Cenk Tosun is not part of Rafael Benitez’s plans at Everton while James Rodriguez, Jonjoe Kenny and Fabian Delph are also free to leave the Premier League giants, as reported by the Liverpool Echo.
Slowly but surely, an Everton side who appeared to be lacking any semblance of a clear tactical plan under Carlo Ancelotti are turning into a team in Benitez’s image.
During their USA tour, the Toffees have often been set up to play a rapid, counter-attacking gameplan revolving around the pace of players like newcomer Demarai Gray.
In the recent clash with Millonairos, Everton mustered just 35 per cent of possession but carried a real threat in transition.
With that in mind, it is no real surprise to learn that neither James Rodriguez nor Fabian Delph will have a role to play going forward.
Is Benitez right to get rid of these four Everton players?
In truth, the writing was on the wall for James as soon as Everton replaced his footballing father figure with a man he never really saw eye-to-eye with during their brief time together at Real Madrid.
Wonderfully gifted yet sluggish out of possession, James was never likely to fit into Benitez’s well-drilled, quick-counter approach. The same can be said of Delph, an £80,000-a-week forgotten man who has never really been the same since injuries started to take their toll.
Both players have allegedly been told they are free to leave.
The Echo reports that, alongside James and Delph, local lad Kenny is also free to leave. Everton want to bring in a new right-back and that leaves the former Celtic loanee out of favour.
Arsenal and Burnley have both linked with a potential £10 million swoop for Kenny.
£27 million misfit Tosun will not feature under Benitez, either, despite the fact the Spaniard tried to sign the then-Besiktas talisman during his time at Newcastle United (Chronicle).
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