

58.1

Attempted take-on

2.6

2.12

Take on success %

49.3%

70.8%

Given that Willian had two seasons at Fulham, while Rodríguez was at Everton for only one, the latter provides a very small sample size, so we’re assessing statistics on a per-90 basis.

In short, the pair are largely very similar in many metrics, including shots and pass completion percentage.

James was though, much more of a goal threat, albeit he did significantly overperform his xG during his time at Goodison, which is obviously great, if not overly sustainable.

Willian meanwhile, ranks higher when it comes to dribbles and shot-creating actions, suggesting he could certainly add something extra to Everton’s attack; on a Bosman, he may be the low-cost, low-risk signing they’re looking for.

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