Season › 2024-25 › News The Rumour Mill Abdul Fatawu and Franculino Dju on Everton’s shortlist to bolster the frontline Anjishnu Roy | 11/08/2025 37comments | Jump to last Everton are eyeing a move to sign Leicester City winger Abdul Fatawu, according to journalist Alan Myers. They had been interested in Southampton’s Tyler Dibling in recent weeks but negotiations have stalled after a huge discrepancy in valuations between the two clubs after the Saints rejected three offers from the club. 21-year-old Abdul Fatawu recently recovered from a knee injury but has looked sharp for Leicester City during the pre-season and in their first game of the Championship campaign. The left-footed right winger from Ghana had his campaign cut short in 2024/25. He was impressive the year before, helping the Foxes achieve promotion to the Premier League. Fatawu scored six goals and provided 13 assists in his maiden campaign for Leicester City after signing from Sporting CP in Portugal. He has also made 19 appearances for the Ghana national team. Fatawu could bring a fresh dose of pace, trickery, dribbling ability and flair on the right flank that David Moyes’ side so desperately lacks right now. Both Jack Harrison and Jesper Lindstrom have left the club after the conclusion of their loan deals this summer. Chelsea youngster Tyrique George and Omari Hutchinson of Ipswich Town also remain as alternative targets for that position, according to a report by Harry Watkinson in TEAMtalk. Hutchinson scored two goals and provided three assists in the league last season before Ipswich got relegated. His £35million release clause has now expired. Brentford and Nottingham Forest have both seen bids rejected for the England U21 international. George is keen on a move away from Stamford Bridge in the pursuit of more game time. He was scouted by the Toffees last season and the 19-year-old, capable of playing on both the left and the right, registered three goals and five assists for Chelsea last term, in 26 appearances across all competitions. Meanwhile, the Blues have also shown interest in FC Midtjylland striker Franculino Dju, according to ESPN journalist Matteo Moretto. “They are likely to face competition from Roma and Leipzig for his signature. The 21-year-old forward has already scored six goals in four matches at the start of this season and is valued at around 20 million euros,” he tweeted. The Guinea-Bissau international came up through the youth ranks at Benfica before moving to Denmark to join Midtjylland. He has made 10 appearances for his national side. Everton’s interest in him is a little more surprising given that the club have already roped in French striker Thierno Barry from Villarreal for £27 million this summer. They also have Beto and Youssef Chermiti to count on for that position. Reader Comments (37) Note: the following content is not moderated or vetted by the site owners at the time of submission. Comments are the responsibility of the poster. Disclaimer () Jake FitzGerald 1 Posted 11/08/2025 at 14:44:36 Sell Beto to Leeds, pick up Dju with pennies to spare. Can only be an upgrade. Mike Allison 2 Posted 11/08/2025 at 14:46:02 We need two right wingers anyway, weve got none at all.Dibling and a loan, or two for half the price each? Gavin Johnson 3 Posted 11/08/2025 at 14:46:38 Dju would be an excellent buy as he could facilitate Chermiti loan out of the club, and he's also be an option as a right winger. Looks like he's got an eye for a goal too, and goals is what we need.I'm still hoping we can do the deal with Saints for Dibling. The journalists down in the south coast are saying we're only a couple of million a part, so fingers crossed it gets done.I like Fatawu but he's come back from a bad injury and while he's very fast on the ball, he's a bit wayward with his shooting. Sam Hoare 4 Posted 11/08/2025 at 15:26:33 I like Fatawu a lot. If he hadn't got injured, he would have been picked up by a top club by now. Of course there will be some questions as to how he bounces back from injury but he looked sharp against Wednesday and still seems to have that searing pace that our team badly misses. Two years ago, he managed 6 goals and 13 assists (plus 8 MotM awards) in 33 games which is an impressive return for a 19-year-old in the Championship.I don't think Franculino is quite Premier League level yet. Fast and a very decent finisher but all round game is quite poor. Don't think he'd work as a RW for Moyes at all. Mihir Ambardekar 5 Posted 11/08/2025 at 15:26:47 Franculino and Dibling or Kubo on the right will be excellent additions and instantly improve our attack. Robert Tressell 6 Posted 11/08/2025 at 21:29:50 Sam, you've kept mentioning Fatuwu and in fairness he could be a really good option. I'd forgotten he'd been so productive in the Championship previously - and (if recovered from injuries) could be a real steal. Presumably about £20m? As you say, Franculino is not a RW. He's a striker. He is talented and has an impressive showreel but... finished 12th in the top scorers in Denmark last season, a fair bit behind Kvistgaarden who has joined Norwich for about £6.5m - and with the same goals (7) as 30 year old former Saints winger Elyounoussi. He doesn't exactly scream "Premier League" quality just yet - and probably needs to play a season or two at a higher standard if he's to have any chance. Ryan Holroyd 7 Posted 11/08/2025 at 21:39:25 Im still hoping for Dibling and hope Southampton lower their demands (unlikely I know) Christy Ring 8 Posted 11/08/2025 at 22:05:39 Sam and Robert, Leicester will be looking for a lot more than £20m for Fatawu, would be a great addition. Stephen Williams 9 Posted 11/08/2025 at 22:16:14 I know he plays on the other wing for Leicester but Mavididi looks the more rounded player with better prospects than Fatawu. Ian Bennett 10 Posted 11/08/2025 at 22:19:08 I read Leicester are expecting further player exits. They need big earners out through the door, and after years of financisl & psr issues, they're in trouble again.I would imagine a bid of £25m would get him. They paid Eur 17m. Conor McCourt 11 Posted 11/08/2025 at 22:32:05 Really exciting news if there's truth in the George reports. He looks to me like he can play anywhere across the front line and doesn't look like a winger with his physique, power and height.I was impressed every time I saw him play and I'm wondering if Dewsbury Hall had been sounded out about him. Last season across all comps he worked out at 2 goal contributions every 3 games in terms of minutes played. Really impressive for someone so young across all comps FA Cup, League, Conference League and Club World Cup.Being predominantly right footed would make him a dream alternative if we get Dibling over the line. One who likes to go on the outside and the other who likes to cut in on his left. Perhaps a loan to buy could be agreed especially if they get Garnacho finalised. Colin Glassar 12 Posted 11/08/2025 at 23:45:43 I still think well get Dibling last minute. Right Back Justin (Leicester) and Fisher (Norwich) have been linked but what about Kieran Trippier on the cheap? Bags of experience and great at dead ball situations.Up front I dont really know any of the players we are being linked to but Id also give Jamie Vardy a look. As an impact sub I think he could still do the business.Im certain well get at least three players in before the end of the window, maybe even 4. Gavin Johnson 13 Posted 12/08/2025 at 02:04:45 Robert, Franculino has played out on the right, but CF is his primary position.If we pay over 40m on Dibling I don't see us buying another right winger ( unless a loan like George from Chelsea) so this fella ticks two boxes. I think everyone including Moyes wants Chermiti out on loan.If we don't buy Dibling maybe we should buy Fatawu, for between £20 and £30m, and Ben Doak who is available for £20m. As much as I want us to buy Dibling we could buy two and up-and-coming right wingers for around the same transfer fee. Rob Tedford 14 Posted 12/08/2025 at 02:29:22 They would definitely bring pace to the squad and we could do far worse but I still think we could do better Still not given up hope on getting kubo or Fontana done but even with him Ive read somewhere kubo is a 10 playing out wide and Fontana prefers the left, really have to get the right wing sorted with a right winger, not some who has played there but its his natural position but as Im typing this theirs excitement thinking of how good are midfield 3 would be with Fontana grealish and NdiayeFranculino looks interesting but if we were going to sign another forward I really like the looks of Manfred Ugalde, hes completely different to Barry and Beto and now weve got footballers who can pick a pass I dont think we always need the big guy up top but a forward with great movement, control and finishing and he has all 3, reminds me a little bit of Suarez 🤮 the way he plays, as much as I hated Suarez 🤮 he was one hell of a player Should be a very interesting few weeks of the window Stu Gre 15 Posted 12/08/2025 at 08:08:25 I'd prefer we brought in players who won't be affected by the afcon. George would be excellent on that basis.Dju may have raw talent but his highlight reel appears to be poor first touches and a lot of falling over. Plus that's in the Danish Superleague, not quite EPL ready I think. Ian Bennett 16 Posted 12/08/2025 at 08:13:08 I think Trippier's legs are gone Colin. He's been a good player, but against us the last couple of times he's not been too clever.If Mcneil can dribble past you, youve failed the test. Colin Glassar 17 Posted 12/08/2025 at 08:20:07 Stu, I agree. It would be typical if we got off to a great start but then come Afcon, we lose a bunch of players and we fall off the cliff. Its the same for Ramadan. Theres always a dip in performance and results.Ian, trippier might have slowed down but players like him use their experience to compensate for their lack of speed. Stu Darlington 18 Posted 12/08/2025 at 10:31:26 Good shout Conner. George looks a great prospect to me.Chelsea have got a lot of good young players on their books and may be amenable to a loan deal.He could do a job for us on the right side where we most need it.A decent RB then and maybe another experienced midfielder would give us a much more competitive squad Sam Hoare 19 Posted 12/08/2025 at 10:52:32 I think either Dibling or Fatawu would be great options at RW. I really like Bakwa (who can also play RWB) at Strasbourg too who Forest have bid for. Tyrique George looks a really excellent player (predominantly a LW I think but capable on the right too?) though the least experienced of the lot. There's also the possibility of Malick Fofana still if he doesn't get his CL move. Doak is good too but maybe a level below the others in terms of potential? Maybe not.Now we have Grealish and KDH i'm not sure we'll bring in 2 more wingers. Unless we sell someone like McNeill which might not be the worst option as I think he can only really play on the left which is probably the best spot for Grealish and/or Ndiaye making him 3rd choice.If we sold Mcneill for £20m (also helps PSR etc) bought Dibling for £40m and then loaned Tyrique George with a buy option for £25m I'd be chuffed; though I guess if we did buy two wingers one would be more experienced? Paul Kossoff 20 Posted 12/08/2025 at 16:24:38 We need a RIGHT footed right winger, not another left footed winger, DUH! Jeeeez apparently our new recruitment team, don't know their arse from the elbow or right from left. A right wing cross from a right footed player is harder for a defender to defend than a right wing cross from a left footed winger. A left footer on the right wing is nailed on to want to cut inside rather than go wide, easier to defend. For fk sake, buy a right footed winger for the right wing, fk this stupid idea of reversing the wingers, most of the time you are restricting the service to your strikers. I could SCREAM I really could. They have ruined a simple game by all this stupid tactical bullshit. If Moyes wants to use reverted wingers just put Grealish on the right and keep McNeil on the left, money saved, mind you, paying Grealish £250,000 a week is hardly getting the wage bill down, is it? Mike Corcoran 21 Posted 12/08/2025 at 22:54:20 Paul Kossoff,what like that rubbish left footed Salah? 😀I actually agree with you though right footed rapid RW, touchline and cross.Tyrique George at Chelsea? Ryan Holroyd 22 Posted 12/08/2025 at 23:10:33 Most clubs have left footed right wingers and vise versa Paul Kossoff 23 Posted 12/08/2025 at 23:21:31 Should be, put Grealish on the left and McNeil on the right. Duh, cant tell me arse from me elbow, any jobs at Everton?😕Mike, Salarse is an exception, unfortunately. Mike Allison 24 Posted 13/08/2025 at 07:44:52 So was Messi.And Saka. And £50m Noni Madueke. Gareth Bale. Anthony. Di Maria. Mahrez. Olise. Arjen Robben. Leroy Sané. Pedro Neto.It seems there are quite few exceptions, Im confident I could have found more.Almost everyone plays with a left-footer cutting in off the right wing.Ben Doak is out of contract next summer so Id bump into him in a hotel lobby and see what his plans are before offering that lot too much money. Robert Tressell 25 Posted 13/08/2025 at 07:59:03 The run down the outside comes from the full back. That is why it is critical we buy a galloping right back because otherwise the passing options for our new playmakers are very limited - and very narrow. Micky Norman 26 Posted 13/08/2025 at 08:02:59 I know nothing of Doak. And I dont do omens or other mum o jumbo. But the last six trophy wining Everton teams have had a “cast off” from them. Including 2 legendary wide players. Just saying like. Danny O'Neill 27 Posted 13/08/2025 at 08:12:19 Most teams now play with the so-called "inverted wingers", who cut in to either get in a position to shoot, or play a through ball onto the runners.As Robert says, most of the running now comes from the full backs and we know we need one. Mykolenko got better at it last season, which I can assume that was instruction from Moyes to get forward more.I find all the names mentioned interesting to read, but all that really matters is who is on the club's target list. Jake FitzGerald 28 Posted 13/08/2025 at 11:43:17 Everton submit £37m Artem Dovbyk bid to Roma. Superb striker, but what does that say about plans for the right- loans? James Fletcher 29 Posted 13/08/2025 at 11:46:33 @jake #28 either loans are incoming for that or we have more money than we thought Paul Kossoff 30 Posted 14/08/2025 at 15:18:22 Everton submit £37m Artem Dovbyk bid to Roma. Sounds like money transfer to me. Why not send Chermiti over to Roma on lown and get this guy on loan? If I was the owner and our brilliant recruitment team, (who I suspect are getting back handers from agents,) had just spent £27 million, of my money on a striker, and then told me they are spending over £37 million on another one, because the striker they had bought previously isn't good enough, I would tell them to look for a new job. That would be over a hundred million on strikers we have bought and apparently three of them are not good enough. Buy a fkg right back, and a fkg right winger. What's next? Buy another left back because the one they already bought isn't good enough, can you see a pattern building up here? And what's the old excuse dragged out, Oh Barry will get better, but he's inexperienced, well he should not have been bought them, should he. The recruitment team should be replaced as not ready. Liam Mogan 31 Posted 14/08/2025 at 15:23:16 If another striker comes in we'll probably sell Beto Ryan Holroyd 32 Posted 14/08/2025 at 15:31:44 Thats already been denied Paul and Guila Bould has confirmed Beto is not leaving Robert Tressell 33 Posted 14/08/2025 at 15:34:20 The Dobvyk thing is peculiar as you say Paul. I hope that doesnt happen as it does look like robbing Peter to pay Paul (or something along those lines). This is the first time Ive felt concerned about the relationship with Roma. Hopefully it comes to nothing and they sell / loan us Rensch as a decent RB option. Ryan Holroyd 34 Posted 14/08/2025 at 15:41:52 We will sign Antonio Jay Harris 35 Posted 14/08/2025 at 16:12:19 That's not a bad shout, Ryan. He still has some pace and could be useful as an impact sub. Bit worrying that rumours are circulating that Beto has been told to find another club. David Bromwell 36 Posted 14/08/2025 at 16:30:48 Always liked Antonio, but perhaps now well past his best, however, Moyes will know him well. If we do sign him, I hope it's just for this season, and in that case I think it would be worth a go, but only as a Beto replacement. James Marshall 37 Posted 23/08/2025 at 14:53:56 Fatawu just scored an absolute screamer to win the game for Leicester v Charlton. Add Your Comments In order to post a comment, you need to be logged in as a registered user of the site. » Log in now Or Sign up as a ToffeeWeb Member — it's free, takes just a few minutes and will allow you to post your comments on articles and Talking Points submissions across the site. How to get rid of these ads and support TW © ToffeeWeb