John Heitinga's*drastic dip in form over the past 12 months must rank alongside some of the worst declines in recent Premier League seasons.*
Having been voted Everton Fans' Player of the Year in 2011-12, after some bullish performances in the heart of defence, the enigmatic Dutchman has been below par for much of this past campaign.
He began the season in and out of the team, vying for selection with Phil Jagielka and Sylvain Distin. When on the field, it soon became clear the Toffees would be better off without*the Dutch international, as he seemed hesitant, subdued and even slightly blasé about his defensive duties.
Heitinga still managed 17 Premier League starts, but over the season, Everton*conceded 1.4 goals for every 90-minute period he played, with no other defender averaging above 1.1 goals per-90. His blips have been far too frequent, with major gaffes coming in games against Wigan, West Brom, Aston Villa and Newcastle, among others.
Unsurprisingly, and not for the first time, he's recently appeared in the media stating his intention to move on from the Toffees this summer, as the Daily Mirror reports. The move is something Everton, albeit subtly, would be*wise to encourage.
The Daily Mail captured his quotes as follows:
I don’t want to extend my contract because it would mean they’d be my final club outside Holland.*I have played in Spain and England, so maybe it’s time for somewhere else.*If Fenerbahce come in again, they’re an option.I was close to joining them last summer.*Everton seemed ready to let me go—but then the chairman told me ‘you’re staying.
Aside from the obvious fact Everton have an unhappy player on their books, there are several reasons to welcome any offers.
Heitinga is supposedly one of the Toffees' highest earners. According to Greg O'Keeffe of the Liverpool Echo and here in the Chester Chronicle, the Dutchman takes home*around £55,000 per-week.
It's simply unacceptable for a notoriously cash-strapped club such as Everton to allow what has become a fringe player to sit on the sidelines and consume those substantial wages.
Despite his claims in the press, with this being the Dutchman's final year of his contract, he may well be inclined to see out the rest of his deal, with suitors unlikely to match his current weekly wage. Again, something Everton cannot allow.
After an inconsistent couple of years spent recovering from a severe injury, Phil Jagielka is now well and truly back to his best and is widely viewed as*Everton's leading defender.
Installed as the new club captain before the departure of*Moyes, he is a guaranteed starter and it's now a case of Heitinga fighting it out with Distin to start alongside him.
While Distin is approaching 36, he is a far better match with*Jagielka.*The left-right combination is more effective, as is the contrast of styles, with Distin's height and pace a better blend with Jagielka's positional nous and ability in the challenge area.
The issue for Heitinga is that his*best spells at Everton have predominantly come alongside Distin. The pair also complement each other well, which isn't overly surprising considering*Heitinga's*attributes are quite similar to Jagielka's, and he adopts the same role when partnering Distin.
In the case of both Heitinga and Jagielka*starting, it seems the two are almost too similar to work together, as has been particularly evident this season. There is certainly not enough height, and fast, physical strikers have flourished against this pairing.
With Everton*now very much committed to Jagielka, it makes sense to send Heitinga*on his way and target another taller, more physical defender as a replacement.
As the Toffees*approach a new dawn with a new manager at the helm, it's important he gets a chance to apply his own methods on a side moulded a particular way for the past 11 years.
He needs a chance to shape Everton's squad in his own image and to do that he needs funds, either by incoming sales or from a drastically reduced wage bill.
Offloading Heitinga's pay and picking up whatever fee can be agreed on is certainly one way of providing him a little more freedom*to work the transfer market.
Considering the high-earning Moyes and Phil Neville*are also off the wage bill, the Toffees' new manager would then have a much healthier canvas to start shaping his own Everton—without having to sell*the likes of Leighton Baines or Marouane Fellaini just yet.
