Everton manager Frank Lampard is pushing his superiors at Goodison Park to sign a new striker next month, journalist Simon Phillips has told GiveMeSport.

The Toffees did add Neal Maupay to their squad in the last transfer window, but Phillips says Lampard has still been asking for another forward since the summer.

GiveMeSport Transfer Update

Everton transfer news - Striker

Journalist Dean Jones recently told GMS that Everton like Blackburn Rovers' Ben Brereton Diaz.

If the Merseyside club do decide to sign a new striker next month, it appears that the 23-year-old could be an option for them.

Brereton Diaz was in exceptional form for Blackburn last season, scoring 22 goals in 37 Championship appearances, as per Transfermarkt.

Everton could face competition for his signature, though, with Premier League rivals West Ham another club who are thought to be in the running for the Chile international.

What has Simon Phillips said about Frank Lampard's January transfer plans at Everton?

Phillips says Lampard wanted another centre-forward during the summer and that has not changed heading into January.

Speaking to GMS, the journalist said: "Lampard still wants to boost the midfield and he also wants a striker in January. Those are the two priorities. But the striker was still a priority in the summer even though they still had [Salomon] Rondon then.

"They didn't have enough trust in him and Lampard didn't really back him, so Lampard has been asking for a new striker since the summer. [Dominic] Calvert-Lewin, obviously struggling with a lot of injuries lately, so that's another reason why Lampard is pushing hard now to bring a new striker in in January."

Read more: January Transfer Window 2023: When Does It Begin, Rumours and Everything You Need To Know

Do Everton need to sign a new striker next month?

Yes. Lampard is certainly right to make it a priority; it is undoubtedly a problem area in his squad right now.

Rondon recently had his contract at Goodison Park terminated, while Calvert-Lewin has missed a large chunk of the campaign because of injury.

As for the Toffees' other centre-forward option, Maupay, goals have been hard to come by. In fact, he has scored just once in 10 Premier League appearances so far, as shown on Transfermarkt.

It is no surprise, then, that Lampard desperately wants a new striker, and it is something Farhad Moshiri and the rest of the Everton board probably need to give him to avoid a catastrophic season.

Lampard's men currently find themselves in 17th, just a point above the relegation zone. Without a fit and firing No.9, they are unlikely to escape that part of the table.

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