Just one day after acquiring Arouna Kone from former club Wigan, Roberto Martinez plundered the Latics’ first-team squad once again by picking up centre-half Antolin Alcaraz. The 30-year-old penned a two-year deal at Goodison and arrives on a free transfer, after his contract at the DW expired earlier this month:
In his first interview with the club’s official website, the Paraguayan admitted that the chance of working with Martinez again was fundamental to his decision to sign up:
“I know him really well and he knows me very well also. We had a very good relationship in the three years at Wigan and I want to continue that. Nothing is going to change, he is very professional. I have learned many things with him. He gave me a lot of support when I came here, when I was new in this competition. It is totally different and he gave me many lessons on how to adapt to this type of football. Thanks to him I adapted quickly to English football. “
The History
Alcaraz’s career began in Argentina with Racing Club back in 2001 but after failing to feature for the first-team, he was farmed out on loan to Italian outfit Fiorentina – the Serie A side were soon declared bankrupt, however, forcing the centre-half to return to his parent club without a single appearance. Finally picked up by Portuguese side Beira-Mar at the start of 2003, he went on to score four times in 81 games before being snapped up by Belgian club FC Brugge in 2007/08.
During his time in the Jupiler League, Alcaraz produced five goals and four assists from 63 league appearances, with his displays catching the eye of then-Wigan manager Martinez back in 2010. Having played 34 times during his first season at the DW, Alcaraz managed just 35 games over the following two seasons due to injury, with his absence at the back proving crucial as the Latics slipped out of the top-flight last term.
The 30-year-old was a late starter on the international stage – making his debut in 2008, he has turned out for his country on 27 occasions and found the net twice.
The Prospects
While there’s no denying his talents, Alcaraz’s propensity for picking up injuries is a real concern. Over his time at Wigan, the Paraguayan was sidelined with thigh, rib, groin and hamstring problems, with a torn groin muscle keeping him out of action for six months last term. Clearly, Martinez is a big fan, though, and the new boy’s arrival is perhaps another sign that the Spaniard intends to roll out his preferred 3-4-3 formation on Merseyside.
With Phil Jagielka and Sylvain Distin looking nailed-on at centre-half, Alcaraz should likely get the nod over Johnny Heitinga if a three-man backline comes into operation but with Martinez looking to go on the attack, it remains to be seen whether Everton can mirror the defensive resolve instilled by David Moyes in seasons gone by – a move away from a four-man defence may signal a downturn in clean sheet potential.
Price-wise, Alcaraz will set you back 5.3 in the Sky Sports game and 2.0 in the Sun Dream Team, while a cost of around 5.0 in Fantasy Premier League (FPL) seems on the cards. Our view of the Toffees backline will mainly be determined by Seamus Coleman’s classification across the Fantasy games, though; listed as a defender by Sky Sports and The Sun, a similar situation in FPL would surely see the Republic of Ireland international become one of the most popular defensive options in the game, with Martinez expected to field him on the right of the Everton midfield four. While Coleman would struggle to mirror Leighton Baines’ overall points score on the opposite side of midfield, his much kinder cost may well prove better value of the pair, with the latter expected to come in around the 7.5 price mark after finishing the previous campaign as top scoring FPL defender.
Undoubtedly, the opening schedule has been favourable to Alcaraz and company. Home games against West Brom, Newcastle and Hull, allied with trips to Norwich, Cardiff and Villa in the first nine Gameweeks, offer the chance of a successful start for Martinez at Goodison. While the Paraguayan may be instrumental in a probable change of system, there’s an irony that, with Coleman’s possible out of position appeal and Baines’ attacking consistency to contend with, he’s likely to fall far from Fantasy radars for the season ahead.
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