It has been one of the worst kept secrets on Merseyside recently, but official news has come out that Tom Cleverley will be an Everton player next season.
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After a bright start, the midfielder has seen his career nosedive somewhat in recent years and he will see a move to Finch Farm as the perfect chance to get back on the straight and narrow as he approaches his peak age in the sport.
Will he ever make the most of the potential he displayed at an early age, or is he destined to be one of football’s forgotten men?
Additionally, is this move a positive one from Roberto Martinez as far as the Blues are concerned? The fans have not exactly welcomed the 25-year-old to Goodison Park with open arms, and the reaction has been a far cry to the jubilation on display when Romelu Lukaku joined the Toffees on a permanent basis.
So, is the negativity justified, or will the former United player go on to become a valuable member of Martinez’s squad?
POINTS FOR
It is not in the nature of Evertonians, but let us start with the positives in this debate.
The most obvious plus point in this transfer, not that it is exactly a compliment to the player himself, is that it will cost Everton nothing.
Yes, there are still wages to consider, but all in all no one can really argue that the cost of a player’s wages outweigh the contribution he brings to the team in the long run.
So, from that standpoint, unlike when most pundits were saying the same thing about Mario Balotelli’s move to Liverpool before rapidly and unashamedly changing their tune, this transfer genuinely is a no-brainer from a financial point of view.
The player who is seen as being surplus to requirements at Old Trafford may not set the world alight as a marquee signing and may not have performed to any levels above average in the past few years, but as long as Martinez and the powers that be at Everton are not forking out great sums for him, his arrival can only be positive.
On that point, the fact that he has not arrived with a hefty sum to his name, or any great expectations could work in the player’s favour.
At Manchester United he was tipped for greatness by Sir Alex Ferguson while he was relied on by Aston Villa fans when he was loaned out to the West Midlands club last season.
However, at Everton he comes without a price tag to justify and with expectations regarding his ability at an all time low. In a strange way, this means he can play without pressure, and as we saw when Tim Sherwood took over at Villa and released the shackles from Cleverley, this is when he plays his best football.
At the age of 25, Cleverley is also in the prime of his career physically speaking, and with Gareth Barry and Leon Osman in the twilight years of their careers and with Darron Gibson never far away from a serious injury, the signature of a young, hungry midfielder with a point to prove makes sense from a long term perspective.
Another point that should be raised here is that it must not be forgotten that the midfielder was a very good player before a miserable last two campaigns.
On loan at Wigan, under Martinez it should be noted, he was superb in their quest to avoid relegation, while he was starting to shine in Sir Alex Ferguson’s last season at the Red Devils as well, with a place in the England set up beginning to look like a regular, and deserved, fixture.
His struggles began when David Moyes took over at Old Trafford and United had their worst season in recent memory. Cleverley couldn’t adapt to life under the former Toffees boss and argued he was made a scapegoat for the 2013-14 campaign – who’s to say he wasn’t right?
He may not have made any headlines in his first couple of months at Villa either, but adapting to a new place at a new club, and one that was struggling badly under a manager that seemed destined for the sack long before it happened, are hardly ideal circumstances for a player low on confidence.
Public opinion on the qualities of Tom Cleverley have been shaped on the last two years, where there have perhaps been mitigating circumstances in his favour, while the time building up to that, where he was one of the country’s most promising midfielders, has long been forgotten.
Another thing to consider is that his most fruitful spell in the Premier League arguably came under Roberto Martinez when he spent a season at the DW Stadium with relegation-threatened Wigan.
The man from Basingstoke was one of the focal points of a side that performed heroically towards the back end of the campaign to avoid the drop against the odds, proving he can be a difference-maker when the pressure is on.
Maybe rekindling his relationship with the former Swansea boss is exactly what Cleverley needs to restart his career?
POINTS AGAINST
When discussing the potentially negative aspects of the transfer, the obvious place to start is the fact that Tom Cleverley has been somewhat of a figure of fun in English football in the last two years – a former Manchester United player and regular England international who was once destined for big things struggling to stick out in a poor Aston Villa side.
As has been previously mentioned, there are mitigating circumstances in the midfielder’s favour with regards to his last couple of sub-par campaigns, but surely a player of real quality cannot go for so long without going through a patch of good form?
However, that is exactly what has happened, which raises the question as to whether the promise he showed as a youngster was merely an illusion and whether the player we have seen over the last 24 months is the real Tom Cleverley, as opposed to the one who looked like he would shine brightly in the heart of United’s midfield.
Additionally, and this is no fault of the player himself it must be said, the centre of the park is possibly the one place that the Toffees do not need to reinforce.
Roberto Martinez already has plenty of options to select from to play as part of the defensive duo in a 4-2-3-1 formation.
Gareth Barry and James McCarthy look to have that particular position under their control at the moment, while Muhamed Besic will surely see more game time next season?
If he avoids injury, Darron Gibson could be crucial in that role in cup competitions, while Leon Osman and Ross Barkley can also deputise there.
This “competition for places” debate also raises another point that could work against Martinez in his decision to sign Cleverley.
While it is healthy for players to compete for places, what would Barry, McCarthy, Gibson, Besic, Osman or Barkley think if a player who has been written off by many pundits and fans takes his place in the most important position on the field?
Surely the introduction of the 25-year-old into the first team will reduce morale amongst regular first team players who will feel they have done more to deserve a place in the starting eleven in recent years?
To stick with hypothetical situations, what sort of statement would it make if Cleverley came to Goodison and barely featured – a not at all unfeasible scenario given the form of Barry, McCarthy and Besic and the trust Martinez has in the former two.
Potential signings in the future could be dissuaded from joining the club, as they could look at the likes of Christian Atsu, Besic and Cleverley, who have come in and not got the playing time they would have wanted – if Everton are to grow as a team it is essential that the dressing room remains happy and that the club is seen as an opportunity to develop rather than a place where you will come and sit on the bench.
CONCLUSION
To sum up, despite the lack of excitement surrounding the signing of Cleverley, there are probably more positives than negatives to this situation.
He may not catch the eye as much as the acquisitions of Romelu Lukaku or Gerard Deulofeu, but then again, neither did Gareth Barry, James McCarthy, Tim Cahill, Mikel Arteta, Sylvain Distin, Phil Neville or Aaron Lennon when they arrived, but they all went on to become fan favourites.
Whatever your opinion on the qualities of the player, or indeed the logic behind the pursuit of his signature, the only thing we can do is get behind Tom Cleverley, welcome him as we do all new players at this club and wish him the very best of luck.
Only time will tell whether Roberto Martinez has made a mistake or pulled off a major coup this week.