Everton would be wise to offload penalty plonker Mirallas in favour of Lennon

The dust may barely have settled on the penalty fiasco that saw Kevin Mirallas missing the crucial spot-kick against West Brom on Monday, but Everton now look to have a perfect opportunity to offload their apparently wantaway winger.

Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly prepared to offer Aaron Lennon plus cash in exchange for the Belgian, a deal that the Toffees would be hard pushed to turn down in the current situation.

The Mirror reports that a like-for-like swap for the players is in line, with the Londoners prepared to stump up some extra cash for their target, who has 18 months left on his contract.

Following his overruling of designated penalty taker Leighton Baines against the Baggies, Mirallas was branded “despicable” by Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville, with former Everton striker Andy Gray saying he “was selfish” and “only interested in himself”.

The player was substituted at half-time, Roberto Martinez citing a thigh strain, but reports were rife that a changing room bust-up had occurred with Steven Naismith.

Either way, with Everton now with just one win since the end of November, fans on Merseyside will be looking downwards at a relegation battle, rather that up towards their pre-season target of European qualification.

And bust-up or not, in a situation where the club are fighting for their Premier League survival, the Toffees cannot afford players that put themselves before the team in vital situations like the one on Monday night.

Offloading Mirallas and bringing in Lennon would mean the club retain the services of a pacy winger that can trouble defences all over the Premier League, while freeing up funds to continue their well-documented search for a new goalkeeper.

The Tottenham winger has only started three league ties this season so will be desperate to prove his worth, and will want to show that he has the bottle for a potential relegation fight.

They may not be in real trouble just yet, but continue on this downward spiral, and the 25/1 about Roberto Martinez’s men playing Championship football next season could look a big price.

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