Ever since he pulled on the Royal Blue for the first time, Kevin Mirallas has never lacked self-belief. With plenty of pace and technical ability and skill, he’s the type of player who’s been somewhat of a rarity at Goodison in recent times. Even though he was a Moyes signing, it’s only since the arrival of Roberto Martinez that we have seen the best of the Belgian. A lack of consistency, something labelled at most wide players, has been the biggest criticism levelled at the mercurial talent . Nevertheless, a return of 25 goals and 23 assists in 92 games represents a more than respectable tally in a side that doesn’t go out and score 3 and 4 every week.
Troubled with a hamstring injury, this season has been stop-start for Mirallas, but he received our player of the month for December, and followed that up with a man of the match performance against West Ham in the FA Cup, albeit in vain as the Blues went out on penalties.
Things, however, turned sour against West Brom, as he grabbed the ball off Leighton Baines, much to the dismay of his teammates and the Goodison faithful, and missed a first half penalty which would surely have sent the Blues on the way to a much needed 3 points. He didn’t re-emerge for the second half, which prompted all sorts of rumours, from arguments with teammates to locking himself in the physio’s room. Martinez understandably played down the incident, claiming Mirallas was injured.
This seemingly selfish act clearly angered a lot of Evertonians, and although this was mostly down to the fact he missed, the act of put himself above the team would still have been an issue regardless of the outcome. Some have suggested that Mirallas had a tribute to his late friend and compatriot, Junior Malanda, who tragically died in a car accident, under his shirt. This certainly makes his actions more understandable, but it’s clear his head is not in the right place at the moment. Heavily linked with a move in the January window, Mirallas has made no secret of his desire to play in the Champions League. In a recent interview with the Belgian press, Mirallas said, “I feel ready for a new challenge. I dream of playing in the Champions League next season. I’ll make a decision after the season. I like the Premier League, but Spain also tempts me. Atletico have enquired, but there was no offer”.
Not the ideal preparation for the Merseyside Derby, then. Since the West Brom fiasco, Mirallas has been fairly anonymous in his two subsequent appearances at Palace and in the Derby, although this could be attributed to a more cautious approach Martinez is taking, as he looks to rebuild the team’s shattered confidence.
Whatever the reason, it seems Mirallas and Everton are heading towards a crossroads in the summer. In my opinion, he is our biggest attacking threat and we are a poorer side without him. On the other hand, he effectively has 2 years left on his contract and is 27, so we are likely to get a decent fee for him should we decide to cash in. It goes without saying that it’s difficult to keep a player who’d rather be elsewhere, and the truth is that is probably where we are heading in the summer, barring a miraculous run to glory in the Europa League.
Of course, there are still 4 months of this season left to negotiate (and endure), and Mirallas will be key if we are to salvage a respectable league position and push for the aforementioned Europa League. I’d like to think he’s aware of the error of his ways against West Brom and if this is to be to beginning of the end, I hope he knuckles down and puts in the performances we know he’s capable of. He owes the fans and his teammates that much.
