At last Everton made their first transfer of the summer, when Gareth Barry signed for The Toffees four days ago. So now that Roberto Martinez is back at Finch Farm and the players are back in training, it’s time for Everton to make more signings. The latest is Bosnian international Muhamed Besic. It was reported last night from TalkSport that he has signed for Everton, however, nothing has been said from Everton about the 21-year-old. The rumour is £2.5 – £4 million. Is he the right player for Everton?
Who Is Muhamed Besic?
Besic is a 21-year-old Bosnia and Herzegovina international, already having 12 caps to his name and is the youngest ever player to put on a Bosnian shirt. He is currently playing for Ferencvaros in Hungary (but that could change within the next few weeks). Despite being born in Germany, he decided to choose Bosnia over Germany, because both of his parents where Bosniak. He plays in the defensive midfield role and played in all 3 of Bosnia’s World Cup games.
What Does He Provide?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsSuuGGNprg
Muhamed covers a lot of ground and presses a lot around the pitch (the type of midfielder Roberto Martinez wants in his team). He can tackle and his passing is quality for his age. He reads the game superbly and knows when it is the best time to move back into defence and intercept play. He has incredible stamina, moving up and down the pitch throughout the 90 minutes. He is also very fast, reaching a top speed of 31.2km/h during the tournament.
Passing
Besic’s passing stats where fantastic during the 3 games.
Muhamed Besic’s passes were top notch against Argentina in the first match. The Bosnian made 50 passes during the game, only one didn’t make it to another player. 36 of those passes where in the middle third and all his passes in both the defensive and final thirds made it to another player. This could be a key element if he signs for Everton. With Everton’s possession and attacking football his passes could be important.
Besic’s passes against Nigeria were much more ambitious than the first game, attempting 80 passes against Nigeria, and just 10 failed. Muhamed also created two chances in the game. His passes in the last game for Bosnia where just as good.
Muhamed Besic ended the tournament with a 86.5% passes completion rate, 212 passes completed.
Covering
James McCarthy and Gareth Barry are well known for the space they cover during games, Muhamed Besic is well known for the space he covers during games for Bosnia. His heat maps during the matches support this.
Besic vs Argentina
Besic vs Nigeria
Besic v Iran
In total, Muhamed Besic covered a staggering 34.9km during the World Cup, recovering 21 balls and making 16 tackles. If James McCarthy and Gareth Barry are injured or suspended and we have Besic, trust him to do the same job in midfield as them two.
Conclusion
With James McCarthy, Gareth Barry and Darron Gibson in the team, Roberto Martinez has a fantastic selection off defensive midfielders to choose from. If we sign Muhamed Besic then all our worries in midfield are over. He is young,  recovers the ball well, covers and can also play at centre-back is well. For me, yes I would have him at Goodison Park, especially for £4 million. Bargain buy!
Stats via FourFourTwo stats centre and FIFA.com
