da bet vitoria： According to reports in The Guardian, Everton are closing in on the signing of out-of-contract Southampton defender Cuco Martina.
da lvbet： The south coast outfit released the 27-year-old earlier this week following the expiry of the two-year deal he signed in 2015, when Toffees manager Ronald Koeman brought him to St Mary’s during his tenure as Saints boss.
The Dutchman obviously feels the speedy right-back can do a job in the absence of resident No.2 Seamus Coleman, who is likely to miss the rest of 2017 after suffering a double leg break while on international duty with the Republic of Ireland in March.
The Merseyside outfit are keen to strengthen their squad with a potential Europa League campaign to next season come if they get through the qualifying stages, but some may feel they could do better than the 25-cap Curacao captain.
Here are three reasons Everton should steer clear of signing Martina…
He isn’t good enough
Had it not been for Cedric Soares’ participation in the Euro 2016 final or the long-term injury suffered by Jeremy Pied in August, Martina wouldn’t have been anywhere near the first team squad at Southampton and probably would have left the club.
Saints boss Claude Puel obviously doesn’t like what he has seen of the 27-year-old and the supporters haven’t either, aside from a wonder goal against Arsenal last season.
The right-back especially seems to struggle from a defensive point of view, and it is difficult to see him making an impact at Goodison Park no matter what injuries they have or how many fixtures they could face.
He’s too safe
Everton supporters are used to Seamus Coleman flying down the wing with or without the ball to add another dimension to his side’s attack, but Martina certainly doesn’t offer the same attacking threat.
He is a safe full-back who looks clumsy going forward and very rarely gets to the by-line to provide a cross, tending to complete them from deeper positions instead.
If Ronald Koeman is looking for a pacy full-back who can make a difference offensively, the 27-year-old isn’t the right man.
Koeman should give youth a chance instead
Mason Holgate has certainly done little wrong covering for the injured Coleman and with the exciting Jonjoe Kenny waiting in the wings as well, Koeman should put his faith in the duo instead of signing Martina.
The likes of Tom Davies and Ademola Lookman have already shown the impact that can be made by young players when they are given an opportunity in the first team, and the Dutch manager must do the same with Holgate and Kenny – especially considering Coleman could be back in action at the start of 2018.
Do you agree, Toffees fans? Let us know below.