When the Argentine centre-back joined Everton from River Plate I did not think he stood any chance of success. I felt that in the Premier League he would be exposed for lack of quality, pace and physicality.
True, his first couple of months have not been unblemished. He is unlikely ever to be a candidate for a world XI. But he appears to have settled in well, exuding confidence right from the off. Clearly, he is considerably better than I had thought.
This, of course, is something to be celebrated. Far better that players exceed your expectations than the other way round.
I don’t feel any particular shame about missing the target. These things are not a mathematical exercise. A player moving continents, stepping up in level – there are so many imponderables that moves of this type will always be a gamble.
By way of example, Funes Mori’s Toffees coach, Roberto Martinez, made an earlier foray into the Argentine market when he was in charge of Wigan, buying Estudiantes striker Mauro Boselli - a player I advised another Premier League manager against. Boselli, Wigan’s record signing, did not manage a single EPL goal, and his failure was a factor in the club’s relegation.
I do not cite this to be sneaky or to compare myself in any way to Martinez, who has forgotten more about football than I’ll ever know. It is merely to illustrate the point that no one gets it right all the time....
