Roberto Martinez relaxed about star Everton duo ahead of sales
Martinez fought hard in the summer to keep Stones from the clutches of Chelsea, who were prepared to pay €56m for the young England defender and are bound to come calling again in January, especially given the disastrous state of affairs at Stamford Bridge.
But buoyed by their share in the billions in TV revenue heading their way, Everton are in no hurry to sell either Stones or Lukaku, who is attracting admiring glances from the likes of Paris St Germain and Juventus.
Lukaku showed why he is so prized, with his ninth goal of the season. Martinez was happy to pay big bucks for the burly Belgian at the start of last season, when Mourinho decided he was surplus to requirements at Stamford Bridge.
Stones gave another polished display to enhance his reputation as the best young centre-back in the Premier League.
Chelsea may try again in January, but Martinez is under no pressure to sell, and says: “We don’t fear that situation. What you fear is when you have to sell players to balance the books, when the owner says you need to cash in on two or three star players, that becomes a problem.
“But it is not the situation at Everton. The day-to-day running of the club is very strong, the chairman has been incredible in that respect.
That is not to say we are going to sell any player or not sell any player, but the decisions we make will be for the benefit of the squad and club going forward.”
Lukaku has been valued at €57m, but after his goal at Upton Park earned Everton a deserved draw, Martinez quipped. “It’s £55m (€77m) now!”
The Everton manager loves Lukaku’s positivity and desire to learn. He said the young striker is a student of the game, watching obscure matches to learn more.
“He has that real passion for the game that elite players have. He wants to improve, to be the best in the world and he has everything to work on. He feels he can achieve anything and for a coach, he’s a dream.”
“He wants to break records all the time. He is the first player since Tony Cottee in 1993 to score 21 goals in a season for Everton, and he is driven by those landmarks. He feels he can score against anyone, every time he goes out on to the pitch.”
Lukaku ran onto Gerard Deulofeu’s perfect through pass in the 43rd minute before taking the ball round goalkeeper Adrian. Earlier, Manuel Lanzini had put the Hammers ahead with an equally delightful goal, curling a shot past Tim Howard from the edge of the area.
But it was Stones, who kept Andy Carroll as quiet as a church mouse, and Lukaku that everyone was talking about afterwards.
“It was a good test for John, a different type of challenge, and he led an inexperienced back four very well, said Martinez, who outlined Everton’s ambitions.
“We want to achieve things, and see how high we can go.”
West Ham’s captain Mark Noble admits his side “are still learning” how Slaven Bilic wants them to play, and the Croatian fears their progress could be derailed by injuries, with Enner Valencia and Dimitri Payet the latest to suffer.
“We want to improve and go even higher, but for that we have to stay away from injuries,” said Bilic.
Adrian 6; Jenkinson 6, Tomkins 7, Reid 7, Cresswell 6; Noble 6, Kouyate 6; Moses 7, Payet 6 (Valencia 49, Zarate 68, Lanzini 7; Carroll 5
Randolph, Ogbonna, Jelavic, Antonio, Cullen
Howard 6; Coleman 7, Stones 8, Funes Mori 7, Galloway 5; Deulofeu 6, Barkley 7, McCarthy 5, Barry 6; Kone 5 (Mirallas 64), Lukaku 7
Robles, Gibson, Lennon, Naismith, Osman, Holgate
Paul Tierney.
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