Martinez: We want to bring in 3 new attackers
Everton Manager Roberto Martinez has told reporters that he wants to bring in 3 new attacking players to the club.
“We want to bring in three attacking players,” Martinez said. “We feel that we are OK in terms of goalkeeper and defence, but we definitely want one midfielder and three attackers.”
Not having Belgium frontman Romelu Lukaku is disappointing Martinez, although reports are that this transfer could be wrapped up in the next 48 hours, which would marry up with what our sources have told us.
He said: “What excites me is that with the way this team plays, we are capable of getting goals from all over the pitch. We don’t need to rely on just one player.
“That’s a good thing, because if you just rely on one player, or even two players, then you can easily become predictable, and we don’t think we are a predictable team.
“Continuity is key for us this summer. Last season was about establishing a way of playing, and getting everyone on board with that.
“Now we have to kick on. We don’t want to lose that.
“That is why it was so important to bring Gareth Barry in, and to get new contracts to the likes of Seamus Coleman and Tony Hibbert. They are important to us in that regard.
“At the moment, I look around and I feel that it will be very difficult to improve upon what we have in the squad, in terms of quality.
“That’s a real positive thing, because it shows that our standard of competition is very good.
“We need to be very careful that any player that is considered to come in is the right fit, in terms of character as much as technical or tactical ability. The players here have a special bond, which carries them through, and any new player coming in needs to be able to fit into that.
“Ultimately, it is about making right decisions, as it is in any transfer window. You have to plan for the summer well in advance, and we are very happy with the work we have put in since January in preparing for this summer.
“We’ve worked hard to identify the type of players we want, and we are confident we will be in a good position to strengthen our squad before the end of this window.”
Once again Martinez is keen to take advantage of the loan market as this has proved a real asset for a club that don’t have as much money as their rivals.
“Our use of the loan market has been a strength in recent years,” he said. “That is something we will once again look to.
“The loan players that have left were very influential for us last season.
“But we cannot forget that we have a lot of young players already at the club as well. I have been very impressed by some of those players, and we want to have a look at them over the pre-season. Overall I’m positive where we are at.”
Other than Lukaku, which 2 other attackers do you think we should target? Comment below or have your say on our dedicated Everton forum at www.theevertonforum.com/forum