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Should Everton be trying harder to keep Joel Robles from leaving for La Liga?
Reports surfacing from Spain yesterday afternoon have suggested that La Liga outfit Deportivo La Coruna are growing closer to securing a deal for Everton goalkeeper Joel Robles.
have claimed that the Spanish side have made the 27-year-old their priority this summer, with representatives of the club set to join the likes of Getafe and Real Betis in contacting Everton.
With Robles entering the final year of his current contract on Merseyside, and with Jordan Pickford arriving in a £30 million deal last month, it seems that regular football would be unlikely next season.
Does he still have something to offer at Everton?
Despite the arrival of Pickford, plus the fact that boss Ronald Koeman began last season with Maarten Stekelenburg as his number one ahead of Robles, he still has something to offer Everton.
Once the Dutch ‘keeper had to leave the field through injury during the Merseyside derby in late November, Robles was the man that stood up and hugely impressed, leading the Toffees forward.
10 clean sheets in just 20 Premier League appearances was the sixth-best return in the top-flight during last season, putting him in and amongst the likes of Hugo Lloris and David de Gea, who featured around ten times more, and he was a huge part of Everton’s outside top-six challenge.
His excellent display in the 4-0 dismantling of Manchester City, allied with his heroic individual performance to earn his side a point at Old Trafford, shows just how brilliant Robles can still be.
And, after always being on the precipice of the first-team since arriving from Wigan in 2011, struggling to move the obdurate Tim Howard and now Stekelenburg, next season could have really presented the Spaniard with a chance to nail down a starting role and lead Koeman’s side forward from the back.
But, despite the arrival of Pickford, Manchester United have shown how beneficial it can be to have top-quality back-up goalkeepers and, with Everton looking for a long and successful Europa League campaign, as well as challenging in the Premier League, Robles could still be a useful number two.
His alertness, agility and speed to rush off of his line and close down the angle has proven very efficient last season, and, with an average of two good saves per match, he has the shot-stopping ability to be an asset.