Reported Rafa Benitez target Iddrisu Baba could be a big hit in the Premier League but Everton are going to have to pay big money to prise him away from Spain.
That’s the view of La Liga TV reporter and regular Real Mallorca watcher, Alex Fitzpatrick.
Spanish outlet Fichajes claims that Everton sent scouts to watch Baba score in Mallorca’s 1-1 draw at Cadiz on Sunday and the Blues are expected to present an opening offer of £10m for the 25-year-old.
Fitzpatrick told the ECHO: “I think Baba would definitely be well-suited to playing in the Premier League.
“He’s a very athletic guy who covers a lot of ground and is quick and not bad in the air.
“If operating in the right system he could do well in England but it would depend what that system was and the style of play.
“If he was expected to be a lone holding midfielder he could do that no problem but it would depend on what kind of expectation was for him to pick the ball up from the back four and knit things together because that probably wouldn’t suit him too well.”
He added: “Baba is very much a holding midfielder. His nickname here among both the squad and the fans is ‘Pulpo’ (Octopus) because of the way he seems to be able to go into a tackle and intercept the ball. He’s a tall figure with long, telescopic legs.
“He comes out of challenges and takes the ball off people in situations that you wouldn’t expect him to.
“His biggest weakness is his passing. He’s not a bad passer by any means and has got good progressive passing stats but he plays best when he’s in a double pivot next to Iñigo Ruiz de Galarreta who is a real ball player.
"He will do the dirty work, get the ball and keep it simple.”
Could Everton really pluck the ‘Octopus’ out of the Mediterranean for the reputed relatively bargain price though?
Unlike Ghanaian international Baba himself, Fitzpatrick has his doubts over whether the speculation has legs.
He said: “I’m not sure how credible the rumour is. Maybe Everton are interested in him but there’s a 50% sell-on fee due to his previous club Leganes so for a deal to be worth Mallorca’s while, £10million isn’t going to touch the sides.
“If that’s the opening offer then they’re going to turn that down, they’re not desperate for money.
“They’re financially stable and I think they came third in an award for the best-run clubs in Europe last year.
“He’s got a release clause of €45million so if Everton wanted to guarantee his signature they’d have to pay that and I doubt they’ll want to be paying that much for him.”
Fitzpatrick, who describes Baba as “a positive, hard-working and happy-go-lucky character to have around the squad,” added: “If Mallorca have the choice, I don’t think there’s any chance a deal will be done this season.
“It would be disastrous for them to sell him in the January window, if they did I’d go as far as saying they probably wouldn’t stay in La Liga.
“That’s not necessarily to say he’s Mallorca’s best player but he’s probably their most irreplaceable player in that they haven’t got anyone else like him within the squad and certainly not like to anywhere near the level that he does it to.
“Two years ago when they were relegated, he actually enjoyed a fantastic breakthrough season but was injured most of last season when they got promoted but as soon as he got himself back to full fitness, he’s probably been the first name on the team sheet.”
