Everton sacked manager Roberto Martinez even before the 2015/16 season was over. After two consecutive years of disappointingly low out of the top 10 finishes, patience finally ran out on the manager who promised so much after his wonderful debut campaign at Goodison Park. The biggest problem for Martinez was his inability to organize the Everton defence, as he relied a bit too much on the aged Gareth Barry without giving him adequate cover. While the Toffees suffered defensively, there’s no denying the fact that during his time, Martinez transformed the team into a very flexible and fluid attacking unit with fullbacks supporting the play high up the pitch and supplying crosses from the flanks at every opportunity. One of the main reasons of Everton scoring plenty of goals was striker Romelu Lukaku.
Lukaku was the player who improved year after year under Martinez and after scoring 16 goals in his first year at the club, he followed them up with a 20 goal season and last year he amassed a highly impressive 25 goals for Everton in all competitions. His quality of finishing really stood out last season and this is one of the reasons why his former club Chelsea, are prepared to pay as much as £65m for the striker. The big Belgian has been an absolute asset for the team up front and has forged a wonderful understanding with his teammates also which helps him in getting the service he needs more often than not.
Since Martinez’s departure, Ronald Koeman has been entrusted to lead the team into a new era and turn Everton into a club which can compete in Europe, to do that the Dutch tactician needs some time. The former Southampton boss knows that he needs to get some things sorted out at the back and to get some players in to strengthen the midfield but there’s one thing which he cannot do now and that is lose Lukaku to another club. Of all the reconstruction of the squad that would be done by Koeman, he needs a player who would guarantee him at least 20 goals for next season as he would try to shore up the backline. The 23-year old Belgian forward is that sort of player for his new manager.
Everton can very well get a good forward with the amount of money the sale of Lukaku would generate but with the new season just days away from starting and the new striker wouldn’t be able to develop the understanding with his teammates like what the Belgian already has. A player, who has spent three years already with the squad, is very familiar with the circumstances and the environment is the one a manager would need in difficult times as he is likely to execute the combinations more efficiently for the other players knows the kind of runs he will be making. This makes a huge difference in a game and this season the Toffees would need to be very efficient in front of the goal so that they can finish in a high enough position to attract players to Merseyside who would help turn the future of the club into a more stable one. The next season is thus absolutely vital and Koeman would need Lukaku to stay at Goodison for at least one more season as he hopes that the striker signs on the mega £ 135,000 per week contract that has been offered to him by the club.
