Everton looking at veteran Spanish defender

With transfer deadline day getting closer and closer, the transfer rumours are picking up steam again. Unfortunately, at this point it’s getting harder and harder to tell apart from what is real, speculation and utter fantasy.

This latest defender rumour might get lumped in the middle-to-right category - speculation, albeit pretty wild. Porto defender Iván Marcano is the latest player in that position that Everton are being linked with, according to the Daily Mail.

The 30-year-old defender is the captain of Portuguese giants Porto, and is into the last year of his contract which expires at the end of the season. He is left-footed and can play at left center half and left fullback, which checks off the first two requirements that Everton have for the defender they are looking for. Marcano is also the captain of his club, which seems to be another requirement for playing in this season’s squad.

Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images

However, there are plenty of weaknesses in Marcano’s game. Despite his relatively decent size, the Spaniard does not handle physical strikers well. In the Premier League, that is the quickest way to finding your way on to the bench. Also, while he is strong in the air, Marcano is also often guilty of being caught out of position and not even bothering to jump.

Also, even though he has played at left back, he is nothing like the dynamic fullback that Koeman requires to drive the ball forward. In fact, Ivan Marcano is as much a fullback as Tony Hibbert is a goalscorer.

The journeyman defender has made his way around Spain, with stops at Rubin Kazan and Olympiakos as well before Porto, but we would highly recommend that Everton not pursue this player. We would be much better off bringing in a youngster from the youth sides or even suiting up a traffic cone than trying to sign Marcano.