Bournemouth boss makes bold claim over move for former Newcastle United transfer target
Newcastle United could face a player they have monitored in recent months when the take on Premier League rivals Bournemouth this weekend.
Andoni Iraola believes Evanilson will become a ‘a great signing’ for Bournemouth as the Cherries boss considers handing a debut to the Brazilian striker in Sunday’s home clash with Newcastle United.
After a summer dominated by speculation linking Cherries frontman Dominic Solanke with moves away from the Vitality Stadium, the once-capped England international joined Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur in a reported £60m deal last week and made his debut for his new club in Monday night’s 1-1 draw with newly-promoted Leicester City. Bournemouth wasted little time in finding a replacement for Solanke after making a move for Porto frontman Evanilson, who eventually secured a move to the south coast after the Cherries agreed a club record deal that could be worth over £40m with the Portuguese giants.
The Fortaleza-born striker scored 60 goals and provided 21 assists in 154 appearances during a four-year stay at the Estadio do Dragao and appeared alongside Newcastle star Bruno Guimaraes when he earned the second of two senior caps for Brazil as they exited the Copa America with a penalty shoot-out defeat in quarter-final clash with Uruguay earlier this summer.
It seems increasingly likely the duo will face each other at the Vitality Stadium on Sunday afternoon after Iraola paid a glowing tribute to his latest addition, who he believes will bring invaluable experience of playing in a high-pressure environment with Porto and Brazil.
Speaking on the departure of reported Magpies target Solanke and the challenges Evanilson will face in replacing him, the Cherries boss added: “I think we are not going to hide that Dom Solanke was pivotal for us. He was involved in a lot of our offensive play last season but I think that the club didn’t have an easy job. You never want to lose probably your best player.
“I think they did really well, they’ve been preparing for the situation. Evanilson for me is a great signing. A different skillset, probably, it’s always impossible to sign exactly the same profile of player, but for someone that is still very young, he has three years playing for Porto, playing European games, he has even played the first games with his national team, that is Brazil. It is not easy to play with Brazil. So, I hope he gives us the level we know he has.”
Evanilson’s chances of making his Cherries bow against Newcastle are further boosted by the absence of fellow forward Enes Unal, who remains unavailable after he suffered a broken foot during Turkey’s run to the quarter-final of Euro 2024. The former Getafe star is believed to be a couple of weeks away from returning to contention after Iraola revealed he was not counting on Unal to be available for the first games of the new season. Former Leeds United midfielder Tyler Adams and Wales international David Brooks also look set to miss out as they continue their comebacks from respective back and shoulder injuries.