Five players set to leave Everton this January

Now that Ronald Koeman has been in the Goodison Park hotseat for nearly 6 months he will have had enough time to workout what amendments need to be made to the squad which he inherited from Roberto Martinez.

With his side on the fringes of the top six at present the correct amount of tweaks to personnel could see The Toffees in a good position to kick on for the European places come May.

We’ve already recently had a look at a trio of midfielders that could be on their way to Everton next month but with every new addition to the club that usually means that someone else has to make way.

And with new faces an almost certainly it means the Goodison Park axe is ready to sharpened by Koeman.

Let’s now take a look at five players that could very well be heading for the exit door in the next couple of weeks.

Oumar Niasse

This one almost writes itself. After being purchased for £13.5m on a four year deal by Roberto Martinez almost a year ago his time on Merseyside doesn’t look like being a particularly long one. Trusted with 5 league appearances in Martinez’s final days at the club he hasn’t even been given a squad number by Ronald Koeman this season.

That’s quite a statement from the Dutchman, to all but write off a £13.5m investment like that says it all really, quite simply Niasse doesn’t have a future at the club. The question now is whether Niasse is sold on which bar a shock bid from a Chinese club will certainly be at a loss or does he see out the rest of his contract going from club to club on a series of loan deals.

Arouna Kone

Another striker that looks like his time is up at Everton. Bought to the club as one of Roberto Martinez’s first signings since leaving Wigan Athletic he has found his role at the club lessen since Ronald Koeman has taken charge of the Merseyside outfit.

Last season saw him hit a 1 in 5 strike rate with 5 goals in 25 Premier League appearances but so far this season he has been limited to just 3 substitute appearances which have failed to produce a goal. At 33 years old age is beginning to slip away from Kone and with loanee Eder Valencia ahead of him in the pecking order Ronald Koeman may well feel that a shakeup in attack is required with Kone being the man to make way.

Darron Gibson

The Republic Of Ireland’s six year stint at Everton is one that unfortunately for him has been beset by numerous injuries. A quite damning statistic is the fact that he has only made 17 league appearances since the 2013-14 campaign.

Although Gibson did sign a new two year deal back in June he has once again missed a sizeable run of games with a groin injury ruling him out from August to October. Since then Gibson has failed to get the near the starting eleven with no Premier League appearances to his name this season.

At 29 years old he could still be a worthwhile servant to a club but you do get the feeling that one too many injuries have curtailed his career as a top flight footballer and now might be the ideal time for Gibson and Everton to split on amicable terms.

Tom Cleverley

Another of the signings from the Roberto Martinez era that looks set to make away for a new era of players as Everton seem ready to listen to offers for the former Manchester United midfielder. Cleverley joined the club only last season with The Toffees pipping Aston Villa to his signature after he spent a season on loan at the Midlands outfit.

But Cleverley has now fallen down the pecking order at Everton and it’s arguably one area where Everton are surplus to requirements and more importantly it’s a player that could still command a decent fee with a string of clubs reported to be monitoring the situation.

With West Brom on a decent run of form as of late they will look to solidify their top half position with some January signings and they look to be near the front of the queue when it comes to gaining the services of Cleverley. Do not be surprised if a January bid is tabled by Tony Pulis for the 27 year old England international.

Aaron Lennon

The last of the names that look set to be on the Goodison Park chopping block is Aaron Lennon. Once again a hallmark of the Roberto Martinez era his first team place is no longer secure under Ronald Koeman and it’s on the wings that the former European Cup winner will look to undertake the biggest overhaul to his squad

And with Yannick Bolasie out for the season due to a cruciate ligament injury he is now going to have to. Although the sale of Lennon may be counter intuitive when they are light for attacking midfield personnel, Koeman will want to bring in some of his own players that he will feel are up to task of laying on the service for Romelu Lukaku.

Unfortunately for Lennon who has only managed to make 5 Premier League appearances so far this season it seems as if he will be deemed surplus to requirements and will now have to look for guaranteed first team football elsewhere.