news-engine

Everton could have found opportunistic gem to finally solve David Moyes problem position Everton have been linked with a move for Crystal Palace right-back Daniel Munoz Daniel Munoz is the latest name to be linked with Everton when it comes to trying to solve their long-standing problem position at right-back. Despite being a regular at Selhurst Park, Munoz could surprisingly become available after new manager Pierre Sage brought in right-back Anan Khalaili, although the Blues could face competition for his signature from Nottingham Forest, who have hired the Colombia international's former boss Oliver Glasner. Munoz was born in the mountain town of Amalfi in Colombia’s Antioquia Department on May 26, 1996, some three weeks after Joe Parkinson’s goal had given Everton a 1-0 win over Aston Villa in their final game of the season to secure their only top-half finish during the first decade of the Premier League. He started his career with Aguilas Doradas in 2017 and after two years with them he spent a season at Atletico Nacional before leaving his homeland to join Belgian side Genk in 2020. After three-and-a-half years in the Jupiler League, Munoz arrived in the Premier League for €8million (£6.6m) when he joined Crystal Palace in January 2024. He played in both the 2025 FA Cup final win over Manchester City and 2026 UEFA Conference League final win over Rayo Vallecano as the Eagles lifted the first two major trophies in their history in back-to-back years. In total, Munoz has made 108 appearances for Palace and has scored 11 goals. He made his international debut for Colombia in a 3-0 away win over Peru in a World Cup qualifier on June 3, 2021, coming on as a substitute for Stefan Medina in the 56th minute. Less than 60 seconds later, he conceded a free-kick for a challenge on Marcos Lopez, which, after a VAR review, was upgraded to a red card for violent conduct. Despite that inauspicious start, Munoz has now been capped 51 times and has scored five international goals, including two in this summer’s World Cup finals, the opener in the 3-1 success against Uzbekistan and the winner in the 1-0 victory over DR Congo which secured Colombia’s place in the knockout stages. So that's his back story. But what kind of player would Everton be getting? In terms of his playing style, Comparisonator gives Munoz a 5.9 out of 10 score as a defensive full-back. He is rated 5.2 as a two-ways full-back; 4.8 as a wing-back and 4.1 as a playmaker back. We can also use Comparisonator’s Parameters League to measure Munoz against other Premier League players in his position last season and given that David Moyes appreciates footballers who put in a shift, the Scot will be encouraged to see he dominates the physical categories. Firstly, he covers more ground (10.642km) per 90 minutes than any of his peers. Only four other players who were deployed at right-back last season averaged over 10km per game. They were Dominik Szoboszlai of Liverpool (10.595km); James Garner of Everton (10.307km); Neco Williams of Nottingham Forest (10.066km) and Michael Kayade of Brentford (10.044km). Munoz also led the high intensity count (runs of over 20km/h) on 78.19 to finish ahead of Szoboszlai (64.6) and Timothy Castagne of Fulham (64.26) who were next up. In addition, he was number one for high speed run count (runs of 20-25km/h) on 49.96; running distance (moving at 15-20km/h) 1,562; high speed running distance (moving at 20-25km/h) 853 and sprinting distance (moving at over 25km/h) 418. When it comes to offensive attributes, Munoz comes joint top for expected assists on 0.17 alongside Szoboszlai and Garner and third for expected goals (xG) on 0.11 behind Amad Diallo of Manchester United (0.2) and Jurrien Timber of Arsenal (0.14). He comes in fifth for shots (0.83), a category topped by Amad (1.93), and shots on target (0.34), where Szoboszlai led the way on 0.63. Only Ola Aina (2.61) can better Munoz’s 2.59 clearances and he comes in third for interceptions in the opposition half on 1.07 behind Mats Wieffer of Brighton & Hove Albion (1.32) and Conor Bradley of Liverpool (1.13). In the passing section, he came in eighth for crosses (2.79), a section topped by Pedro Porro of Tottenham Hotspur (4.97) and sixth for successful crosses (1.07) where Williams was first on 1.9. Overall, given Everton’s long-standing search for a right-back, a lack of appetite to see centre-back Jake O’Brien reprise the role next term, and injury concerns over Celtic’s Alistair Johnston, another target the Blues have been tracking, Munoz looks like he has the potential to be an opportunistic gem. He’s Premier League proven and ready to make a big move after a couple of highly-successful years in the capital. *Comparisonator is a football data comparison tool from 271 professional leagues around the world which compares players and clubs by utilising an industry leading 378 different parameters. Click here for more details.