Everton are set to make their third signing of the transfer window by landing free agent Bernard, according to the Daily Mail.
The move is being framed as something of a coup, as Bernard is a Brazilian international, valued at £14.4m by Transfermarkt, with Champions League experience – available on a free.
Named among the teams who held an interest in landing the former Shakhtar Donetsk playmaker are AC Milan, Chelsea, Inter Milan – and West Ham.
The Mail report that the Hammers were unsure about where Bernard would fit into their frontline after a summer of heavy investment and that is exactly why his decision to move to Goodison Park does not represent a major setback.
This summer’s spending spree has been well-publicised but a creative axis of Manuel Lanzini, Marko Arnautovic, Andriy Yarmolenko and Felipe Anderson is more than good enough to provide the bullets for Javier Hernandez.
Bernard would have added an alternative, but he would have been little more than a backup option, and Pellegrini still has reliable Premier League performers Robert Snodgrass and Michail Antonio to fill those roles.
Further, Bernard has been without a club throughout pre-season and is sure to be lacking match sharpness.
He will need time to get up to speed, and West Ham have options that would likely keep him out of the team and rob him of the chance to pick up match sharpness.
A similar situation unfolded across London with Tottenham and Lucas Moura. The player clearly has talent and pace in abundance but didn’t get enough gametime and has been forced to wait until this summer to prove what he can do.
Bernard will need to hit the ground running and it’s unlikely he would do that at West Ham. Seeing him go to Everton instead is not a major blow.
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