Steven Pienaar is stood at a crossroads and seemingly edging towards one route more so than the other. With Everton having offered the out-of-contract player a wage increase during the summer and his insistence not to accept the newly offered terms, it seems ever increasingly likely that the South African will seek pastures new, leaving Everton Street in the distance as he ventures forth.
It must be a disparaging realisation for David Moyes that a player he bought for £2 million from Borussia Dortmund and whom he gave the opportunity to prove himself in the Premiership, will renounce these past pledges in the hope of securing a better deal for himself. Everton have no doubt nurtured the player and given him the exposure that has resulted in various clubs, such as Tottenham, Chelsea and Manchester United, becoming admirers. To leave without any remuneration in return or acknowledgement of the things that Everton have done for him would leave a bitter taste in the mouth of any manager. But then again as former players have professed before ‘look out for number one’, for the clubs can be just as unforgiving. This appears to be a reciprocal relationship of self-interest by both parties resulting in an imbalance in the eventual outcome.
With Pienaar’s seemingly obstinate mentality, the matter presents itself as to whether or not Everton try to cash in on the player rather than letting him go for nothing in return. This could be denied in January by a foreign club if Pienaar opts to sign a pre-contract agreement, or if he decides to bide his time at Everton until the end of the season and transfer to another English club. There are two options available in light of the situation; one, Everton can continue to persevere in contract talks and two, they will try to manufacture a move for Pienaar to a Premiership club. With the first being a non-starter, the solitary option is to sell in January or involve him in a player swap deal.
[youtube hsjxuBfzgDY]
Everton captain Philip Neville has declared that, “He is such an influential character. But it happened to Joleon Lescott a few years ago and we did not want him to move. It has happened to several other big players.” If Pienaar is using Everton as a stepping stone then he will have succeeded in his mission by not signing a new contract and moving to a top club, whether home or abroad. Ultimately the final decision comes down to the player himself and what he wants to achieve, Everton can only do so much persuading until all avenues have been exhausted. As Neville again states: “You can say to Steven every minute of every day that we do not want him to leave but at the end of the day it is his decision. The club wants him to stay, but there is not much else we can say.”
A period of limbo thus ensues for both club and player, with the future to be determined by a single decision. Who would be an adequate replacement or are their already enough players at Everton to compensate for Pienaar’s departure if he indeed does leave?
To read more articles of mine follow me on Twitter or RSS Feed.
*
Fancy playing your mates every week in a Premium Fantasy Football game?
