Interesting interview from Martinez, almost inviting bids for him in January
http://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/dec/10/everton-steven-naismith-roberto-martinez
Everton will not stand in Steven Naismith’s way, says Roberto Martínez
• Norwich had £8m for the Scot rejected in late August
• We will try to help him out, adds Blues manager Martínez
Everton's Steven Naismith, an almost perpetual substitute, limbers up at half-time of the Manchester United game back in April. Photograph: Carl Recine/Action Images via Reuters
Paul Wilson
Roberto Martínez will not stand in Steven Naismith’s way if the frustrated striker receives an offer of more regular football during next month’s transfer window. Norwich City, Everton’s opponents on Saturday, made a late bid for the Scot at the end of the summer window, one that
Everton were not minded to consider, but Martínez promised the player that the situation could be reassessed.
“The offer from Norwich arrived very late and I wouldn’t have had time to replace him,” the Everton manager said. “I was honest with the player and told him he was too important to the club to be allowed to leave. I didn’t know at that stage how Arouna Koné was going to be, or how Gerard Deulofeu was going to settle in, but I had a good idea that Steven still had plenty to contribute, and so it has proved. He has been a consistent performer since I came to this club, but at 29 I can fully understand him wanting to go somewhere else if he thinks he can be the main player.”
Naismith has been effective this season, most notably when scoring a hat-trick after coming on as a substitute against Chelsea, though with Romelu Lukaku an ever-present for Everton and Koné and Deulofeu fitting in alongside the main striker, the former Rangers player has found his starting opportunities limited.
“I respect Steven as a player and a professional,” Martínez said. “He gives everything to the cause and if he says something you have to listen. I do not want to lose him but I understand his position. I think if Naisy was 22 years old he would be happy to fight for his place – you have that confidence at that age – but when you are 29 and not playing as often as you would like it is completely different. I will talk to Steven in January and see where we are. If he feels we can offer him something he will enjoy over the next six months then fine; if not we will try to help him out.”
Martínez advises players to be careful what they wish for – “Pedro at Barcelona wanted to leave all the time, now he is on the bench at Chelsea” – though recognises that individual cases are always different. “I am not here to keep everyone happy, I am here to keep a level of consistency on the pitch and to provide clarity so that every player knows what his role is,” he explained. “Some players who say they need to move on because they are not playing enough games really mean that they know the players getting picked ahead of them are better.
“Some have more personal reasons. Kevin Mirallas, for instance, needs to think about how not playing for Everton might affect his selection for the Euros next summer. You have to try and help someone in that situation, if he needs to be playing. We have helped players in the past. Nikica Jelavic had it in his head that he wanted to play against Brazil in the last World Cup. You can’t really deny a player an ambition like that.
“Brazil had Croatia first up and Mario Mandzukic was suspended. We let him go in January and he started against Brazil in the summer. We had a fantastic deal of £6.5m [with Hull]. It all made sense. It was the same with Johnny Heitinga. Louis van Gaal told him he would not be considered if he was not playing for a club, so we allowed him to go to Fulham. He wasn’t playing with us and it was only fair.”
The defender Brendan Galloway has signed a new contract until June 2020. The 19-year-old full-back was given his chance in the first team at the end of last season after injuries to Leighton Baines and Bryan Oviedo and has made 16 appearances in this campaign.
