Naismith flies below the radar amid Everton’s high-profile purchases
The cameras will be trained on the two forwards Chelsea allowed to leave. Each may insist he does not have a point to prove against his old club on Saturday. Any such claims are likely to be met with scepticism.
After all, Samuel Eto’o – the striker Jose Mourinho converted into a hard-running, defensively conscious, right-sided midfielder in his treble-winning Inter Milan side – found his reward was to have his manager question his age. (The Cameroonian, for the record, maintains he is 33.)
Romelu Lukaku, the Chelsea fan who was supposed to become the next Didier Drogba, never scored for the club he once supported and saw Mourinho opt to build an attack around Diego Costa instead.
This would be an opportune time to prove he is worth the £28 million (Dh170.7m) Everton paid for his services.
And so, amid the focus on Chelsea alumni, Steven Naismith may pass under the radar. He often does.
Naismith, 28, is an expert in escaping attention, both of opposing defenders and the wider world. Yet, the chances are that Eto’o, the four-time African Footballer of the Year and the man coach Roberto Martinez believes has the potential to become the best striker in the world, will be upstaged by a free transfer from the oft-derided Scottish league.
Certainly, it is telling that in Goodison Park’s last seismic Saturday, Naismith, rather than any of the more expensive or glamorous players Everton and Arsenal fielded, was the outstanding individual on the pitch.
He may have been fractionally offside when he scored, but Naismith confounded the Arsenal defence with his movement throughout.
“He is such an intelligent footballer,” Martinez said afterward. “He understands the game down to a tee and what is needed.”
The Scot has a particular role in the Spaniard’s blueprint against Arsenal, when he operates as a false No 9 while Lukaku charges in from the right wing, and he served as their destroyer in April.
Yet, if that suggests he is a specialist against Arsenal, it is worth remembering that Chelsea visited Goodison Park at the equivalent stage of last season.
It proved an underwhelming bow for Eto’o, then in the Londoners’ ranks, and a significant affair.
Martinez secured his first league win as Everton manager, and he illustrated that he has the priceless ability to emerge victorious against high-calibre opposition. Gareth Barry made an assured debut, setting the tone for an excellent season, and Naismith scored the decider.
With his big-game temperament, understated excellence and low cost, he epitomised Everton. Naismith helps them punch above their weight financially.
While the club transfer record was smashed to bring in Lukaku, they remain the cut-price challengers in the top seven.
Indeed, when David Moyes acquired Naismith from Rangers two years ago – and the Scot’s bargain-hunting on Merseyside should not be forgotten – the competition for his signature came from Wigan Athletic, then managed by Martinez.
They were two of the few to heed deeds in Scotland. Both realised Naismith was an excellent finisher. But for the two cruciate ligament injuries during his five seasons at Ibrox, he might have had an extra yard of pace, which would have elevated his game to another level.
Instead, he is deputising for the injured Ross Barkley, the Evertonian tipped for greatness. If Naismith is the least gifted of the candidates to step in for the Merseysiders, he compensates with his cleverness.
His versatility suits a tactically flexible manager like Martinez. His comparatively low profile brings a contrast with Chelsea’s past and present. But in a second successive season when Eto’o could debut in this fixture and on the first time Lukaku could face them, Naismith ought to be a particular favourite for a section of the crowd.
One of the few occasions he made headlines was when he bought tickets to donate to the unemployed on Merseyside. A hard-working footballer was helping those unable to put in a shift themselves.
Source: Richard Jolly National.ae
