Barcelona Transfer News: Gerard Deulofeu Comments on Everton Future

Everton winger Gerard Deulofeu has revealed he sees his long-term future at Goodison Park despite Barcelona preserving a buy-back clause in his contract.  

The 21-year-old has been in dazzling form for the Toffees so far this season, putting together a spell of excellent performances on the right flank following a permanent move to Merseyside in the summer. Deulofeu revealed at an event hosted by the club on Tuesday evening he feels very much an Everton player.

“I am so happy to be staying here a long time,” said the La Masia graduate, per Ian Doyle of the Liverpool Echo. “When I stayed here the first time, I love Everton and now I’ve come back. I hope to stay here for a lot of years.”

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It’ll be music to the ears of Evertonians, who would have been a little concerned when they heard manager Roberto Martinez admitting Barcelona could activate a clause to re-sign their former player as early as next summer for a paltry €9 million (£6.31 million), per Chris Beesley of the Liverpool Echo.

While the youngster may ultimately have ambitions of nailing down a place in the first team at the Camp Nou, he seems to have realised that he needs to get regular football under his belt. After a tough 2014-15 on loan at Sevilla, Martinez has slowly blooded him into the Everton side, and now, the winger is a major creative force for the team.

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Sky Sports’ Matt Cheetham outlined just how important the youngster has been to the Toffees after yet another dazzling display in the 4-0 win over Aston Villa:

What’ll be most encouraging for those looking on from Catalonia is the tangible improvements Deulofeu is making in royal blue. Previously, he’d shown a penchant for an erratic final ball, running down blind alleys and not being a team player. This term, while it’s early days yet, the youngster’s end product has vastly improved, as has his attitude.

Indeed, Deulofeu has not only added another dimension to Everton’s attacking bursts with his direct brand of play, but he’s brought out the best in Ross Barkley and Romelu Lukaku, too. As Squawka Football note here, that’s allowed the Spaniard to amass an impressive assist tally for one so young:

There are still improvements to be made in Deulofeu’s game, though, which is why it’d be too early for Barcelona to activate this clause. He still needs to show he can produce his recent standards on a much more regular basis, and the only way he’ll do so is by playing a lot of games. With Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez at Barcelona, opportunities would be scarce at the Camp Nou.

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If Barcelona leave Deulofeu to continue developing at Goodison Park for a couple of seasons, they could re-sign him as a more mature and rounded footballer. Recent displays at Everton have proven his new club is the best place for him to continue this growth, and Blaugrana fans can watch on knowing they potentially have a tremendous talent heading their way in the future.