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Five Everton-linked players to watch out for at the U-21 European Championship

The U-21 European Championship gets underway this evening, a chance to fill the Premier League void and watch some of Europe’s most exciting young prospects in action.

While 99% of the silly season rumours do not materialise into transfers, there are some starlets on show who have been regularly linked with Everton this summer.

Here are five to keep an eye on across the tournament.

James McAtee (England)

James McAtee looks set to be a casualty of Manchester City’s summer recruitment, with the arrivals of Rayan Cherki and Tijjani Reijnders further reducing his chances of a regular role.

 At 22, the creative midfielder will want regular minutes after a season on the fringes at the Etihad. Despite limited involvement, McAtee showed his quality in bursts, scoring seven times despite just nine starts across all competitions.

McAtee was one of the most highly-rated talents in a youth side that contained Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers, and Liam Delap, each of who have shone since leaving the Etihad for regular football. He will captain holders England at this summer’s European Championship and has netted seven times in 18 games for the Young Lions.

Nick Woltemade (Germany)

Nick Woltemade has dropped back into the U-21 side after making his senior debut during the recent Nations League finals. Woltemade was rewarded with a maiden call-up after a breakout season with Stuttgart. The 23-year-old netted 17 times in 33 games and was the tournament’s leading scorer as Stuttgart won the DFP-Pokal. The 6ft-6in forward combines a tall frame with an unusual level of ball-carrying and agility, ranking in the top 4% of forwards in Europe for successful take-ons per game last season.

Merlin Rohl (Germany)

Woltemade’s teammate, Rohl, was first linked with Everton earlier this year and has remained a regular in the rumour mill. The 22-year-old midfielder has the tall profile of midfielder Moyes has often sought, but mixes this with technical footwork and tenacity. Injuries impacted his campaign at Freiburg and he’ll want to have a strong summer with Germany amid interest in his services. Freiburg reportedly value Rohl at around €20M (£16.9M).

Thierno Barry (France)

Amid Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s exit and a desire to bring in competition for Beto, Everton continue to be linked with centre-forwards. Thierno Barry’s name has been persistently in the gossip columns, after a strong debut season at Villarreal. Barry scored 11 goals in La Liga to help the Spanish side to Champions League qualification and impressed with his aerial power and ability to drift into wide areas and carry the ball at pace. 

Barry is part of the France squad at the tournament, though he will compete with Mathys Tel for a place in the side. The 22-year-old remains raw but is a player with plenty of promise. He has a release clause of €40M (£33.9M).

Vladysav Vanat (Ukraine)

The third striker on this shortlist, Vladysav Vanat’s release clause at Dynamo Kyiv is understood to be of interest to Premier League sides. Vanat was the leading scorer in the Ukrainian Premier League in each of the last two seasons, netting 26 goals in 52 league games. 

Already a senior international with 11 caps and two goals, he drops back into the U-21 side as Ukraine look to make an impression on the tournament. A €20M (£16.Mm) release clause makes him attainable for English suitors.

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