Potential is the buzzword surrounding Everton’s future. It has the potential to produce four of the best players the Premier League has seen in a few years. It also has the potential to go up in smoke and for the players to be scattered all over the continent.
We’re talking about the core of this Everton team, the spine of everything they do. John Stones, Ross Barkley, Gerard Deulofeu and Romelu Lukaku, they’re the fantastic four, but the question is for how long.
The way that football is going, Everton are unlikely to keep all four for any length of time, especially if they cannot produce this season. Many fans acknowledge the fact that the Toffees may need Champions League football to keep hold of them, even if it’s for another year but with the current inconsistency that plagues this season, boss Roberto Martinez’s ability to turn it around and put his team in a position to keep ahold of this current crop of talent will be tested.
Everton’s talent extends past the four, but their age and abilities put them on a higher level.
Is the question about money?
Everton have already fought off potential suitors for Stones, notably Chelsea’s relentless pursuit in the summer. Blues fans coined the terrace chant - Money can’t buy you Stones, after the transfer saga but Chelsea aren’t the first team to come calling and they certainly won’t be the last.
The cavalier centre back seemingly gets better with every game. His passing and ability to bring the ball out from the back is unquestioned but his leadership has drawn questioning. At 21 years old, Stones is not expected to be Phil Jagielka, but he can be expected to be a Jagielka-lite, he’s played with him enough that some of the captains leadership qualities should have rubbed off on Stones. Talk of European giants like Barcelona and Bayern Munich chasing Stones will put to the test the question if money can buy you Stones.
Ross Barkley is tipped as the most likely to see out a longer future at Goodison Park. Everton are his boyhood club but the lure of Champions League nights and double, maybe even triple wages would test the resolve of any boyhood fan.
Commonly referred to as a Diamond, Barkley is far from being the finished article. He can struggle to influence a game if it is not going his way but can produce moments of magic at a moments notice. Barkley has improved this season. His assists and goalscoring numbers are up, he looks like a much more mature player this campaign.
Barkley has drawn comparisons to some of the best England players of all time, including Paul Gascoigne, but Barkley still has a number of hurdles to overcome before he reaches Gazza levels.
Gerard Deulofeu is back at Goodison Park and while it’s far from home - if home counts as Barcelona, the Catalan magician has made Goodison his temporary residence. This season has already seen a much more consistent and mature Deulofeu, with his assists numbers only being bettered by Mesut Ozil and Riyad Mahrez. He's already chipped in with his fair share of goals and Everton have won numerous games based on Deulofeu's performances alone.
While the footballing giants hold a buy back clause for the next few seasons, Deulofeu has to accept a move back. A move back that would like see him back on the bench. He has already said he sees Everton as his home for the foreseeable future, if he reaches his Balon D’Or potential - as former teammate Rafinha Alcantara put it, he won’t be at Goodison Park for long.
Record signing Romelu Lukaku has started this season on fire. He’s already got 16 goals in all competitions and we’ve only just entered December. Last season was a struggle for the Belgian. He got 20 goals in all competitions but only 10 in the Premier League, compared to 13 for this current season. Lukaku has already been the subject of transfer talk and with the January window coming quickly, the rumours will only continue if Lukaku’s goalscoring form continues.
His agent Mino Raiola has previously said if he was his agent when Lukaku moved to Everton, Lukaku would have went elsewhere. Like the the majority of players, the Belgian wants to be at the top of his game, he wants to be winning trophies and playing Champions League football.
The Belgian has always been hotly tipped to be one of the best strikers in Europe and at the age of 22, Lukaku is rapidly approaching that level, if he hasn’t already.
Golden generation or a king’s ransom?
Everton boss Roberto Martinez recently described the talent he has as a golden generation of players. He fully believes that the four players can lead Everton to the top but they have a kings ransom on their heads, not just their price valuation but what the Merseysiders have invested in the players.
While the Blues have a number of long term future players coming through their youth system - Ryan Ledson and Kieran Dowell being the most notable, their present and near future are with the fantastic four.
This season Everton are underperforming in the Premier League. There has been countless stories about how this current crop of players are good enough for top four and eventually the Champions League but at the minute, they’re still as far away as they were two years ago in Martinez’s first season.
The Blues have reached the Capital One Cup semi finals and that may be their best chance of a first trophy since 1995 but they face Manchester City next and even if they get past the Citizens, Liverpool or Stoke City await - two sides that consistently give the Toffees problems.
The Blues are counting on these four to guide them to the top, and potentially they can go to the top. On the other hand, they have the potential to go their separate ways and a golden generation could be ripped from Everton’s grasps.
Everton fans will be hoping their golden generation doesn’t follow the path of what should have been Atletico Bilbao’s example. Javi Martinez left for Bayern Munich, Fernando Llorente left for Juventus and only Iker Muniain remains but after numerous injuries, he’s not the player that he was tipped to be.
The Blues need to find success and fast if they don't want to have this crop of players ripped away.
Fans want success and not to be left with questions of what could have happened.