Everton’s final coup of Deadline Day saw the Merseysiders acquire the services of Aaron Lennon from Tottenham Hotspur for a fee of £4.2 million. Arriving on a three-year deal, the winger – who spent the back end of last season on loan with the Toffees – was delighted to seal his return to Goodison Park:
“It’s an unbelievable feeling, a lot of people know it’s the move I wanted and from the first time I got here, it felt like home. I was just hoping it got done throughout the summer, I was just waiting, waiting. The loan spell was great for me. I enjoyed the whole feel of everything and the reception from everyone to do with the club. I felt so welcomed and I was just hoping throughout the whole summer that this one got done – and thankfully it did.”
THE HISTORY
The Yorkshire-born wide man started his career at the Leeds United youth setup in 2001 and was promoted to the first team at the tender age of 16. His professional debut, against Tottenham Hotspur in August 2003, marked him as the youngest ever Premier League player.
Having netted on his first Premier League start, against Sunderland on Boxing Day 2004, Lennon cemented a first-team spot at Elland Road. After Leeds encountered financial problems, Lennon was sold to Spurs for £1 million, a much lower fee than expected due to the Yorkshire club’s difficulties.
Lennon burst onto the scene after arriving at White Hart Lane and was nominated for the PFA Young Player of the year for three consecutive campaigns from 2005-2008. However, his ten goals and 24 assists over those three seasons wasn’t enough to snatch the award from Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo and Ashley Young.
Lennon kept his starting role during a period of turbulence that saw Juande Ramos sacked and Harry Redknapp brought in. A mainstay in the Spurs team over the next five years, the winger was one of his side’s most consistent players and averaged four goals and nine assists during that period.
The arrivals of Nacer Chadli, Christian Eriksen and Erik Lamela before the 2013-14 season threw his starting role into jeopardy and Lennon started slowly losing minutes. Last January’s loan to Everton provided a re-birth and the winger managed two goals and one assist in 12 starts, impressing with his direct play, which Everton had previously lacked.
Lennon was part of England’s 2006 World Cup squad, making his first senior start in the 3-1 loss against Portugal in the Quarter-Final. After that he was in and out of Steve McClaren’s side but was selected by Fabio Capello for the 2010 World Cup, where he featured twice. Since then the 28-year-old has only collated two further caps. One in the 2012 World Cup qualifying match against San Marino, picking up two assists, and he came off the bench in 2013’s friendly against Brazil. Lennon has already announced his intentions of returning to the international scene:
“To get back in the England squad is definitely one of my aims. I didn’t have a good run of games for the last maybe couple of seasons until I came back up here (Everton), but hopefully I can get a great run of games in the team. It’s definitely my aim to try and push for an England spot again.”
THE PROSPECTS
Although Lennon was quick to cement a role in Everton’s starting line-up in 2014/15, he’s likely to face a tougher challenge this year. Last term, Roberto Martinez’s side lacked a more direct option until Lennon’s arrival but the signing of Gerard Deulofeu, allied with the return to form of both Ross Barkley and Arouna Kone, gives the Toffees boss greater options in the final third.
So far, Martinez has handed Kone, Kevin Mirallas, Steven Naismith and Deulofeu minutes on the right of a 4-2-3-1, though it’s Kone who looks in the driving seat, having started each of the last three. Nonetheless, having been part of the first XI in 12 of the last 13 Gameweeks he was available for last year, Lennon will fancy his chances of ultimately climbing ahead of the Ivorian in the pecking order.
Tom Cleverley’s ankle ligament injury also needs to be factored in. With the former United man set for a spell on the sidelines, the likes of Mirallas and Deulofeu could be given more minutes on the left, thus boosting Lennon’s chances of earning minutes on the opposite flank.
With a price tag of 5.8 in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) game, Fantasy managers would be wise to resist bringing the winger in for now. In-form mid-price midfield options such as Riyad Mahrez, Bakary Sako, Nathan Redmond and Cheikhou Kouyate afford us far more secure picks in the same bracket.
Looking at the upcoming schedule, clashes against five of last season’s top eight in the next six (CHE, swa, wba, LIV, MUN, ars) is enough to steer Fantasy managers away from Martinez’ side for now. With the fixtures turning far kinder from Gameweek 11 onwards, though, Lennon may yet have a part to play, though with the in-form Barkley at just 6.7, the former Spurs man faces a tough task to make his way onto our Watchlists. Indeed, given that Lennon has never scored more than five goals in a Premier League season, he’ll need to greatly improve his end product if he’s to play any part in our thinking.
