Everton’s first January signing could be a lightning-fast winger – if Fulham don’t get there first

Everton haven’t yet made any moves in the January transfer window, but it seems unlikely that it stays that way. They’ve already been widely linked with both full-backs and forwards and seem set to dip their toes into the market very soon – but it could perhaps be for a very different kind of player, if a new report is to be believed.

According to transfer journalist Rudy Galetti, Everton are among a few different Premier League teams who have enquired about the availability of VfL Wolfsburg and Austria winger Patrick Wimmer – but who is Wimmer, would he suit David Moyes’ system, and will they win the battle to sign him over a side like Fulham?

Why Everton might want to sign Patrick Wimmer this January

Wimmer, whose upbringing in rural Austria gives him a rather more bucolic origin story than most footballers, became a breakthrough star in the Bundesliga back in the 2021/22 season, when he found a vein of scintillating form for Arminia Bielefeld and earned himself a move to VfL Wolfsburg. For a couple of seasons, he was earmarked as one of the brightest stars in the league.

Now 24 years old, Wimmer hasn’t quite become the superstar that many expected and he has never scored or assisted as many goals as he did in his first year with Wolfsburg, but he’s still established himself as a regular starter for club and country – and earned himself a reputation as a versatile, hard-working player.

For most of his career, Wimmer has operated as a winger but he can play on either flank, up front or in midfield. This season, Wolfsburg have used him almost entirely down the left. The year before, he was more often deployed as a midfielder or supporting striker. Wherever he plays, however, he is endlessly industrious and impressively quick.

Few wingers force as many turnovers or press as effectively, and not that many are faster across the ground than Wimmer, who has been clocked at around 21mph. Certainly very few can plug as many other holes on a teamsheet if required, and his combination of pace and pressing quality should make him a natural fit for Moyes’ direct playing style. The question is whether he produces enough in the final third.

Across the 2021/22 and 2022/23 season, Wimmer scored seven goals and produced 14 assists in the Bundesliga. In the two-and-a-half seasons since, he has scored at a similar rate but created half as many goals. In total, he has created 3.8xG’s worth of chances in the league since the summer of 2023, less than in either of the two campaigns before.

A knee ligament injury in 2023 offers one possible explanation, but theirs is also a sense that Wimmer never quite refined his technique as well as he might have done. He is quick across the ground but his close control and passing leave a little to be desired. Precision is perhaps not his strong suit.

Still he’s found a relatively rich vein of form lately, suggesting that he might be living up to some of his potential – he scored three and created two across a run of just three games in December, which may serve to explain the uptick of apparent interest from other teams. There us untapped talent, a strong suite of physical traits, and a work ethic that would shame most players. It’s easy enough to see why Moyes might be keen on him, then, but how likely are the Toffees to get a deal done this January?

Will Everton make Wimmer their first winter signing?

According to Galetti’s reporting, Wimmer has been “attracting strong interest” from both Italy and England – Lazio, Bologna and Fiorentina are all said to be keen, while four Premier League sides are allegedly asking after the Austrian, although only one is named.

Fulham are Everton’s supposed rivals for Wimmer, and not only does his profile make sense for Marco Silva’s methods too, they’re certainly in the market for a winger this winter, especially since their first-choice target (PSV’s Richardo Pepi) broke his arm. It wouldn’t be a surprise, then, if Everton had company when the bidding begins.

Wolfsburg, for their part, are unlikely to stand in Wimmer’s way if a fair offer comes in. He is under contract for 18 months more, and this may be the last chance for them to get a healthy transfer fee for him anyway.

Galetti doesn’t claim to know how much Wolfsburg might demand for Wimmer, but Transfermarkt estimate his value at €15m (£13m) and that is already around three times more than they paid for him when he signed from Bielefeld. It should still be an amount that’s well within the budget of sides like Everton and Fulham, too, so it’s relatively unlikely that the finances of a deal present an insurmountable barrier.

Nor are Wolfsburg in a position in which they may get jittery about selling a reliable starter in mid-season. They are firmly in mid-table, with a large gap up towards the European places and a healthy enough buffer against relegation. As January transfers go, this should be on the easier end when it comes to negotiations.

Still, Galetti’s story has yet to be corroborated by other outlets and he does not suggest that any advanced negotiations have taken place – he simply claims that the question has been asked and it seems that Everton have not yet acted on whatever response they received. Wimmer may well be of significant interest to them, but a deal is far from done.

Or perhaps this is just a case of a club doing due diligence, and they may well leave it to others to make a move. But Wimmer looks and smells like the kind of players whose energy, application and sheer speed might suit Moyes’ style of play. It wouldn’t be a shock if he did indeed end up at Everton – or a side much like them.