Monthly Archives: October 2014

  • Martinez hoping to take advantage of loan deals

    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.