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31 July, 2014

Martinez Making Moves


Roberto Martinez is showing no signs of slowing down.  Since being hired to replace David Moyes at Everton last summer, Martinez has more than filled the shoes the now former Manchester United left him; he redesigned and made a whole new pair altogether.  Martinez has reshaped how the club looks at the transfer market and made it known that last years top four challenge wasn’t an anomaly.  With a combination of spending, retaining, and outstanding managing, Martinez looks like he is here to stay.

Last summer, the big news at Everton was the loan agreements for three players: Gerard Deulofeu from Barcelona, Gareth Barry from Manchester City, and Romelu Lukaku from Chelsea.  Today, two of those men are Everton players, while Deulofeu left a lasting impression on the fans and the club alike.  Recently, Ross Barkley penned a long-term extension, and Martinez secured the permanent signing of Barry from Manchester City.  The big news on Merseyside and throughout the entire league, however, is the massive fee Everton just paid for Lukaku.  

The Barry signing signals that Martinez knows what’s best for his team.  Barry is probably the least flashy player in the premier league but last season was a staple in the Everton midfield, sitting deep alongside James McCarthy to form an excellent defensive midfield pairing.  The extending of Barkley’s contract shows Martinez has his priorities straight in securing the clubs most promising academy product for the future.  He could have sold the midfielder for a massive fee, especially considering the market for English players right now (see the Calum Chambers deal).  Barkley is one of the brightest English stars in the league and his breakout season was insult to injury for David Moyes, who preferred Leon Osman to the young academy product.  The Lukaku deal, meanwhile, is absurdly out of the ordinary.  

At 28 million pounds, Everton have exceeded their record transfer window spending total with one signing.  Surely Lukaku isn’t worth 28 million pounds (his eight goals in nine games last season were swiftly followed by just one in the next ten) in my humble opinion, but the peace of mind for supporters and investors alike is well worth the price.  Furthermore, his development will continue under Martinez, who has high hopes for the 21 year old Belgian manchild.  The club clearly has the utmost faith in Martinez, who guided Everton to a 5th place finish and narrowly missed out on the Champions League.  

With the recent television deals Everton has secured, the club had money to spend, but them putting this much money on the table for one player is unheard of in these modern days.  Giving Martinez the financial firepower is a gamble, but a safe one.  Martinez hasn’t put a foot out of line since taking the job, wisely letting Marouane Fellaini go instead of Leighton Baines last summer.  Martinez isn’t revolutionizing the new-look Toffees just through the transfer market though.  

Right now, Everton have an excellent equilibrium of youth and experience in the squad.  John Stones emerged as a future defensive star last season, while Seamus Coleman arrived on the biggest stage with his marauding performances up the right wing from defense.  Stones, a 20 year old Englishman, served as cover across the entire back line last season and was praised publicly by his manager for his performances.  Coleman, meanwhile, upped his value considerably last season, and it is an achievement in itself that Martinez was able to hold onto the player Everton paid around 600,000 pounds for.  

Muhamed Besic is another fantastic signing by Martinez, as he will provide great cover for the defensive midfield duo of Barry and James McCarthy.  Besic, 21, who earned three caps for Bosnia-Herzegovina at the World Cup, is a promising successor to the aging Barry.  Bryan Oviedo, whose gruesome leg injury kept him from suiting up with Costa Rica in the World Cup, will return and provide cover for Leighton Baines and even play ahead of him on the left at times.  He showed last season that he is one of the most capable deputies at left back in England.

Finally, the veteran presences of Baines, an ageless Syvain Distin, American secretary of defense Tim Howard, one club man Osman, Kevin Mirallas, and captain Phil Jagielka will hold this team together.  There’s no guarantee that Everton will challenge for the top four again, but the summer window is often a tough time for clubs in this position.  Southampton, comparable to Everton in personnel before the window opened, have seen their squad decimated, their manager gone, and remote hopes for a top four challenge dashed.  Martinez, on the other hand, has re-wrote the book on mid-table clubs’ dealings in a difficult modern market.  

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