Moving Target – Arouna Kone

Roberto Martinez made his first foray into the transfer market as manager of Everton by returning to former club Wigan to acquire the services of Arouna Kone. The Toffees beat off late interest from Newcastle for the 29-year-old, who rolls up to Goodison on a three-year deal which is believed to have cost the club £5m.

Speaking to the club’s official website upon completion of the deal, the Ivorian is determined to get amongst the goals for the Merseysiders as Martinez attempts to improve upon last term’s sixth place finish under David Moyes:

“I have faith in my own ability but I hope that everything goes smoothly and that I can also steer clear of injuries. I think that with the quality of squad Everton has, we will have a good season. I hope to score as many goals as I can next season. Playing for Everton is moving to another level, a slightly higher standard compared to Wigan and so I hope to be on my best form. I really believe in this team and I think we will have a great campaign next season and I can’t wait to make my debut for this club.”

The History

Kone’s career began as a 17-year-old back in his native Ivory Coast, where he notched 17 times in 30 appearances for Rio Sport before Belgian outfit Lierse came calling in 2002. Having racked up 11 strikes in 32 games, he made his way to Holland to turn out for Roda JC. This time round, he lasted a couple of campaigns, notching 26 goals and 14 assists in just 61 matches before catching the eye of Dutch giants PSV.

Kone’s first two years in Eindhoven brought 19 goals and 13 assists from 52 appearances but with injury and illness restricting his game time, he was sold to Spanish club Sevilla in the summer of 2007. Despite shelling out €12m for his services, a combination of injuries, lack of form and training ground rows forced Kone out of favour at Sevilla – a mere goal and assist from 29 appearances over two-and-a-half-years sums up his lack of impact.

Loaned out to German club Hannover 96 midway through the 2009/10, Kone found the net twice in eight matches before returning to his parent club for the start of the next campaign. After featuring once in 2010/11, Kone was loaned out to Levante for the remainder of the season and, with 15 goals and four assists in 34 matches, proved a key player as the minnows clinched a sixth place finish in La Liga.

Signed by Martinez for Wigan last summer, Kone’s impact was instant at the DW – from 34 appearances, he registered 11 goals and five assists, playing a part in 16 of the Latics’ 47 strikes over the season. He has also been selected for the national side on 27 occasions, scoring once and providing a pair of assists.

The Prospects

Much may come down to Martinez’s preferred system of choice in his first season on Merseyside. The Toffees are so familiar with the 4-4-1-1 utilised by David Moyes in recent time but many expect the new man in charge to roll out his preferred 3-4-3 formation as he looks to go introduce a more attacking brand of football. Kone’s versatility means he could fill in on the right of a 3-4-3, which may see him vie with Kevin Mirallas for game time or, more likely, through the centre as a replacement for the misfiring Nikica Jelavic.

A 3-4-3 formation, with Mirallas on the right and Kone central, would likely see many Fantasy managers opt for the Belgian, however, if he’s classified as a midfielder in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) game. Alternatively, if Mirallas is listed as a forward, Kone’s appeal looks set to rise considerably – given that Jelavic notched just seven times last term, the Ivorian certainly looks in the driving seat to take up the lone forward role. On the other hand, while Mirallas has the potential to be an out of position option, a repeat of last term’s scenario, where he was classified as a forward yet fielded on the right of a 4-4-1-1, would strike the Belgian off many a Fantasy Watchlist.

Judging by Martinez’s praise, Jelavic certainly has reason to be worried over his game time in the season ahead. In an interview with the Toffees website, the Spaniard spoke highly of the new boy’s capabilities – an indication, perhaps, that he’s set to be fielded centrally for the Toffees next time round.

“He’s got everything that an Evertonian would expect of a striker. The work ethic, the technical ability to score goals – that’s always essential in a striker. But probably the biggest strength that Arouna has is that calmness in front of goal, that composure to be a real reference for the team. His arrival to the Premier League has been a very successful and impressive one. To be able to be himself straight away, someone who copes with the physicality of the game but brings a really strong back-to-goal play in the forward position and with real quality finishing in his make-up. As a player I would say he is a complete footballer at a really good age.”

A price of around 7.0 or 7.5 would bring the former Wigan man into consideration as we construct our pre-season line-ups, while the fixtures also fall in Kone’s favour. With West Brom, Newcastle and Hull all visiting Goodison by Gameweek 9, in addition to trips to Norwich, Cardiff and Villa, the schedule affords Martinez the chance to get off to a successful start. With the likes of Leighton Baines, Seamus Coleman, Steven Pienaar and Mirallas supplying a stream of opportunities from the flanks, Kone could well push on from last term’s tally at the DW to become a key protagonist for the Toffees in the post-Moyes era.

Further Reference

Arouna Kone Wikipedia

Arouna Kone Transfer Markt Page

Arouna Kone You Tube

Arouna Kone Interview