Championship full-back a good Everton option if Baines leaves
Published:Given that the betting suggests that Leighton Baines is more likely to join Manchester United that to stay at Everton in this transfer window, Roberto Martinez may have already started assessing possible replacements should his left-back depart.
It is 4/5 that Baines hooks up again with David Moyes at Old Trafford before the closing of the window, with 10/11 the price that he remains with Everton.
Should Baines depart, one player that could fill such a void is Ipswich’s Aaron Cresswell, who has already been on the radar of Aston Villa and Crystal Palace in recent months.
Villa have proved a shrewd judge of lower league players capable of stepping up into the Premier League based on Ashley Westwood and Matt Lowton and Cresswell was linked before the eventual arrival of Antonio Luna from Sevilla.
Meanwhile, Palace have already had a £3m approach rebuffed from Ipswich even more recently for a left-back that Mick McCarthy has described as the best in the Championship.
Cresswell has already indicated that playing in the Premier League is a goal and his attacking forages from left-back are very Baines-like.
Martinez does already have Bryan Oviedo on his books as an option at left-back, while Luke Garbutt is coming through the club’s ranks, but a new recruit would not go amiss.
Cresswell would also seem a viable option for other Premier League clubs with aspirations of reaching the European places, especially those with wide players with a preference for cutting inside.
Everton are 7/2 to finish in the top six this season, even though they have only drawn their opening two games, with 2/7 looking a fair price that they end the campaign in the top half of the Premier League standings.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
Bet Now. New customers can bet £10 and get £30 in free bets
