It wasn’t all bad news for Everton on transfer deadline day.
As expected, the Toffees lost Marouane Fellaini to their former manager David Moyes on Monday, when Manchester United tabled a bid of £27.5million to sign him. This was despite the midfielder having a clause in his contract, which would have let him move on from Goodison Park for some £4million less in July.
The Belgian international was a huge success on Merseyside following his £15million move from Standard Liege in 2008, so it is natural his presence will be missed. However, Roberto Martinez wasted little time on deadline day ensuring that the 25-year-old has been replaced adequately, by bringing in two new faces to the club.
Experienced England international Gareth Barry has joined from Manchester City on a 12-month loan deal, at the end of which his contract at the Etihad Stadium would have expired. The 32-year-old has helped the Sky Blues to Premier League and FA Cup glory in recent seasons, and has been a regular first team fixture for his four years there.
Martinez has also returned to his former club Wigan Athletic to take James McCarthy for a fee in the region of £12million. The 22-year-old Republic of Ireland international has already proven he has the quality to star in the Premier League, with his performances for the Latics earning him admirers at clubs such as Arsenal and Chelsea in recent times.
If this wasn’t enough to cheer Everton fans, they have also added Belgium international striker Romelu Lukaku on a season-long loan deal. The addition of the 20-year-old is something of a surprise, as he was expected to feature for Chelsea this season following an impressive temporary spell at West Bromwich Albion last season, in which he scored 17 goals in 35 Premier League appearances for Steve Clarke’s side.
Prior to deadline day, Martinez had raided his old employers to take Ivorian forward Arouna Kone for £5million and defender Antolin Alcarez, whilst goalkeeper Joel Robles, who impressed whilst on loan at the DW Stadium last term, joins from Atletico Madrid for an undisclosed fee. Gerard Deulofeu, rated as one of the brightest young stars at Spanish giants Barcelona, has also joined on a temporary basis for the campaign.
