The January transfer window has never been the ideal time to buy players, but it does give Premier League clubs the chance to offload some deadwood before the season’s final run in.
Something Roberto Martinez should bear in mind – his Everton squad is hardly privy to a plethora of depth, but even so, there’s fat to be proverbially trimmed in the new year.
Thus, here’s a list of the FIVE players Everton could axe when the January window opens. Some have expiring contracts, others want first team football and few are quite simply surplus to requirements.
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SYLVAIN DISTIN
Having made nearly 200 appearances for Everton, centre-back Sylvain Distin remains a firm favourite of the Goodison fanbase.
But there appears to be a rift developing between the Frenchman and Roberto Martinez, following the Toffees manager’s decision to leave him out of his match day squad for the Merseyside derby last month.
Martinez has attempted to clear the air, citing his obligation to manage Distin’s game-time now he’s just two months away from his 37th birthday and the defender needing to work on certain aspects of his game.
But at this point, it’s inevitable that Distin’s role as centre-back partner to Phil Jagielka will eventually be prized away from him by John Stones, the 21 year-old England international reportedly catching the eyes of Tottenham, Arsenal and Chelsea to name a few.
The highly-rated youngster looks set to be out until the new year with an ankle injury, which could prolong Distin’s departure until the end of the season.
Boasting great consistency and experience in the Premier League, clearly he still has a role to play. Here’s a look at Distin in an impressive display against Arsenal last season:
//www.youtube.com/embed/EqkpoVKFIos?rel=0
But currently on a year-by-year contract, the Toffees could be forced to sell in January if a decent offer comes in.
STEVEN PIENAAR
Steven Pienaar is another ageing star who enjoys cult hero status around Goodison. Some of his goals, such as this last-minute equaliser in a 4-4 draw with Manchester United, will go down in Everton folk-law:
//www.youtube.com/embed/LKfAvx56xiM?rel=0
But the former South African international just hasn’t been up to standard when called upon this season – just take a quick look at his stats:
After an incredibly uninspiring return from injury against Manchester United a fortnight ago, the 32 year-old’s time in the Premier League may be coming to it’s inevitable conclusion.
CONOR MCALENY (on loan)
Roberto Martinez clearly has big plans for Conor McAleny, tying the Toffees youngster down to a three-year contract earlier in the summer. Here’s a look at him in action for the U21 squad:
//www.youtube.com/embed/0hd7HoRLSnA?rel=0
But the Mersey-born forward desperately needs more playing time at senior level – he’s 22 years of age (to put that into context, a year older than Romelu Lukaku) but has so far made just nine competitive appearances throughout his career.
A promising loan spell at Brentford last season was unfortunately ended after just four games, with McAleny breaking his leg.
There’s rumours that Martinez could indeed call on his services this season, but another temporary stint in the lower tiers would do the youngster a world of good.
The emergency loan window is still open, so there’s no need for the Toffees to wait until January.
AROUNA KONE
The plight of Arouna Kone is certainly an unfortunate one. Having made just five appearances for Everton after joining them from Wigan in summer 2013, the front-man suffered a knee cartilage injury last October that saw him out for the rest of the campaign.
Loan signing Romelu Lukaku excelled in his absence to net 15 Premier League goals, convincing the Toffees to splash out a whopping £28million on the former Chelsea prodigy, whilst even after twelve months on the sidelines, the Ivory Coast international is still just 80% fit.
He is however, determined to break back into Everton’s first team:
Now 30 years of age and having missed an entire season of his career, it’s unlikely the striker will ever reproduce the form that saw him bag eleven goals and five assists for the Latics in 2012/13. Here’s the highlights from Kone’s one-term tenure at the DW stadium: //www.youtube.com/embed/Ed3_SbXIqqk?rel=0 Limited depth up top cost the Merseysiders valuable points last season, but now bolstered by summer bosman signing Samuel Eto’o, Everton can afford to let Kone leave in January and recoup some of their original £6million investment. Whether they can find a suitor for the crocked forward however, remains to be seen.
Antolin Alcaraz
Another Wigan Athletic-sourced acquisition that has proved poor value-for-money, Roberto Martinez brought Antolin Alcaraz with him to Goodison Park on a free transfer in summer 2013, but he’s gone on to make just six Premier League appearances since for the Toffees. Indeed, much like Arouna Kone, Alcaraz spent the majority of his first term on Merseyside in the physio room, having been sidelined until December with an injury from pre-season. When the Toffees finally got the Paraguay international in the pitch, his performances were hardly inspiring – Alcaraz bagged the fastest Premier League own goal since 2010 when he put this header past Tim Howard: //www.youtube.com/embed/ENdWQvt6Mug?rel=0 In a similar vein to Sylvain Distin, injuries in defence could well see Alcaraz survive on Merseyside until the summer. He’s already declared his intentions to fill in for the sidelined John Stones:
But at 32 years of age and with his contract set to expire at the end of the season, there seems little point in the Toffees keeping Alcaraz on if they receive offers in January.
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