Five things to know about Everton going into the 2013-14 English Premier League season:
MARTINEZ TAKES OVER
Roberto Martinez has replaced David Moyes as Everton manager, following Moyes' departure to take over at Manchester United. Martinez won the FA Cup with Wigan last season but was unable to save the side from relegation to the second tier of English football. He built a reputation at Wigan for playing with flair; employing an energetic, high-tempo passing game and will almost certainly look to evolve his tactics further with Everton.
GERARD DEULOFEU - SIGNING OF THE SUMMER?
The arrival of Gerard Deulofeu on a season loan from Barcelona could prove to be a coup by Martinez. The 19-year-old Deulofeu plays either as a winger or through the center and has made six appearances for Barcelona's senior side. During the 2012-13 campaign for Barcelona B, he scored 18 times in 34 games and was named player of the tournament when Spain's under-19s won the 2012 European Championship. His arrival has been greeted with cautious optimism by Everton fans, who will hope that he can adapt quickly to the physicality of English soccer.
THREE OTHERS FOLLOW MARTINEZ
The three other arrivals at Goodison Park have all followed in Martinez's footsteps to Everton. Striker Arouna Kone became Martinez's first Everton signing, following an impressive season at Wigan where he scored 11 league goals. Defender Antolin Alcaraz also departed for the opportunity to continue working under Martinez, arriving at Goodison Park on a free transfer. Goalkeeper Joel Robles signed on a five-year deal after impressing during a loan spell at Wigan during the second half of last season. It remains to be seen if he is preferred to United States goalkeeper Tim Howard, who was ever-present under Moyes.
BAINES AND FELLAINI STILL AT EVERTON - FOR NOW
Everton has, so far, resisted any approach for two of its key players - defender Leighton Baines and attacking midfielder Marouane Fellaini. British media reports suggest Moyes will try to bring at least one of them to Manchester United but so far a concrete offer is yet to materialize. Keeping Baines and Fellaini will undoubtedly be of extreme importance to Martinez but with the transfer window closing on Sept. 2, much time remains for things to change.
WILL THEY FINISH ABOVE LIVERPOOL AGAIN?
For the past two seasons, Everton has finished above city rival Liverpool in the Premier League table, an achievement especially commendable when considering how much less the club has spent on players. Martinez will be eager to continue that trend in his debut season at Goodison Park and doing so would endear him to fans nervous about the future of the club in the wake of Moyes' departure. Despite losing Phil Neville, who retired and joined Moyes' coaching staff at Manchester United, Martinez has kept the nucleus of a good squad together and added to its strength in depth. Everton travels to Norwich for its season opener.
