Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown has suggested that Sean Dyche, the favourite to be appointed as the next manager of Everton, should sign West Ham United forward Michail Antonio to replace Anthony Gordon.
The Merseyside club are currently in 19th place in the Premier League table, having won only three games and scored just 15 goals this season.
They are currently on the hunt for a new manager after Frank Lampard was sacked, and former Burnley manager Sean Dyche is the leading candidate to take over as reported by The Telegraph.
Dyche would have to address several issues immediately upon taking over the club, including the league position and Gordon’s future at the club.
Gordon is pushing to leave Everton for Newcastle United in the final days of the transfer window, with Sky Sports reporting that the two clubs have agreed a fee.
The two clubs have agreed on an initial fee of £40 million, plus add-ons that could bring the total to £45 million.
With Gordon joining Newcastle, Keown believes Dyche should ask Everton to sign West Ham star Antonio.
The Irons striker discussed his future on The Footballer’s Football Podcast, saying:
“I’ve not ruled anything out. That’s all I can say. Nothing has been ruled out. There are talks.”
A previous report from Sky Sports states that West Ham will let Antonio leave if David Moyes signs another striker in addition to Danny Ings.
The 32-year-old has been at West Ham since 2015, when he joined for £7 million from Nottingham Forest.
Keown has now told talkSPORT that Dyche should bid for Antonio. He said:
“I think Sean Dyche sitting down with the players, meeting the players, finding out what is going on, ‘What character have I got in front of me? Is it bad? Can we repair the damage?’ Ok, no’. Right, Antonio might be available at West Ham. There are options – let’s get him.
“So, maybe his first step is to spend some of that money and get the player out. So, a lot of thinking to do for the manager and immediately you have got to get to work quickly. One assumes that he had one eye on the job and the team for the last number of weeks.”
