Championship star could be on the move to Goodison Park
Published:
Everton boss Roberto Martinez could be tempted to raid former club Wigan for a fifth time to land highly-rated winger Callum McManaman in order to bolster his side’s hopes of a top four Premier League finish.
The Toffees are flourishing in their first season under the Spaniard and currently sit in sixth place just a point behind neighbours and arch rivals Liverpool in fourth.
The Goodison Park outfit are currently priced at 5/1 to secure a Champions League berth for the first time since 2005 and a move for McManaman appears to make sense for all parties.
Martinez is more than happy to plunder his old club for quality, having already acquired James McCarthy, Joel Robles, Antolin Alcaraz and Arouna Kone from the DW Stadium, and McManaman can certainly cut it at Premier League level.
The 22-year-old was born in Merseyside and spent 11 years with the Toffees as a youngster before being granted first team opportunities at Wigan.
While the 2012-13 season saw the Latics relegated under Martinez, McManaman was one of the highlights – scoring six goals from 30 games in midfield – and he would take no time to settle in.
Everton are not short of creative midfielders with Aiden McGeady recently added to a squad that boasts Seamus Coleman and Ross Barkley.
However, the latter of this trio has been the subject of much transfer speculation, with Chelsea and Manchester United said to be keen on the 20-year-old, and should the England man leave McManaman could prove the ideal replacement.
Even if Martinez can keep hold of his prized asset, the Wigan winger would prove a valuable addition to the Toffees’ squad providing the competition for places and injury cover that could prove priceless in the club’s bid to reach Europe’s top competition.
With McManaman valued at around £15m by his current club Martinez could be forced to sell before he buys so expect some movement at Goodison before the month is out.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
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