Everton is working hard to keep Muhamed Besic at the club for the long haul
Roberto Martinez and Everton haven’t been blessed with a great January. From their maddening draw against Chelsea to their missing out on Sam Byram, the month certainly hasn’t gone as planned. Things could get a bit better for the Toffees though if they’re able to ink Muhamed Besic to a new contract.
The young Bosnian midfielder hasn’t played all that much for Everton this season due to injury, but he’s really come on since his return. That’s why they are keen to offer him a new contract to ward off any potential suitors.
He’s only managed to play five Premier League fixtures on the year, but the last two have been excellent. Per Whoscored.com he managed a single game rating of 7.7 in their 0-0 draw with Manchester City and followed that up with a 7.59 rating in the Chelsea draw. If he’s able to consistently put in those types of shifts for Martinez he’ll grade out as one of the best midfielders in the Premier League.
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That’s what makes the decision to try to tie him down with an improved contract such savvy business for the club. If they wait around for Besic to experience a good run of health and form then there’s no telling what clubs might try to swoop in and steal him. Even if Everton were still successful in getting him to sign a new contract, the interest from other clubs would have driven the price up sharply.
By acting now, the Toffees can gamble a little bit on his ability to stay healthy and gain consistency, but it could pay off huge in the end. The potential upside is that they’d have a 23-year-old dynamic midfielder locked up to a very team-friendly contract. It’s certainly a risk worth taking for Roberto Martinez.
It’s these kinds of wise contracts that have allowed the Toffees to hold on to their valuable stars in the past. They have favorable contracts with both Ross Barkley and John Stones which have allowed them to ward off rich offers from other clubs. Their team-friendly contracts allow Everton to demand huge transfer fees that even the richest clubs in the world are hesitant to meet.
If Everton can manage to lock up Muhamed Besic for the long haul he could end up being just as valuable as Barkley and Stones. Even if he doesn’t progress to that world-class level, he’ll still be an integral part of Roberto Martinez’s squad who he can build around for years to come at Merseyside.
Do you think the Besic deal will be a good one for Everton? Should they be paying more attention at bringing in other stars to compliment Barkley and Romelu Lukaku? Let us know in the comments below.