What will Christian Norgaard bring to Everton?

(Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

It’s not often that Everton transfers seem to move swiftly.

Typically, it seems that there is some initial speculation, perhaps the odd spurious link, maybe a hint at “interest” or “enquiries”, but then that all drags on for several weeks before a deal is eventually struck.

However, that does not appear to be the case with the potential acquisition of Christian Nørgaard.

While Everton were going up against Hamburg on Saturday, David Ornstein of The Athletic, Paul Joyce of The Times, and The Bobble, all reported that the Toffees were in advanced talks with Arsenal over a £7M move for the 32-year-old defensive midfielder.

A deal was close and all parties expect it to be wrapped up in the coming days.

So while Nørgaard is not yet, officially, an Everton player, it does seem by the time David Moyes’ team take on Stuttgart in the second match of their German double-header next week, the Dane will be on board.

But what will Nørgaard bring to Everton?

(PREMIER LEAGUE) EXPERIENCE

Under TFG, Everton have clearly tended to go for younger players, and their two new additions this summer (not counting Merlin Röhl, who was signed on a loan-to-buy last year) have fit that trend, in Hayden Hackney and Tyrique George.

Alistair Johnston, should Everton strike an agreement for the Celtic right-back, would fall into the category of a more ready-made, older player, at 27, but there is certainly a lack of top-level know-how and experience in Everton’s midfield ranks, especially following the departure of Idrissa Gana Gueye.

Nørgaard’s arrival would certainly go some way to solving that. In the Premier League alone, he has made 129 appearances, with 121 of those coming as starts, clocking up 10,272 minutes. He was Brentford’s captain, and he was snagged by Arsenal for around £10m last year in order to add more experience to their squad.

He was never going to be a regular for Mikel Arteta. Nørgaard wasn’t getting in ahead of Declan Rice or Martin Zubimendi, but he still played 20 times for the Gunners last season in all competitions, making 11 starts.

Should Nørgaard come in, then he would become only the ninth player in the Premier League era to make their Everton debut while aged 32 or over. 

And while everyone involved will hope this transfer is less like David Ginola’s brief, ill-fated spell and much more like Gareth Barry’s successful stint, the experience and undoubted quality Nørgaard brings definitely won’t hurt, especially at a good price in this market.

FINALLY, A NUMBER 6

It is understood one of Everton’s primary targets for the number 6 position heading into the summer was Morten Hjulmand, a Danish compatriot of Nørgaard.

Hjulmand, though, has instead left Sporting CP for Atletico Madrid.

It does suggest that Everton were looking at a specific profile, however, for this number 6 position, which they have been hunting for so long.

Perhaps priorities have had to shift slightly as the window has gone on, or maybe they saw Nørgaard as a market opportunity. 

While it is not ideal that he is already the wrong side of 30, Nørgaard does fit the profile of player required — at least in theory.

He is not going to charge around the midfield, leaving large swathes of space vacant. Nørgaard tends to sit at the base of a three or a double-pivot, and provide a shield in front of the defence.

Between Brentford’s promotion to the Premier League in 2021, and when Nørgaard left the Bees last year, he played 122 Premier League matches, a tally bettered by only four players within Brentford’s squad in that time. Only Bryan Mbeumo (130) made more starts than the Dane’s 120.

Nørgaard topped Brentford’s charts for tackles attempted (321), tackles won (189) and interceptions (201). Only Ethan Pinnock (656) won more duels than Nørgaard’s 630.

He brings the kind of steel and discipline Everton’s midfield lacks.

And, at £7M in this market, even for a player in their early 30s, it could prove a bargain. There’s little doubt that, if he stays fit, Nørgaard would play the vast majority of available minutes, and if Everton get 2-3 years out of him, then it pays for itself.

Reader Comments (3)

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 ()

How to get rid of these ads and support TW