Former England striker, Kevin Phillips, believes that Everton could be taking a risk if they follow up their alleged interest in Alfredo Morelos with an offer.
Speaking to Football Insider, Phillips has pinpointed where he feels the Colombian international could struggle if he was to make the move to the Premier League.
So what has Phillips said?
The Golden Boot winner has questioned whether or not Morelos has the temperament to cope with the increased quality of the English top flight and when asked about the recent speculation linking him with a move to Goodison, he said:
“Dominic Calvert-Lewin has gone off the boil a little bit and Richarlison can play out wide. You would not call him an out and out front man.
“Morelos would come down and challenge Calvert-Lewin.
“It is always a slight gamble when he will be up against better defenders in the Premier League and his temperament could cost them, it has certainly cost Rangers at times this season. The transfer could backfire.
“It is hard to judge but he certainly knows where the back of the net is and Everton are looking for a goalscorer.”
So is Phillips correct?
Morelos may have a chequered history in the Scottish Premiership, however, his two red cards last season were soft at best and were both for two bookable offences, not the result of reckless tackles or retaliation.
Away from the questionable officiating of the SPFL, he was unavailable for just one Europa League fixture last season and given that Rangers played 17 times on the continent, it is hardly the record of a player that can’t be relied upon.
Rangers, in fact, never lost a game that Morelos was suspended for last season, so Phillips has succumbed to the Scottish media narrative that the Colombia is a hothead and unable to curb his temper once he steps onto the field.
One thing that Morelos could be relied upon to do is score goals and to suggest that a player who scored 14 before Christmas in continental competition would only “challenge” Calvert-Lewin is yet another example of an English pundit looking down their nose at Scottish football – Porto, Feyenoord, Midtjylland , Young Boys and Legia Warsaw are undoubtedly a level above the likes of Bournemouth and Norwich City – to suggest that an established international would struggle against such defences is laughable.