Yesterday, reports claimed James McCarthy has told Everton he no longer wishes to remain at Goodison Park, due to a lack of respect shown to him by the Merseyside club.
The Liverpool Echo reported late yesterday evening that officials have not received any word from the player, but sources understand McCarthy does seek crucial contract talks.
The 24-year-old, who made 27 appearances last season for the Toffees, is one of the club’s lowest paid players. Fellow midfielders Ross Barkley and Seamus Coleman as well as defender John Stones have all been handed new long term contracts on much higher wages.
New signing Tom Cleverley is also believed to be on a higher wage than the Ireland international.
But Everton fans should start to feel a little worried if one of their brightest players wants out.
Having signed for £13,000,000 from Wigan Athletic in 2013, McCarthy has subtlety become an important piece of Roberto Martinez’s Goodison Park jigsaw.
He followed Martinez into the club from the Latics two summers ago and has fitted perfectly into the central midfield role alongside veteran Gareth Barry.
He may have only scored four goals in his two seasons for the Toffees, but McCarthy hasn’t won fans with for his goal scoring abilities.
In 2014/15, he had an average 86.2% pass success rate. He would always be the man to begin offensive attacks on opposition defences. Only Stones (89.5), Barkley (87.9) and Phil Jagielka (87.5) had better average pass rates than McCarthy.
McCarthy also had the best overall season rating in 2014/15 than any other Goodison Park midfielder. Only defenders Stones, Jagielka and Leighton Baines beat his 7.09 average rating (WhoScored).
Defensively, the Ireland international wasn’t too shabby either. His average 2.4 tackles and 1.6 interceptions per match were only beaten by Gareth Barry, his central midfielder partner.
The pairing of Barry/McCarthy has been the middle of a relatively successful spine of this current Everton side. Take either out, and the spine brakes, cracks appear and wins turn to draws, draws to defeats.
They both know and understand each other’s game, which makes either one of them irreplaceable. Everton could easily bag £20,000,000 for the midfielder, with Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and Manchester United waiting in the wings.
But could Everton still be as successful as they have been without the Irishman? A fit again Darren Gibson could be an option, but the injuries he has suffered makes him a precious gem for Martinez. Leon Osman is great going forward, but his defensive skills aren’t anywhere near the consistency of McCarthy.
If they sell him would they find a suitable replacement? It would be very difficult. McCarthy has gone quiet about his business on the field and it isn’t until you start to picture an Everton side without him that you realise how important and how valuable he is.
