Of the many problems that Everton’s new manager will have to fix, Moise Kean will rank highly.
The young striker has not had a good time of it since his arrival from Juventus in the summer, failing to score in 12 appearances so far.
Indeed, the Italian has looked far from the young, exciting prospect that broke onto the scene with Juventus last season.
Finding a way to turn him around and into the striker Everton desperately need will be a priority for the man who eventually replaces Marco Silva.
There is undeniable talent there, and it seems while he’s struggling now, Juventus wanted to make sure that should he flourish in future, they can get him back.
According to Calciomercato, the Serie A champions have a ‘verbal commitment’ with Everton to repurchase Kean over ‘the next few years’ should he become the top striker most think he can be.
It’s also stated they will ‘look at the situation’ should he return to Italy, with Kean having been heavily linked with a move to Roma in recent weeks.
This all sounds a little implausible, though. Throughout the summer it was reported that Juventus wanted a buy-back clause, but Everton, particularly Marcel Brands resisted that completely.
Why then, would they put a verbal agreement in place, other than to appease Juventus and make them feel like they’re keeping some control?
Even if there is such an agreement, it doesn’t mean much. Everton would still hold all the cards when it comes to a transfer, which is unlikely given his current struggles anyway, unless there’s an agreement they can bid first, which doesn’t seem to be the case.
