In an attempt to inject some verve into Everton’s misfiring attack, Toffees boss Roberto Martinez recruited Tottenham’s current longest-serving player, Aaron Lennon, on transfer deadline day. The diminutive speedster joined the Merseyside club on loan until the end of the season and, despite looking anything but happy upon his arrival, the new boys insists he is relishing the opportunity to integrate himself into Martinez’ starting XI:
I’m really looking forward to seizing this opportunity at a club with such a history and with such great potential, too. The manager wants to play exciting, attacking football and I’m determined to make a big contribution over the remaining games.
After confirming the signing, the Toffees boss took time out to talk up his new arrival’s prospects as Everton attempt to climb the table after a series of poor performances:
“For us, he is someone who can play on both wings with a lot of power and a lot of pace. He has incredible ball control on top of that. Aaron is someone who I think will fit in really well at Goodison. You always look at this sort of player to bring a real sense of anticipation once they get on the ball. The excitement that they produce is quite unique. I know that the fans will be very keen to see how quickly he fits in with our players and our way of playing. I am sure that every Evertonian will agree that Aaron is someone with an incredible pedigree and knowhow, and can have an impact. It is so important to have that experience behind you when settling into a football team like ours and as I say, I think he is ready to create big afternoons at Goodison.”
The History
Lennon’s journey to fan favourite in North London began in his hometown of Leeds, where he joined the youth academy at the age of 14 – the same year in which the five foot five winger became the youngest player ever to secure boot sponsorship when he penned a deal with Adidas.
Lennon muscled his way into the first team in 2003 (becoming the youngest player to feature in a Premier League match) and quickly impressed the management with his unparalleled acceleration and nimble feet, resulting in a £1 million move to Tottenham in the summer of 2005.
Lennon’s exhilarating displays in his formative years for Spurs saw him nominated by his peers for the PFA Young Player of the Year award in two consecutive seasons – awards that Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo eventually scooped.
The 21-capped England international had been a mainstay in Spurs’ matchday squad until the emergence of Andros Townsend and the acquisition of Erik Lamela last term, with career highlights coming in the 2008 League Cup final win over Chelsea and a match-winning assist in Tottenham’s 1-0 victory over AC Milan in the 2011 Champions League last-16. Over his time at White Hart Lane, Lennon served up 30 goals and 77 assists in 349 appearances but the arrival of Mauricio Pochettino has made a significant dent on his prospects, with the 27-year-old serving up just two assists in 279 minutes of league action this term.
The Prospects
Lennon’s arrival merely adds to Martinez’ numerous options out wide. The Spaniard’s above quotes suggests he will also consider the new boy as an inverted winger on the left, in addition to his natural right hand side – whilst that may be good news for Lennon’s chances, it certainly makes it trickier to predict Everton’s line-up with any degree of certainty.
The move may increase Steven Naismith’s chances of playing centrally in light of Samuel Eto’o’s departure to Sampdoria – the Scot has been utilised on the flank on a number of occasions but from a Fantasy perspective, his classification as a forward is frustrating, given his manager’s preference for Romelu Lukaku as the lone forward.
Looking at the pitch time of Martinez’ attacking midfielders, Kevin Mirallas – with 13 starts out of 23 Gameweeks – has been named in the first XI with most regularity. Granted, the Belgian’s availability has been somewhat limited due to injury but with the likes of Ross Barkley and Aiden McGeady handed 12 and ten starts respectively, the Everton manager’s penchant for rotation in the final third is obvious. Factor in Steven Pienaar, Leon Osman, Christian Atsu and Arouna Kone and it’s arguable that Lennon faces greater competition at Goodison than he did at White Hart Lane.
As Martinez hinted at, though, Lennon’s pace could be a vital attribute that sets him apart from his new team-mates. At 6.2, he’s less expensive than the likes of Mirallas (7.2) and Barkley (7.7), though the fact that the latter, with a mere 3% ownership, is the most popular Everton midfielder underlines the paucity of legitimate options in the centre of the park under Martinez, with Leighton Baines and Seamus Coleman’s security of pitch time making them safer options at the back.
With Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal in the next four alone, few will be willing to consider Martinez’ main men right now – indeed, our fixture ticker rates the Toffees as having the second worst schedule from this point until the season’s finale. Whether Lennon will have anything to smile about before then looks debatable.
