Everton are now in the driving seat to complete an ambitious summer swoop for Manchester United centre-back Harry Maguire, with Sean Dyche offering the England international a lifeline to rekindle his career.
Is Harry Maguire going to Everton?
According to Football Insider, the Toffees are now leading the race for Maguire after presenting an enticing offer, with Premier League rivals Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United retaining interest.
It is believed that the Red Devils want £35m for the 30-year-old, who has lost his starting role and captaincy at Old Trafford, after the Hammers saw a £20m offer rejected in July.
Defensive duo Yerry Mina and Conor Coady have departed Goodison Park this summer, whilst exciting young ace Jarrad Branthwaite's future is up in the air, and as such, Dyche will need to bolster his backline ahead of the new campaign.
How good is Harry Maguire?
Everton narrowly escaped relegation from the Premier League last season after a 1-0 victory on the final day of the campaign ensured Leicester City's victory over West Ham proved fruitless, relegating the Foxes.
While the Toffees were far from the desired standard, they conceded 57 goals in the league – the fewest of any side in the bottom six – and will hope that a well-placed move for someone of Maguire's ilk could bolster the backline and allow the attack to flourish.
And while Maguire has fallen by the wayside at the Theatre of Dreams of late, he still played a major part in the club's Carabao Cup triumph this year and has completed 175 appearances for the club since finalising a £80m transfer from Leicester City in 2019.
Once hailed as a "colossus" by talkSPORT pundit Simon Jordan, albeit also branded a "bit of a liability", the £190k-per-week defender ranks among the top 17% of positional peers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for passes attempted, the top 19% for successful take-ons, the top 11% for blocks and the top 12% for aerials won per 90, as per FBref.
Also described as an "unbelievable player" by teammate Luke Shaw, he would prove to be the non-nonsense and assured presence Dyche covets to take his defence to the next level, and would thrive as the centrepiece of the Toffees' defensive structure.
With Maguire forging a steely partnership with James Tarkowski in front of Jordan Pickford's goal, it could allow Amadou Onana to take the next step in his own development, having impressed during his maiden term with Everton despite the club's issues.
Onana joined on a £33m transfer from Lille last summer and captured the awe of Merseyside Blues, making 33 Premier League appearances and earning an average match rating of 6.92 – as per Sofascore – completing 84% of his passes, averaging 2.2 tackles and 1.1 clearances and interceptions per match and succeeding with 59% of his ground duels.
The Belgian midfielder, who has been also dubbed a "colossus" himself by the Daily Mail's Dominic King, is a composed passer of the ball and a robust defensive force, also aerially dominant, ranking among the top 7% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues for aerials won per 90.
His ability to take control of the middle third would alleviate the burden on Maguire's shoulders, in what would prove to be a move to restore Everton's equilibrium and finally pave a pathway to success after several years of instability and strife.