The Toffees are searching for a new winger, and going back to the future could solve their problems.
Speedy wide men with quick feet so often dazzle their fans, but more importantly, offer an injection of energy and a route to goal when all others seem exhausted, making these players a crucial element of any good team.
For Everton, the 2013-14 season encompassed a showcase of trickery on the flanks, and from one man in particular -young Spaniard Gerard Deulofeu.
Roberto Martinez signed the 21-year-old on a one-year loan from FC Barcelona, and Deulofeu would go on to become a fan favourite at Goodison Park, scoring three goals and as many assists from right-wing in 27 Premier League appearances.
The club was unable to retain the player’s services for the following season, however, and it was in the opening stages of that campaign where the effects of Deulofeu’s absence would be felt.
Pleas for his return followed, but those of course fell on deaf ears.
The Toffees’ football was slow, as was their front line – there was a complete lack of game-breaking pace. Much of the work on the wings was left to a useful yet inconsistent Aiden McGeady and workhorse Steven Naismith, who would be happy to admit he is not the world’s quickest footballer.
In the winter transfer window, Martinez went a way to redeeming the situation by signing out-of-favour Tottenham winger Aaron Lennon. His addition proved successful and helped spark Everton into a mini-revival in the second-half of the season.
Lennon was able to add some much needed speed to the right-hand side, scoring two goals and forming a key link in the chain in a number of others. Importantly, too, he was able to bring an impressive defensive work rate.
Lennon’s fruitful stint on Merseyside brought with it calls to make the loan permanent, prompting Tottenham to slap a £6 million asking price on the player. However, that quote appears to have increased in the latter stages of the season, with Spurs now valuing Lennon at £9 million.
That price seems excessive given Lennon played just 287 minutes for Spurs in all of eight matches before his move to the Northwest and is now 28. Ultimately it is a price that is thought to be out of Everton’s price range and one simply not worth paying.
Whether Lennon returns or not, his stay at the club was a glaring exposé of where the Blues’ Achilles heel lied.
So with a return for Lennon now looking unlikely, Martinez and co. should turn their attention back to Deulofeu.
After returning to Barcelona, Deulofeu joined Sevilla last summer on another loan deal, and spent the entire campaign in Seville.
Things seemed to be going according to plan, with Deulofeu grabbing two assists in the Sevillistas’ 4-1 drubbing of Deportivo in October, but the positives quickly began to dissipate, with the flyer hitting turbulence.
In fact, things became so bad that Deulofeu was named in Marca’s worst team of the La Liga season.
He missed much of the second half of the campaign, but worse still, tensions arose between he and head coach Unai Emery. Those tensions seemed to be exposed when Emery said Deulofeu “doesn’t have the capacity or maturity for sacrifice yet.”
Barcelona boss Luis Enrique does not appear to be a fan either, so Deulofeu’s days at the Camp Nou appear numbered, despite being contracted until 2017.
Admittedly, he does have his shortcomings, as does every young footballer, but by the same token, he possesses all the qualities that the Blues lacked until Lennon’s arrival: speed, fleet of foot, strong crossing ability and is not goal shy, nor is he afraid of running at defenders, ranked as the 22nd-best midfielder in the Premier League for take-ons in the 2013-14 season, despite missing 13 matches.
The summer transfer window has now opened, and with it has come renewed speculation about the potential of a blue bid for ‘Gerry’. Indeed, fans can be boosted by the Liverpool Echo‘s report claiming Deulofeu is actively seeking a return to Everton.
Deulofeu is the most ideal candidate to replace the man who, in essence, replaced him. The only hurdles that could remain are Barca’s asking price and to a lesser extent, the player’s wage demands.
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The player himself is at a crossroad in his career, so he must get the next step right, and Everton is the right club for him to help get his career back on track.
He has the manager’s trust, too, so the attacker’s supposed lack of maturity is a negative that could easily be addressed under the tutelage of his Spanish counterpart. Perhaps of most importance, however, is that Deulofeu is trusted by a Goodison crowd that expects nothing but the best, in traditional Evertonian style.
The thought of signing a quality young player, tried and tested, is an opportunity that is simply too good to pass up for both club and player.
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How can his contract end in a month when he’s contracted to 2017. This shows that the article is crap!!