To describe Everton’s first impressions of Carlos Alcaraz as positive would be something of an understatement. He was the light in the gloom of an FA Cup exit against Bournemouth, looking the epitome of a gifted Argentinian midfielder as soon as he was introduced for his debut. One start for David Moyes’s team and Everton fans were singing Alcaraz’s name after he marked the occasion with an assist plus an 80th-minute winner at Crystal Palace last Saturday.
One taste of a Merseyside derby, meanwhile, and the feeling was mutual. “Loco, loco,” says Alcaraz, shaking his head and smiling about the mayhem that was the final Merseyside derby at Goodison Park. “It was a mad derby, a crazy match. We were ahead, we were behind and then we managed to get a draw at the end of a pulsating game. To say that was my first derby wearing this shirt is fantastic. I really enjoyed it.”
Alcaraz was involved in the buildup to James Tarkowski’s 98th-minute equaliser and first on the scene when Curtis Jones grabbed Abdoulaye Doucouré after the final whistle. The experience was reminiscent of a previous chapter in the 22-year-old’s career. Alcaraz came to international attention after scoring a 118th-minute winner for Racing Club against Boca Juniors in the 2022 Champions Trophy final. He celebrated Doucouré-style in front of the opposition fans, sparking a brawl that resulted in red cards for Alcaraz, a Racing teammate and five Boca players, including a substituted player and an unused substitute. Two Boca players had been sent off earlier in the game and so, with only six Boca players remaining on the pitch, the final was stopped and Racing won 2-1. That’s one way to clinch a trophy.
“I’m really, really competitive and aggression is a part of my game but I have other technical qualities as well,” admits the midfielder, who shook the hand of the referee Facundo Tello by way of an apology after receiving his red card against Boca. “What you will find when I pull on this shirt is that I just want to give my best. I’m very competitive and give 100% all the time. Off the pitch I am a pretty chilled, laidback sort of guy. I am not going out all the time. I might have a stroll out to the shopping centre but I am happy by myself. You need to rest a lot to play football so I am happy resting up and recuperating. I watch a bit of TV and I go on PlayStation.”
It is two years and three months since Alcaraz won the Champions Trophy with Racing Club. Yet Everton are his fourth different club since then, and the third this season alone (he was able to sign on loan from Flamengo this month as the Brazilian season, which overlaps with the Premier League dates, had ended). He left Argentina for Southampton in January 2023, joined Juventus on loan in January 2024 and featured in Southampton’s first Premier League game of this season before moving to Flamengo for a club-record €18m (£14.9m) last August. The midfielder’s brief time in Brazil was frustrating.
He struggled to secure a regular starting role under Filipe Luís, although the former Atlético Madrid and Chelsea left-back blamed himself for that. “I’m sad,” said the Flamengo coach. “I feel like it’s my failure, his failure for not working out in my hands. Given the investment made, that was my concern, a big investment and I’m not getting the best out of him.” Filipe Luís added: “I love Alcaraz.” Everton, who have an option to buy the midfielder in the summer, held a longstanding interest and moved to make him the first – and so far only – signing of Moyes’s second spell in charge.
“There was contact and interest before I went to Brazil but it didn’t come off in the end,” Alcaraz admits. “It didn’t work out but I was really pleased that a Premier League club of Everton’s stature had shown interest. I was happy during my time in Brazil with Flamengo but stuff happened that involved other people, and not directly me, so even before Everton revived their interest when I was in Brazil I was thinking I would love to come back to the Premier League because it is the best league in the world and I like a challenge. I wanted to challenge myself and what better way than to do so at a big club like Everton. With that initial interest and subsequent interest I didn’t need any convincing.”
Without wishing to sound like an overbearing grandparent, isn’t it about time you settled down? Alcaraz replies: “Currently it’s a loan deal until the end of the season but yes, I would like to settle down and make it longer. I would like to be playing in this shirt for a longer period for sure.
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“The first thing the manager said was that he had a lot of faith in me and he would put his trust in me. Immediately that calmed me, relaxed me and gave me confidence. I am really happy here. I know what a big challenge it is playing for Everton but I think the confidence from the manager, his coaching staff and my teammates means I can do my thing and prove who I am as a player.”
Jack Harrison, a fluent Spanish speaker, has been instrumental in helping Alcaraz settle at Everton. Having spent a year in charge at Real Sociedad, Moyes’s Spanish must be helpful too? “He only says: ‘Hola,’” says Alcaraz. “But it’s no problem because we have Jack. To be fair, the manager speaks really clearly to me, his English is very clear, so I don’t have any problem. My English is good enough to follow when it is a team talk or it is directed to me. Jack’s Spanish is great. We spend a lot of time together in training and off the field. We even share a maté [a South American herbal drink] together. He played under [Marcelo] Bielsa at Leeds and the backroom staff there so he was used to having maté. Now I’ve got him back on it.”
Source: theguardian.com
