Ancelotti skirts the Tomori question as Everton lose another center back

Chelsea have five first-team center backs and (probably) only need four. Everton have three first-team center backs and (probably) do need four. And to be more precise, Everton are effectively down to two center backs after Mason Holgate’s injury. They had promoted Jarrad Branthwaite for yesterday’s League Cup second round match against Salford City, but then the 18-year-old also got injured. So they’re back down to two (Michael Keane and Yerry Mina), and while Holgate may not need surgery to fix his toe, he’s not going to be 100 per cent for a while.

Sounds like a good place to send someone on loan, doesn’t it?

That’s what the initial reaction was to last week’s Fikayo Tomori rumor, and that’s still what makes most sense for the 22-year-old, who apparently is still the one set to make way now that Thiago Silva is with the team (with Zouma and Christensen ahead of Rüdiger in the rest of the pecking order, as per Monday’s 3-1 win at Brighton).

After last night’s match, Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti was asked about the situation, but he refused to be drawn on the Tomori rumor.

“I am not talking about players that are not here.”

He did confirm that he would like to have a few more healthy legs to call upon at the position though.

“Holgate is out and Jarrad we don’t know his injury and how bad it is, we have to look tomorrow.

“There is a possibility to find a centre-back and I think we have to do so. [Holgate] doesn’t need the surgery so maybe he can recover earlier than normal but I think we can manage until Mason comes back with three [senior] centre-backs no problem.”

-Carlo Ancelotti; source: Liverpool Echo

Tomori-to-Everton sounds like a win-win. Let’s make it happen, if he has to go.