Could this season be the last in the top flight for Sylvain Distin?
Sylvain Distin is like a machine. Not some kind of milk float sex machine, but an athletic Duracell bunny footballing machine. The strong Frenchman turns 36 this year yet he has showed no signs so far of slowing down. Distin is still one of the fastest in the Everton side and performs consistently well at the top level.
Distin has been keeping fit off the pitch
So why am I asking the question? Well, I’m no professional athlete and certainly don’t put my body through half the pain im sure Distin does, BUT, I am roughly 1 year younger than Distin to the day and still play football at the weekends and basketball a few times a week during midweek and I can feel the change in my body and fitness levels that many professional athletes claim to get in their mid-thirties.
Distin has been a brilliant signing, especially for the rumoured £3.5m that we got him for following the sale of Joleon Lescott to Manchester City. He has been around the block before having played for Newcastle, Man City, Portsmouth and a number of French clubs before, but so what. He just suited what Everton needed at the time. He wasn’t a big name signing and didn’t really float many boats, but not many Evertonians could argue that he hasn’t been a very good player for Everton.
Not in bad shape for an oldie
Distin himself looks to keep in top shape. You can tell he is a naturally fit player, but that he also must work extremely hard on the training pitch to keep up with the rigours of the Premier League, which is still one of the quickest in the world.
In all honesty, father time doesn’t look like it has caught up to Distin as yet, but surely he must be starting to feel it and it’s been well reported that Roberto Martinez has been trying to bring in a young centre back to try and lower the team age. Toby Alderweireld of Ajax Amsterdam has been touted, but the toffees boss may not have the funds in his diminishing transfer pot without selling Johnny Heitinga to get the Belgian defender in.
Toby Alderweireld has been targeted as a replacement for Distin
Personally I think Distin will start the season, but probably won’t end it as we look to start a new defensive line. Can Distin’s body cope with playing the odd match every month? Maybe not. Is he still a good player to have around the club? Definitely. I think when you have players with pace to burn like Theo Walcott and Wilfried Bony coming up against you, at 36 it may be a bridge too far.
In all honesty, I may be wrong – I hope I am, as Distin is one of my favourite first teamers, but surely we have to start looking to the future and the likes of emerging John Stones to settle in to the Everton central back line.
What do you reckon? Do you think Distin will be a first team regular next season or will we look to replace? Have your say at www.theevertonforum.com with thousands of other Evertonians