PREMIER LEAGUE PREVIEW: Everton’s future investment

Jan 12 2008 by Ian Doyle, Liverpool Daily Post

EVERTONIANS will be given a reminder of what might have been when Manchester City visit this afternoon.

Michael Ball and Richard Dunne forged their reputations as youngsters coming through the ranks at Goodison, their potential indicated by international debuts for England and the Republic of Ireland respectively during their time at the club.

Both, though, had long departed by the time David Moyes assumed the reins in March 2002, examples of the financially-motivated talent drain of the time that also saw Francis Jeffers exit.

Much has changed since then, of course. Although powerless to prevent the sale of Wayne Rooney, Everton’s improvement under Moyes has stemmed the flow of young hopefuls moving away from Goodison.

Leon Osman and Tony Hibbert have been allowed to develop, James Vaughan and Victor Anichebe continue to flourish while Everton has become a greater lure for younger players of other teams, as evidenced by the arrival of highly-rated Plymouth Argyle defender Dan Gosling this week.

And Moyes believes Everton’s current situation means they will no longer have to witness the likes of home-grown prospects such as Ball and Dunne having to seek pastures new.

“City have got a couple of lads who were here at Everton, and I would like to think that if Dunne and Ball were here as youngsters at this club now, then we would be in a better position to stop them from leaving,” says the Goodison manager.

“I think that is what we are working towards, a situation where we don’t have to sell our young players, no matter what the offer is for them.

“I don’t know what it was like when they left, but I think there was a situation related to money.

“Certainly, in the past, Everton have lost their young players, but I want to get them part of our set up, and part of the future.

“We have some good young lads now, and my idea is that they will stay with us, and develop their talent. I want to bring the youngsters into the side – that is part of my mentality.”

With Yakubu now on international duty at the African Cup of Nations, Vaughan and Anichebe will be hopeful of more first-team opportunities during the next month. But Moyes admits the increased competition for places at Everton will make it more difficult for such burgeoning talent to earn their senior chance.

“It is getting harder and harder for young players to force their way through because the standard is getting higher,” he says. “Certainly, a few years ago we gave youngsters a chance because we had to as our squad wasn’t strong enough.

“But that is not the case any more. It will be harder for the youngsters to come through, but at the same time we have them very much part of the first team set-up, and they are very much part of our future.

“I believe that we are now a club that will not lose our young players so easily. It would take very good offers for us to consider it, because we are in a position where we are getting stronger.

“Four or five years ago, we weren’t in that position. But that is the progress that we have made, and it is the policy that we are trying to base the future of the club on.”

One player certain to step into the Everton starting line-up today is Mikel Arteta.

The Spaniard returns from suspension to buoy a team that suffered a heartbreaking 2-1 Carling Cup semi-final first leg defeat at Chelsea on Tuesday.

And Moyes believes Arteta is primed to play an important role for the remainder of the season, despite admitting the midfielder has so far struggled to consistently hit the heights of the previous campaign.

“He is important and we’ve missed him when he’s been suspended,” says the Goodison manager. “He has a big part to play in the second half of the season for us.

“He knows he can step up a little bit and we will be looking for him to do that.

“He hasn’t scored as many goals, I can only remember the goal against Derby in open play so it’s disappointing because he’s got the ability.

“We asked him last season to get more goals but you can never forget he is a creator of goals.”

Moyes adds: “What he needs to do is get back to playing, he’s been in and out a little bit and I think he has to get back to being really consistent like he was last season.

“But for all we say about Mikel, the one thing he’s got is great ability and in many ways he has got a work-rate like a lot of British players and that’s why I see him as being a little bit special.”

City have won just twice on their travels in the Premier League this season, although they were victorious in their most recent away game at Newcastle United.

However, a home record of 29 points from a possible 33 has elevated Sven-Goran Eriksson’s team into the top four.

Everton, though, can leapfrog the Citizens on goal difference should they win this afternoon, and Moyes says: “Manchester City have probably been in the top four or five all season and it’s been a tough ask to try and claw them back. This game gives us an opportunity to really catch up on them.

“They have come in one fell swoop from being a club at the bottom last year, spent a load of cash and – I’ve got to say – spent it well. We’re different. We’ve done it over five or six years now.

“Nevertheless, we all want the same thing and that’s trying to break into that top four.”