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Everton manager Roberto Martinez had immense success with loan deals last season after players like Gareth Barry and Romelu Lukaku, who had been at the club on a temporary basis, impressed and helped the club qualify for the Europa League this season. He has been hoping to take advantage of the loan system once again. Players like Christian Atsu have come to Goodison Park this summer. The 22-year-old Ghanaian winger belongs to Chelsea and this deal is very much similar to the loan deal for Lukaku last summer. Atsu’s came to prominence a few years ago and made the high-profile switch to Chelsea last January.
However, he is yet to play again for the Premier League giants. Martinez has seen enough of Atsu in the last few weeks to be convinced that the 22-year-old will be a force to reckon with in the second half of the season. He has had only 70 minutes of action so far with no goals or assists to his name. Martinez, though, reckons that this is a period of adaptation for the player for spent the last season on loan at Vitesse Arnhem in the Dutch league. Atsu was one of the better players in the Dutch league last season and Martinez expects to carry over this form after a few months of settling in.
“We need to give him a little bit of time to adapt to the physicality of the Premier League just like any player but especially a winger. In other leagues referees allow less contact and they are a bit more protected. But I think the way he has adapted to the way we want to play so far has been impressive. He’s an intelligent footballer. It’s just making sure I can give him the right introduction to his role,” said Martinez.

A lot of question marks were raised about striker Romelu Lukaku after he decided to leave a top club like Chelsea for a move to Everton, who are often involved in the fight to qualify for the Europa League. Chelsea manager José Mourinho appeared to hint that the striker was not ready to fight for his place at a big club like Chelsea with many top players. He said that Lukaku moved to Everton largely because he would be a big fish in a small pond. The striker cost an incredible £ 28 million and has started in every Premier League match so far.
After recently opening his account for Everton since the move in the win over West Brom during the weekend, Lukaku is expected to kick on. Goalkeeper Tim Howard has rejected suggestions that the 21-year-old striker is not hungry enough. Contrary to those suggestions, Howard says that Lukaku is the kind of an individual who likes to celebrate goals scored even in training. It is widely known that the Belgian international spends a lot of time analysing his game. Howard says that he is aware that Lukaku wants to become one of the best players in the world.
The striker has scored roughly one goal every other game in the last two years at West Brom and Everton. “He wants to be the best footballer in the world, he really does. That’s what he thinks of himself. He gets his head down and he works, and we push him. He’s electric, he’s alive, he celebrates goals in training, everything counts to him. Everything matters. That’s what you want to see. There are too many young kids that take it for granted. Romelu doesn’t. He cost a lot of money but he is not arrogant, he is hungry,” said Howard.

Roberto Martinez believes that Ross Barkley is very different from the other young players around. According to the Everton boss, the 20-year old defender is not someone who will let himself carried away by the fame and money.

Barkley has recently been given a contract extension by Everton and he has got a big hike in his weekly salary too. He is believed to be getting 50 thousand Pounds per week from this season onwards.

Normally, when the young players start being paid high, their head get turned very easily. They get deviated from their actual path. It has happened with many youngsters in the past. But, Martinez seems to be quite sure that it’s not going to happen with Barkley.

Talking to the reporters about Barkley the other day, Martinez said, “I am not worried about him. He knows his priorities pretty well. Yes, he is only 20 and most of the players find it hard to keep their focus on the game at this age especially if they are getting fame, but, Ross is not like the other young boys. He is calm, composed and a family man. He resides with his mother and is leading a balanced life.”

“Not only temperament wise, Ross is fantastic skill wise too. He is very quick on the pitch and he is blessed with the physical strength as well. There are not too many players in the world that’s got both these qualities.”

Barkley has been at Everton since the age of 11. He made his debut for the senior team in 2010, but, he used to play only a few matches here and there until the 2012-13 Season. It’s in the last season that he established his place in the starting XI of the toffees.

The playmaker featured for Everton in more than 30 matches in the league in the 2013-14 Season.

The manager of Everton FC, Roberto Martinez, reckons that Gareth Barry is exactly the kind of playmaker he needs to sign, but, he doesn’t want to rush into anything to get that deal done. He is prepared to wait patiently.

Barry was originally a player of Manchester City in the last season, but, he had played for Everton on loan and he had performed pretty well there.

This summer, Barry is a free agent as he has been released by City. Now, Everton wants to secure his services on a permanent basis, but, the veteran midfielder is taking his time to reach any conclusion. He is believed to have been approached by the other clubs as well and he is just looking into the offers at this point of time.

According to Martinez, he knows that during the World Cup, things tend to get slowed down especially the transfer activities. So, he is not concerned about the Barry situation at all.

Speaking in one of his interviews recently, the Everton boss said, “During the World Cups, the transfer activities don’t get processed as fast as they usually do. So, I am not bothered at this point of time. Yes, we do want to have Gareth’s services as he is a wonderful player and great human being, but, I am ready to wait.”

“Each and every person over here including me was very impressed with Gareth’s attitude last season. He is in our plans, but, we will have to see what decision he makes. We would try our best to convince him to spend a few more years at Everton.”

Barry who is 33 years of age has a huge amount of experience. He has been playing in the premier league since the last one and half decades.

Everton manager Roberto Martinez has stated that the some of the process of the upcoming summer transfer recruiting is almost over. He says that the club have finally agreed on the players that they would be looking to sign in the transfer window, which opens on July 1. Everton are likely to be spending around £ 20 million in the summer, which is peanuts compared to the likes of Tottenham and Liverpool have already spent. Martinez will be aware that the club has limited budget, but he is looking at various alternatives in order to strengthen the squad.

One of the ways includes getting place on loan deals just like they did last summer. This was highly beneficial for all parties involved as the likes of Gareth Barry and Romelu Lukaku not only got arrival of first-team action, but they also proved crucial in Everton finishing fifth in the table. Despite getting a record 72 points, they could only manage a fifth-place finish. Just when it seems that Martinez could not improve this even further, the Spaniard is looking to sign a couple of players in almost every area of the pitch to strengthen the team.

It is expected that Everton will open negotiations with the targets after the World Cup 2014.

“Recruitment is vital. It’s one of those moments of the season where you recollect the good work you’ve done over the last two windows. The recruitment department have been working tirelessly to get the reports and highlight the targets and players that are going to fit in our football club. You can imagine it’s a long process. We’ve identified the players and now it’s about making sure we can get them to join,” said the Everton manager.

It is believed that Everton are in discussions with Chelsea for a permanent transfer of Lukaku.

Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku has been a major reason behind Everton qualifying for the Champions League. The striker has been on loan at Everton from the start of the season. As he has done with West Brom last campaign, Lukaku has scored a number of goals in the league. His strikes against the likes of Manchester city and Arsenal have proven to be very important indeed. Manager Roberto Martinez has expressed on several occasions that he would like to keep the Belgian striker on a permanent basis.

Initially, it was thought that Chelsea would be reluctant to part company with the 20-year-old, who has been likened as the next Didier Drogba. However, there seems to have been a major shift within the transfer policy of Jose Mourinho. Lukaku has been linked with moves to Everton and Tottenham in the last few months. A pricetag of around £ 20 million has been placed on his head, which would make him as one of the priciest youngsters in the world. Martinez accepts that this price may increase if the 20-year-old has a good World Cup.

Lukaku will be the first choice for the Belgian national team to the injury for Aston Villa striker Christian Benteke. Despite the misfiring strikers at Chelsea, the club looks set to sell the Belgian International in the summer.
“I don’t think that’s my worry. The worry would be that if the deal was a cheap one, it would be because he has had a torrid time and hasn’t fulfilled his potential. We are too close to Romelu to hope he has a poor tournament. We hope he has a really good World Cup – and then decides to come to us. We’ll see what’s the best thing for everyone but everything will be in stages: how Chelsea are doing in their own squad and how that frees some players,” said Martinez.

David Moyes is reportedly happy to stay at Everton according to Alan Irvine.Moyes, who joined the Blues in March 2002, has been linked with a number of managerial vacancies in recent months.

Irvine told BBC Radio Merseyside: “David is very happy at Everton. He knows he’s loved by everybody.

“The fans know what a good job he’s done, so it would take a lot to get him away from there.”

Tim Cahill is set to play for Everton over the chance to represent Australia in the June friendlies.

Cahill missed a month of Everton’s season in January to represent the Socceroos, having had little rest last summer due to his commitments at the World Cup.

Despite missing the last two games with a foot injury, the 31-year-old remains his club’s leading scorer on the Premier League stage this term having found the net nine times.

Everton striker Louis Saha had a lucky escape after surviving an accident in his Ferrari unharmed last night.

The former Manchester United ace, 32, was on the Altrincham Road, in Wilmslow, Cheshire, when he lost control of his car shortly before 9 p.m., the Daily Mail reports.

Police said that the vehicle he was driving was extensively damaged.

A source added: “The car was extensively damaged. He is lucky to be alive.”

Everton captain Phil Neville has said that he is looking forward from the defeat to Bolton. The Blues suffered a 2-0 defeat at the Reebok Stadium, leaving them just three points clear of the relegation zone.

It prompted David Moyes to declare it as one of the worst displays he can remember in his nine years as manager.

Phil Neville now admits the team are looking down rather than up, despite the fact three points would have catapulted the Toffees into eighth position.

He said: “”We all take resposibility and that wasn’t good enough, we need to be better. We have an outstanding group of players but we just didn’t produce.”