The Everton defender Leighton Baines has been one of the best left backs in the world according to the manager David Moyes. The 28-year-old has been in stunning form for both club and country, which has even led to the talk of him replacing Ashley Cole as the main defender for the England national team.
He has been linked with several clubs like Manchester United over the years, while Everton have been holding out for a fee in the region of £ 20 million. The defender was once again at this imperious best in the match against West Brom during the midweek action.
Baines scored both goals for Everton in the 2-1 win over Steve Clarke’s men to help sustain a challenge for the top four positions by Everton. The last time Everton finished in the top four was in 2005. Since then, they have not been at the best in the first half of the season and it has subsequently resulted in them finishing closer to the mid-table positions.
This season, though, they have come out of the blocks faster than expected and, as a result, they are just a few places below the top four. Moyes is looking to bring in a striker from Spain during the January transfer window in order to strengthen the squad and push for a top four finish.
“He is not our player. The boy is a very good player but on this occasion we could not conclude the deal. There are lot of things connected with signing a player. All those things play a part. All those things combined,” said the Everton manager regarding speculation that they will be signing the 27-year-old Spanish international Alvaro Negredo. Everton recently pulled out of a deal to sign the Dutch striker Fer. The club had agreed an £ 8.5 million fee.
