Notts County are closing in on sealing a deal for Everton’s Charlie Whitaker according to reports.
The 21-year-old has been a constant in The Toffees’ youth sides and has scored seven goals this season in their Premier League 2 season.
Maynard Moves For Attacking Depth
According to Pete O’Rourke of Football Insider, County are in “advanced talks” to sign Whitaker, who is yet to make an appearance for the senior team on Merseyside and is now in the final six months of his contract.
He has been a key performer for Everton whilst in the academy, scoring a total of 30 goals and an additional 13 assists in 87 appearances from the Under-18 level and onwards, but has yet to make an appearance in senior football.
Whitaker is versatile and able to play across the frontline and in attacking midfield, making him a very useful player to Stuart Maynard’s side. The Magpies are still in the hunt for an automatic promotion in League Two this season and are in sixth place at the halfway point of the season.
It is not the first time County have raided the depths of a higher division team in this window, with the signing of Hull City‘s Will Jarvis earlier in the window. The 22-year-old had only played 11 senior games for The Tigers and had frequent loans, including two spells at Irish side Shelbourne.
Writer’s View
Once again Notts County seems to have targeted the youth sides of the Championship and Premier League and this will be a very interesting move for Charlie Whitaker. He is yet to make any appearances in competitive senior football and with his prolific stints in the youth sides of Everton, he should be primed and ready for League Two. He offers a more youthful option to David McGoldrick and can plug the gap left by any potential injuries to The Magpies front line.