da wazamba: Leighton Baines has recently returned to the Everton fold but his absence across most of the season has been acutely felt by Sam Allardyce.
da mrbet: In the Scouser’s absence, Cuco Martina has been forced to deputise, playing out of position at left-back and it has been a real problem area for the Toffees.
The fact that Baines isn’t getting any younger means that this is an area that will soon need addressing at Goodison Park and it might be best to do so this summer, before Baines’ legs go completely.
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One man who put himself in the frame is Caner Erkin of Besiktas. The Turkish side were easily beaten by Bayern Munich in both legs of their Champions League last 16 tie but Erkin put in an impressive individual performance in the second leg.
10 interceptions is the stand out statistic, but 80 touches and three key passes shows that he was still able to get forward and get involved at the other end, even despite the fact that his side were on the backfoot for most of the match.
At 29, he is definitely an option for the here and now, but valued at just £2.25m by Transfermarkt, he could be something of a bargain for Allardyce, or whoever is in charge at Goodison next season.
He has shown that he is able to mix it with one of the best sides in Europe and that should make him worth a look as Everton seek improvement next season.