Scout Report – Steven Naismith

Everton announced their first foray into the summer transfer market yesterday with the capture of Steven Naismith from Rangers on a four-year contract. The 25-year-old arrives at Goodison Park on a free deal due to the financial collapse of the Glasgow club and is the second player acquired from Ibrox in the last six months, following the January transfer of Nikica Jelavic:

While Naismith’s natural position is in “the hole” as a second striker, his new manager revealed he views him as a versatile player who will afford the Toffees a variety of options within the preferred 4-5-1 system. With the likes of Royston Drenthe and Steven Pienaar returning to their parent clubs after both players’ loan deals ended, the need for more attacking arrivals at the Merseyside club is obvious, with Moyes going on to say:

We are delighted that Steven has agreed to join us. He will be an excellent addition to the players we already have and we look forward to him being fit and ready to play at the start of the season. He is an established international who can play in a number of positions. He has a flexibility we always like in our players and which will hopefully prove to be very useful for us.

The Statistics

As a 15-year-old, Naismith signed his first professional contract with Kilmarnock in 2002, though had to wait a couple of years before making his first-team debut. His time at the Ayrshire club was hugely successful from a personal point of view, with Naismith picking up the Scottish Football Writers’ Player of the Year Award and Scottish PFA Young Player of the Year Award in 2005 and 2006 respectively. Over the course of his spell at Rugby Park, Naismith made 102 appearances and netted 29 times before he was snapped up by Rangers for £1.9m just seconds before the closure of the 2007/08 transfer window.

Naismith’s time at the Ibrox outfit was somewhat plagued by injury, though. He suffered a cruciate knee ligament injury towards the end of his first campaign, forcing him to miss the vast majority of the following season. In total, he spent five years at Ibrox, playing 98 league games and returning a more than respectable 28 goals and 23 assists – a superb start to last term saw him grab nine goals and a couple of assists in 11 games before, once again, a cruciate ligament injury put paid to his campaign.

The Prospects

Everton’s fortunes for the season ahead could well depend on further acquisitions. Last term, the January arrival of Jelavic and Pienaar turned them into a far more threatening side going forward – Moyes’ team had scored 23 goals in the first 23 Gameweeks but this jumped to 27 goals in the final 15 games. Moyes confirmed earlier today he hopes to sign Pienaar on a permanent deal this summer; if this transpires, the Toffees attacking assets will look far more enticing and perhaps help them avoid the customary slow start which seems to plague the Merseysiders’ prospects on an annual basis.

Certainly, Naismith’s partnership with Jelavic at Rangers will work in his favour and is sure to boost his chances of tucking in just behind the Croatian in the 4-5-1. If Moyes is considering him for a role elsewhere, however, his appeal will be considerably lessened – given that he’s likely to be classified as a forward in the Fantasy games, this would see him as a reverse out of position prospect.

Jelavic’s price will likely be a factor as to how we view the new boy. The former cost just 6.5 in Fantasy Premier League (FPL) upon his arrival last term but an average of 5.3 points per game suggests his cost is set for a hike – if he can stays within the confines of 8.0, there is no doubt he’ll be the one Everton player many will earmark for their squads. If Naismith comes in around the 5.5 mark he’s likely to be an overlooked differential and could prove decent value for those Fantasy managers scouring the market for a cut-price forward.

Further Reference

Steven Naismith Wikipedia
More Steven Naismith Stats
Steven Naismith 2011/12 goals