Kant

Sometimes we just get carried away easily, for better or worse. James McCarthy just signed two seasons ago, he's under contract for a few more (didn't bother to check that, does not matter). We all want a pay rise in our jobs, especially if someone else gets hired with a better salary to do something similar. But then, that's his agent's job: to knock on Martinez's door and claim that McCarthy is very unhappy, threat with unrest, leak some quotes to the media and blah blah blah. It's Martinez's duty to tell him to STFU and go home in a polite enough way. I tend to believe that players are not usually that concerned about the wages and more about the project, the results and the overall quality of the team. Do you really think that McCarthy would go against Martinez after all RM did for him? Sign him from Hamilton Academy to Wigan, sign him again to play for Everton, teach him a thing or two...

It actually says the deal would be a TRANSFER with an option to buy for Barcelona. Hopefully the deal goes through, wanna see more of Everton 2013/2014... and less of Everton 2014/2015. I would not consider them as a valid source. Those guys are like the tabloids/show of celebrity debates but for football. The worst thing is that they are quite popular in Spain, though. Same format, different content -football- for their targeted audience -men- this time.

The buy back clause is such a PR thing. If Deulofeu is signed, it will be permanent. Madrid started with the buy back clause some time ago to justify with "development" that you are cashing in your youngsters. Nowadays a great young striker in Morata sank them down with 2 goals in the CL semifinals, and they aren't even considering buying him back despite Benitez wanting him. Barcelona is loaded with four top tier forwards, plus great youngsters coming through and high profile signings that they'd want to make in the next years because they have loads of cash. Only if Deulofeu becomes Messi mark II he'd be considered to return, and yet again they would still have Messi, Suarez (£80m) and Neymar (£75m) starting. PS: Not a single article in Spain about this yet, Oporto rumoured to be interested in him though.

The two times I saw him this year he looked very good. He's only 19? Not a chance.

In Spain it is mandatory to insert the release fee clause in every contract, a league rule I think. Therefore powerful clubs insert crazy figures to ensure they have the bargaining power. I think Ronaldo and Messi have €1000m... The only time it had proven useless was when Makelele wanted to go from Madrid to Chelsea as Madrid was paying him very low* wages, he had a very high release fee that Chelsea did not want to pay, and Makelele declared himself unhappy and unsettled to go to work, so Madrid had to let him go.

I remember the times when I was excited seeing his name in the Wigan lineup as a young and promising left forward cutting inside. He used to have a good acceleration, decent control of the ball and a pass in him. -It should be also mentioned however that Wigan sucked quite a lot- Now seriously speaking, player reputation varies too much considering if we take into consideration what they actually do in the pitch. 1) Cleverley plays a few good matches with United. Fergie hypes him up. Gets to play for England. 2) Fans expect world-class performances. Cleverley plays some awful games. 3) Cleverley receives fan abuse. Lad gets his confidence shot. 4) Cleverly goes to Aston Villa. First months he sucks, then Tactics Tim gives him confidence and he becomes a handy player again, even scoring a few. Overall conclusion for me: nothing spectacular of a player, but he can do the job. It's not like midfielder is the most crowded position of the squad, with permacrocked Gibson on the side. Barry and Besic should play the DM, McCarthy and Cleverley the CM and Barkley and Osman the AMC. No more need for Baines as a central midfielder, hopefully. I'm happy with his addition, I expect him to be a good squad player, and to keep the legs fresh when the team inevitably gets some injuries/suspensions/tough fixtures with no time to rest. A full international, FOR FREE. 25 year old and in his prime. Last year United was asking for £8m!!

At least we know so far the following: 1) He's already been at the club, liked it. He did well, considering age and previous first team experience. 2) He's not wanted in Barcelona. Pedro just renewed his contract until 2019, Traoré and Munir are other excellent prospects and he did no good at Sevilla, let's be honest. 3) Martinez is one of the few that A) could afford him and would be able to cope with his sh*t. I mean, I also see it quite unlikely, but it might be one of the few opportunities to get a potential star on a discount price. The links are here, Barcelona has presidential elections and after the success of the signing of Suarez and after the excellent year Pedro had as a first-attacking-sub-that-does-not-moan I don't really see them getting Deulofeu back. He has to move, in Spain he'll probably will not want to go somewhere less to Sevilla, most of the Spanish clubs can't afford his wages and if he has to move internationally, I don't see other place than Everton to go for him. Valencia would be another option for him, and I seriously doubt anyone in Spain wants him after this year. I only hope the figures are £10m-£15m and not £28m!!

To me Stones is no longer a prospect, more of a certainty All the others have important flaws and there are doubts over their ability to reach their potential (Barkley - mental development, Lukaku - first touch and ability to get involved, Deulofeu - overall selfishness) but Stones just needs time and experience to realise his own mistakes. Future England captain! As for Deulofeu, nobody said it better than Emery...: "He has incredible qualities but lacks others. Put him out there, one on one and ... pfff," Emery told Sid Lowe. "But make him play football with teammates, on a big pitch, and it's hard. He doesn't have the maturity or capacity for sacrifice yet. "I told him: 'There are players here who aspire to a contract like yours, men with less talent but more hunger: Iborra, Carriço, Vitolo. They know what it costs. You haven't experienced that. When you do, you'll grow. I hope you get that. If not here, somewhere else.'"

At the beginning of the season he was playing well for Sevilla, scoring and assisting, then he (and Iago Aspas) had a fall out with Emery about playing time and none of them played any meaningful minutes again. All things said, Emery is about teamwork, commitment and cohesion, and he got Sevilla 5th and Europa League champions, so for me he's no fool... Deulofeu has a massive attitude problem, but if someone can figure that out, it is Roberto Martinez and his kind "arrogance" bs attitude. But nobody doubts he's got star potential and star qualities: technical, fast on the dribble, can score goals. I'd take him for Everton, but what a collection of 'star prospects' that could be: Lukaku, Barkley and Deulofeu. All of them can turn busts or world beaters, and none of us would be surprised!

Regardless of position, the learning curve is not regular and steady. I feel Barkley was overhyped last year based on "what he might do and can do", however he did not do it very often. Now we feel he has underperformed because he's not been up to the expected level we all thought he is able to. I would say that what defines a great player is not the ability to do great things, but to do them consistently. Barkley has all the raw tools -technical and physical-, but for me he has not proven yet that he's able to make Everton better consistently. That can come with time, training and better decision making, his biggest flaw at the moment. While I believe it's not the best to play the lad in different positions, at this stage of his development I think it is more important that he gets play time anywhere instead of only playing as AMC. Can't help but feel that he needs to understand the game better, his overall awareness, and that other players similar to him (Gerrard) took also some time to figure out their game. Hopefully next season we can see him grow and become more dominant.

I only quote to make a difference: posession football can be slow or fast. I don't mind the team playing fast one-two passing game, but I get bored if they play it slow and safe. IMO there is a big difference between playing it slow and safe in the final third of the pitch -and therefore becoming predictable and boring (i.e.: this year)- and playing fast once you reach the final third. For me that is the area of the field where you need to risk to play ambitious one-twos, one touch combination of passes and balls through. To pass it around safely in the final third, slowly, then cross for Lukaku to try to head the ball while being sandwiched is hopelessly boring. But the difference is the pace of the ball. It is more probable that you lose posession but then again, when any teams cross and all the defenders are positioned, your chances of success are quite slim. Same for some other teams, Arsenal are really good when they realize they have to move the ball fast and try one touch passes to break through defenses. However, when they play it slow and safe they seem unable to find a cutting edge.

Sergi Roberto is average, wouldn't like him. Adama Traoré is a beast. Barça have a jam in the forward positions with Suarez, Messi, Neymar, Pedro, Munir, Adama, Deulofeu, Sandro... but unfortunately I doubt we'll sign anyone from them.

- Out (I reallistically believe that the players in bold will leave, and the others mentioned will not...even if I want to): GK: Howard. Please let the player join the MLS. Time to scout and sign a good keeper, there are plenty out there available and Robles has proven he's up for a fight. I don't think Howard leave, though. CB: Alcaraz, Distin. A disastrous season for both. Jags has been inconsistent, but he can still do a job, and Stones is the future. LB: Oviedo. Not going to sell Baines, Garbutt is ready, so one has to go. Shame as I believe he's going to be starting somewhere and he's good, but two options for a position is good enough. RB: Hibbert for sure. Coleman? Question mark because I don't really think anyone will come with 25m to buy him, as this season he's been quite average. CM: Unfortunately we're not going to get rid of Barry, so no exits. Martinez likes his options here, I like all of them except Barry and Gibson's fitness. RW/LW: McGeady has been given the chance by being a free transfer... and he has not taken it. Hopefully some Championship team or Villa want him. Mirallas will go because he wants to, but I don't think he's as good as he thinks and his destiny will be elsewhere for few -not a lot of- millions, sadly. Pienaar is not up to the standards and neither is Osman, but you can't move all four wingers, so I expect Osman to stay at least one more year. ST: Koné will not leave, despite his injury record and poor performances. Nobody will want him and I doubt Martinez will quit on him now after 2 years of limited action. In: - Andre Ayew: Free transfer. I'd not be surprised. - Gerard Deulofeu: Let's have a laugh here... he left Everton because he felt he was good enough for Barcelona, and at the beginning he was moaning a lot in the media about the weather in England, but praising the fans (when he was getting playing time at Sevilla). The manager there got tired of him, his non-existant defensive attitude and his limited passing range, started benching him and in Barcelona they don't want him. The kid certainly is talented, and Martínez is a true believer... - Anthony Martial: The BIG deal of the summer. Attacking midfielder, can play LW/RW/ST and he's 19. Monaco wants to sell as long as it's good money. Other positions: No idea. In general, I didn't really trust Martínez with the transfer activities, but I used to trust him with on field decisions and he's been awful this season, so let's see...

Well, while I believe Lukaku was too expensive (even more when the budget is tight), comparing to other strikers moved recently: 1.- Alvaro Morata (aged 22, 1992, 6ft 3). Moved for €20M. Goals for Real Madrid in 2013-2014: 8 in 26 apps (9/34 all comps). Goals for Juventus 2014-2015: 6 in 19 (8/27 all comps). 2.- Romelu Lukaku (aged 21, 1993, 6ft 3). Moved for £28m. League Goals for Everton in 2013-2014: 15 in 31 apps (16/33 total). Goals for Everton in 2014-2015: 7 in 25 (13/34 total). 3.- Wilfried Bony (aged 26, 1988, 6ft). Moved for £28. League Goals for Swansea in 2013-2014: 16 in 34 apps (25/48 all comps). Goals for Swansea in 2014-2015: 9 in 20 apps (9/22 total). Of all three, for me, Lukaku is the better prospect, the youngest one and the most proven one. Furthermore, he is not going to the ACON, and he played for the club last season. Lazy scouting maybe, and we can argue if it was a wise move to spend £28m on one player when the team has clearly other areas to strengthen -that is a big strategic mistake IMO-, but I am not ready to give up on Lukaku in his first season here. Other strikers have developed late, he is only 21, he'll be here in the long run, and for what I have seen this season, he is developing. Did he miss three seaters yesterday? True. And he also scored one. He has shown a very few glimpses of superstar potential. Without turning this into a Lukaku debate, keepers and strikers are the most important part of the XI, and I'd point to the other side of the pitch if Martinez plans to start fixing issues any day soon.

Maybe I'm optimistic, maybe it goes with the moment of the day, but I think that this Premier League season will be not particularly good and that the club are now focusing on the EL. I would use the season to evaluate the season and get ready for what should be an important transfer window next summer. To be realistic, there are better teams out there in the EL to win it than us and in the PL there are worse teams to fear for relegation. Long term thinking, it's quite clear what needs to be done. Groom Barkley (who has all the potential to become the next big thing, but has to figure it out, especially his decision making, and I'm not really sure he'll make it to the next level) Groom Lukaku (who has the potential to become a world class striker if he manages to find consistency and composure. Again, he's 21, and footballers develop massively, not all of them were superstars aged 18. Lukaku reminds me of a young Fernando Llorente because of the potential and the inconsistency, but he's much better than the Spaniard was when he was young.) Acquire a new core. Slowly but steadily, Distin and Osman have been replaced by Stones and Besic/Naismith. There will be more tough work to do, and by tough work I mean to either replace a solid ageing performer for a young lad with potential making mistakes or seeing the old performer do his thing and watch the effects of time make him become unreliable. Next in line: Baines, Howard, Jags. Sell for value and replace Mirallas, neither will be no easy feat. Hopefully ship McGeady out somewhere too. Find a reliable keeper. If Martinez trusts Robles then it's the right time to play him, as Howard's time seems to be finished here. If he does not trust Robles, then play him to see what he can do. But what Martinez does now not not only does not make sense, it's also costing points. And finally, find an assistant that takes over the set pieces defensive strategy and overall defending strategy!

Typical comment: he becomes a beast in FM 2015 in a year or two. Back to real life, absolutely no idea who he is, however Football Manager is usually a good tool to identify good young players (for us fans, I would not like to hear that a professional manager uses this).

Thoughts: 1) Every time there's a lead, the team sits back, which is awful considering how rotten defensively they are. So I have to say I saw it coming, despite Newcastle not having any decent attacking threat other than Ayoze Perez (he looks very good to be 18!). 2) McGeady is not good enough for this level. 3) Eto'o is the best attacking midfielder out there. What has happened with Barry? McCarthy is also quite unsure in posession, they should watch a video of their games last season because now under the slightest pressure from the rivals they pass back. 4) I'm happy to see Garbutt doing well, and Baines is pressing quite well. The rest of the team look like a bunch of strangers, they really don't know whether to sit back, to press up, to close down... All in all, I see a 3-1 victory for Newcastle. Shame, because some players seem very much trying and some others are lackdaisal out there.

To be honest, this season Everton players look like playing at 70%, while last season the same players were playing 110%. Agressiveness, electric runs, hunger, will... all seem to be dissapeared. They look like they don't care, and I blame Martinez for this (yes, I do). Whatever passing game you want to play, it's nothing to do with the defensive phase on the game, and in that one we su*k big time. I have not seen any team back off and let the opposition play as comfortably as this team. It's a shame because the team is very talented and can push to the top 4 as shown last year, but you need to press up, to go all-in to 50-50 tackles and to show that you want it more than the other teams. I am not so worried about this season, because it's also true that there is a process of rejuvenating the team, with an old backspine fading at different paces (Howard, Distin, Pienaar fading worryingly fast, Jags, Baines and Eto'o still keeping it up). The young players are starting to feel responsible for what happens to the team (Stones, Barkley, McCarthy and Lukaku mainly) but they are not able to compete or inspire the same level of intensity to the other teammates, and Martinez is not helping in this. All in all, the team looks softs and weak. If they play and they are allowed time on the ball, this is among the most talented Everton squad I have seen in the last 10 years, but also the most vulnerable mentally. Everytime they score they try (and fail) to protect the score, exactly at the moment when you have to go and grab the game by the neck and take it down. Last part of this long rant, I really feel Everton is a candidate to win the Europa League. A talented team, soft (but Euro teams are softer too and don't play that many long balls), that can turn up and beat anyone and with key players that can decide a tight game. Martinez is good at cup runs, but the last one got Wigan relegated. I'd be really ecstatic if Everton win the Europa League, but if they do not, I'll be pissed off because they threw away a PL season with no clear 4th (West Ham is 4th!!! Liverpool are pants, Arsenal weak as always and the Spurs are the Spurs). Plus, Stones will be back soon, and nowadays he's the best defender at the club.

Lukaku with the attitude of Eto'o would be a world beater. I expect him to improve, but you can tell he's had it easy so far in his career and he needs to toughen up. Eto'o had a terrible start of career (signed 14 for Real Madrid and was labeled uncoachable at the time), was loaned out countlessly to poor teams -CD Leganés, RCD Espanyol among others-, changed his attitude and massively improved when he was 23 in Mallorca and then Barcelona signed him and we all know how it went. You can see the guy is always hungry, chasing opponents and making the runs. He is ambitious and he shows it.

I must admit I only could watch the 2nd half but I'll leave a few comments: - The atmosphere looked great on TV. In the Spanish TV there was a talk about young people in the stadium, particularly in one of the stands, I think they said an "animation stand" or a stand for young lads. Anyway, there was no comment about the incidents that happened during the day, so I hope everyone got home safe and everyone could enjoy peacefully the game. At the end of the day it's just a football game. - Hibbert always puts a shift in and he's looking solid. He is not a world beater but now he is playing good football, composed on the ball, doing what he is supposed to do and defending solidly. I mean, we know he's no Coleman obviously, but he is not letting the team down. Poor Browning, he also looks ready to play a few games. The improvement of Jagielka makes the team feel solid at the back. Good for him and for the team now that Stones is injured. - McGeady seemed to be angry when substituted, and I can't understand it. I really think he is consistently giving the ball away. He looks like a pacey skillful player but I don't see anything useful coming from him. Unfortunately, he got the best chance in the half and he couldn't score it. At least he's improving his positioning, his runs and his overall movement. - Solid defending, not so much flair in attack but one clear cut chance, 0-0 away. I'm happy for that. Lille looked quite decent today, and in Origi it seems there will be a fine striker. Maybe Martinez should do a bit more of scouting in the future instead of splashing that amount of cash on a young striker. - Lukaku looked fat today to me. Maybe he's just out of form? Probably I am wrong, though. - Eto'o and Lukaku look good together, and I feel Eto'o is not playing enough at the moment. At some point we would also expect Koné to show he can kick a ball too (maybe). Let's see what happens, the striker position is getting more competition (but little goals in return). - No Gibson, no Alcaraz... if they do not get a game even in the EL, does it mean that Martinez does not trust them? All in all, I feel the team is improving and I'm confident for the game against Burnley. Also, I'm really eager to watch El Clasico, (for those unaware of the time and date: 17h UK time, Saturday) P.S.: What a beauty from Lamela!

Being only 21, pro footballer and in a "new" (he's been for a while already) country, all he's known is success so far. This is probably the first major set back in his life, we can't know how much the girl meant for him but if he loved her he'll have a hard time for a while. It may even seem that football does not make sense for him anymore. Hopefully Roberto and the coaches will help him through, life is much more than football and the sooner he figures that out the better he'll perform. Footballers always perform better when they feel happy, loved and everything is clicking. Obviously, being a pro footballer also will help finding a proper substitute in no time, or at least a few hotties to make it easier for him. All in all, for a while it's better if he stays single: I don't remember in which sport it was, but there was a quote in one of the speed sports such as "if he gets married, he will lose 1 second per lap". We need a hunger Lukaku. Focus on your job (get goals), then the rest will get sorted out.

True that. Edited Thanks!

I was expecting Martinez to use Eto'o as an element of pressure and competition. Maybe now is the moment to start the proven goalscorer... P.S.: I still believe in Lukaku, but he needs to show more and to realize he is the only striker in the team, responsible to score goals and to win the game for the team. For a technically wonderful big and strong player that does not score goals I prefer to see Balotelli down the road.

In my opinion, these are the reasons why the team is 17th at the moment: - Awful preseason (yep, we all saw it coming), which may be the reason of... 1- The loss of form of the pair Jagielka - Distin. 2- Central midfield pair is not on the best form: the pairing Barry - McCarthy was excellent last year. However Barry is either getting old too soon or not in the best form at the moment. McCarthy was incredible last year, adding consistency, fluidity to the team and pressing the opponent midfielders like there's no tomorrow. This year he's allowing more space to the opposition, that allows them to think and execute. 3- Bad start of the season (one more win and we would not be discussing this, the team would be mid table) There are other factors related to the summer transfers and the squad: - Lack of depth in attacking midfield positions: last year the team had a fully healthy Pienaar, an energetic loanee in Deulofeu, Mirallas and McGeady, plus Osman being used in the left. I did not count Oviedo because he is a left back and he only played two games as a winger before his injury. This year Pienaar has been injured, Deulofeu is not here and Atsu does not bring the same abilities the Barça played had, Mirallas is currently injured but he's been part of most of the start and McGeady is not doing anything particularly impressive. Osman's legs are gone, unfortunately. Why Eto'o or Koné do not feature more on the wing is something to ask Martinez. - Lukaku lacks hunger: I would not know how to describe it better. The man does not fight like each game can be his last game in football, it's not that he looks disinterested, but he is not dominant and he was brought to be dominant. - Barkley and Coleman got injured (both key men). - Tim Howard's disastrous start of the season. - Difficult games played so far (Chelsea, United, Liverpool, Arsenal). The loss against Palace hurts. - Extra games in Europa League for a small squad (yes, there are 25 professional footballers in there, but they do not possess the same ability). There have been also some positive points: - John Stones playing like a full England international should play. - Right backs: Tyias Browning looks ready for the first team. Tony Hibbert is a professional footballer -somehow I had forgotten that-, he is ready to contribute and although he has never been a world beater, now he is needed. - Besic looks like, after some time to bed in, he can be useful. - Eto'o always scores goals when given time. All in all, I have the feeling that unless the team has a massive drop of confidence and starts playing nervously, it should get on a winning run and improve its fortunes. Tim Howard can't drop clangers every two games, Lukaku will score even by accident, Baines will link up well with Pienaar again and McCarthy will get back to full fitness. Barkley, with all his flaws and mistakes, is a player that can win a game in a single moment, and he is missed at the moment. For the record, a team that is now playing Champions League football in the Spanish Primera Liga is in relegation positions, with (almost) the same squad and with defensive problems and confidence issues (Athletic Bilbao). Football never stops surprising me, how things can change so much in one summer!

Positives: Browning was good, he looks ready and it's time to give him a chance. Stones looked great and Jagielka looked good too. Negatives: Barry was awful, Besic insecure and McCarthy not physically ready yet. McGeady does not track back and there was a play when he left the team exposed, and this needs to be addressed. All in all, Pienaar, Barkley and Coleman are integral parts of this team, and McGeady, Osman or Hibbert are not first teamers, so I would say the team needs to keep improving, raise the defensive intensity (huge concern to see them so relaxed and not challenging the wingers when they cross) and get the starters back. Eto'o needs more involvement IMO too, he looks sharp and ready.