Everton move to sign Ashley Young branded a ‘mistake’ as former Aston Villa full-back agrees Goodison deal
Everton signing Ashley Young is “hard to justify” and could be a “mistake” this summer because of his age and the club’s finances, according to Paul Brown.
Sky Sports’ Alan Myers reported on Monday night (10 July) that the 38-year-old former England international had turned down offers from multiple clubs, with Fabrizio Romano‘s sharing an update later the same evening that a medical had been booked to be completed within 24 hours before the free transfer arrival.
The veteran should now become the first signing since Sean Dyche’s arrival in January, but with cash believed to be tight Brown has dismissed it as the wrong move.
The former Daily Star journalist told GIVEMESPORT: “I could see why Sean Dyche might be interested in bringing Ashley Young to Everton. His experience and what he’s done in the game would be important maybe in the dressing room.
“But, I think it might be a mistake for Everton to bring in a player of that age. When a club has little money to spend, it’s hard to justify bringing in someone who’s not going to have any sell-on value and isn’t going to be around really for the long-term.”
Solid
Young won’t be able to drive the Toffees away from another relegation battle single-handedly but depending on the numbers involved in the deal it could be useful.
His age might jump out to suggest it is a player who is past his best looking for another pay day at Goodison Park, where Farhad Moshiri and his previous board were all too often ready to provide one.
But unless the former Manchester United and Watford man’s fitness levels fall off a cliff between last season and next he is still capable at the top level for now, and as a stop-gap option Everton could do far worse.
Dyche clearly wants to avoid the situation he found himself in for the final weeks of the relegation battle, where he was without numerous full-back options for key fixtures.
So with Seamus Coleman recovering from injury this summer, and Ruben Vinagre sent back to Sporting at the conclusion of his loan Young arrives as cover who can provide leadership at worst.
He played in the majority of Aston Villa’s top flight fixtures last season despite high-priced signings, including Lucas Digne, in the squad and it was somewhat of a surprise that Unai Emery was prepared to let him go this summer.
This being Everton however, the wheels could come off and Young proves to be a shadow of his former self, but unless the club have wildly overpaid it seems a sensible option for Dyche.
The hope will just have to be that Young has turned down other offers because he sees the potential to contribute to the Toffees rather than just because they’ve put the most money on the table.
