Everton rejects Newcastle’s £16 million bid for James McCarthy
By Gary Pearson
Everyone thought it would eventually happen, as Newcastle tried their utmost to lure James McCarthy away from Merseyside for a reported £16 million.
But the Blues aren’t having any of it, yet anyway.
Newcastle will have to go deeper into their pockets if they expect to bring McCarthy to St James’ Park. But the 26-year-old injury prone midfielder is expected to leave Goodison one way or another.
He’ll have an uphill battle on his hands if he decides to stay with Everton, one that suggests spending most of the time on the subs bench.
With Tom Davies, Gareth Barry, Idrissa Gueye, Morgan Schneiderlin and Ross Barkley all ahead of him in the pecking order, McCarthy is hard-pressed to secure any substantial playing time.
Muhamed Besic, the 24-year-old German midfielder, is close to making a return, making McCarthy’s task all the more difficult. The Republic of Ireland midfielder has been plagued with injuries, namely of the hamstring variety.
And sometimes there’s no going back once the overall integrity of the hamstring is weakened. There might not be anything Everton chairman Bill Kenwright can do to hold on to McCarthy, though he continually insists that the 26-year-old is not for sale.
McCarthy joined Everton in 2013 and, when healthy, is a dominating and commanding force in the heart of midfield. It is, however, almost impossible to make a consistent impact on the first team when recurring injuries rear their ugly head.
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He’s still got a lot of time remaining in his career, but another few hamstring ailments could see McCarthy’s once very promising career fizzle out.
One thing is for sure, though. It looks like he’s keen on a move away from Goodison in order to play regular, first-team football. He’s not the kind of personality who will settle for a permanent place on the bench.