“Unnecessarily rocking the boat” – Journalist reacts to Everton link with £106k-p/w duo

Everton targets Ollie Watkins and Ivan Toney are not ‘realistic candidates’ for the club this summer, according to Daily Star journalist Paul Brown.

The Toffees are believed to be in the market for attacking reinforcements and have been linked with a plethora of players in recent weeks, including the Aston Villa and Brentford duo.

Football Insider have reported that Everton have ‘registered their interest’ in signing Watkins, who is valued at £31.5m, with Villa said to be ‘open’ to letting him depart before September’s deadline.

It’s claimed that the England international does not see eye to eye with manager Steven Gerrard and that the Midlands outfit could use the funds generated from his sale to bring in a new top-class forward.

Meanwhile, The Mirror have stated that Everton have joined Chelsea and Manchester United in the race for Toney’s signature following his impressive displays for Brentford.

The 26-year-old, who is also valued at £31.5m, still has three years left to run on his £31,000-per-week contract in west London, though, meaning he is unlikely to come cheaply.

In an interview with GiveMeSport, Brown said: “I don’t think they’re realistic candidates for Everton, which is why you’re seeing the type of name of people like Che Adams really being put in there.

“The other consideration is that (Dominic) Calvert-Lewin is Everton’s undisputed number one, when everyone’s fit. It’s a World Cup year, and this is a team that only plays one striker. How would he react to them bringing in someone of the calibre of Toney or Watkins, two direct rivals for an England spot.

“I think that would be probably unnecessarily rocking the boat really, unless Frank suddenly decides he’s going to play with two, which would be another