Young Gerard Deulofeu certainly made a huge impact since joining Everton on loan from Barcelona last summer.
It was no secret that the 20-year old was a wonderful talent when he first arrived at Goodison Park but under the tutelage of fellow Spaniard Roberto Martinez, Deulofeu has flourished into one of the finest young players around in Europe and the young man made a huge contribution to Everton’s brilliant campaign.
His performances for Everton have not gone unnoticed as Spanish national team manager Vicente Del Bosque recently revealed that he is open to the idea of selecting Deulofeu in his squad for the upcoming World Cup.
With the loan move being beneficial for both Everton and Deulofeu, there was speculation that an arrangement to bring the winger back to Goodison next season would be facilitated.
However, the appointment of Luis Enrique as manager of Barcelona meant that the 20-year old was unlikely to be shipped out on loan by the Catalan giants next season and Everton’s faint hopes of signing the youngster has been all but dashed after the winger himself hinted that he will not be returning to Goodison Park next season.
Deulofeu bade farewell to Everton with an appreciative message on Twitter and one could figure out from his comments that, the young man is not thinking of a return to Merseyside.
The winger posted on Twitter, “I would like to thank Everton and all their fans for this year so special in my career. A new country, a new club, a new way of seeing, live and understand football.
“I have grown as a football player, but also as a person and that is why I would like to thank every person that has helped and accompanied me on this journey. I wish Everton lots of luck and success in the future. You will always be in my heart.”
With Deulofeu departing, reports are claiming that Roberto Martinez has his eyes set on Celtic winger James Forrest. The 22-year old broke into the Celtic first team as a teenager but has not progressed as well as the club would have liked due to persistent injuries.
Nevertheless, Martinez is said to be a keen admirer of Forrest and it has been reported that the Spanish manager is pondering a bid of around £8million to lure the young man to Goodison Park as a permanent replacement to Deulofeu.
While it remains to be confirmed whether the reports have any credibility behind them or just a figment of imagination of particular a journalist, Forest is certainly a fine young player and he could well turn into a world beater under the tutelage of Roberto Martinez if indeed the 22-year old does arrive to Merseyside.
