After a frenzied 12 months of activity that has seen Idrissa Gueye, Morgan Schneiderlin and Davy Klaassen all arrive at Goodison Park, Everton now have arguably their best set of midfield options for over a decade.
Indeed, ask any supporter of the Merseyside outfit to pick their first-choice trio and the names Schneiderlin, Klaassen, Gueye and Davies will inevitably pop up- a quartet of quality players that will battle it out to be picked in Ronald Koeman's first-choice midfield. Further depth is also available in the form of the likes of Gareth Barry and Mo Besic. It's an indication of how far the Blues have come in this position that James McCarthy, who was considered a mainstay of the team just over 12 months ago, is rarely spoken of and now on the fringes contemplating his future.
Under Roberto Martinez, the Irishman was a key figure tasked with mopping up in front of the back four and covering for rampaging full-backs Seamus Coleman and Leighton Baines. It was a unique brief that assured him a place in the ex-Wigan manager's side, but one that equally limited his growth as a footballer. Too often the water-carrier, McCarthy was rarely allowed to express himself properly on the ball and his influence in attack waned.
Now, with the Catalan gone and Koeman bringing in his own personnel to fit a markedly different approach- ball retention has been eschewed for faster transitions- the 26-year-old finds himself at a crucial juncture as far as his own career is concerned: stay and fight to displace Koeman's favourites, or move on in search of regular game-time?
Despite publicly indicating his admiration for McCarthy's high-energy style, all the evidence suggests that Koeman sees Schneiderlin and Gueye as his favoured defensive midfield duo, with Davies and Barry next in line. As such, the Irishman runs the risk of fading into obscurity in World Cup year, regardless of the extra games that Europa League qualification may well bring.
Rifts between club and country have not helped. McCarthy's own desire to rush himself back from injury to play for his national side has, on more than one occasion, provoked the wrath of Koeman. Nor has the limited role afforded to him in the Martinez years. But in a sense how the £13m signing arrived in this position no longer matters. He needs solutions- and fast.
Asked about McCarthy's future in May, Koeman said: “Of course I want to keep McCarthy because all the times he was really fit and on his level most of the time he was a starting player.
“But it was really difficult because he had a lot of injuries and that makes it difficult for him and the manager also.”
While, ideally, Koeman would no doubt want to keep a useful squad member ahead of a busy second season at Goodison Park, a fluid situation could well ultimately be influenced by McCarthy's refusal to accept his predicament. His stock in the English game is such that a raft of Premier League sides have already reportedly shown an interest and in recent weeks, Newcastle United, West Brom, Crystal Palace and Leicester City have all been mentioned as potential suitors.
For all the 26-year-old's faults- namely in the offensive third and in possession- it's impossible to understate the importance places on featuring for his country, while rumours of his unhappiness at the bit-part role handed to him last season were also a regular occurrence. Should a club meet Everton's valuation and the player indicate a desire to move, it appears unlikely that the Blues would stand in his way.
Crucially, the drop in standard from Everton to any of the four teams listed would seem to be worthwhile should it result in regular Premier League minutes. Instead of competing with the talented duo of Gueye and Schneiderlin for time on the pitch, McCarthy would instead have players akin to Newcastle's Jack Colback or West Brom's Claudio Yacob standing in his way. In truth, he's probably capable of usurping either, so a transfer would be entirely logical if a starting role is his goal.
Of course, any move so close to a World Cup would be something of a risk. Failure to settle or indeed improve upon his situation at Goodison Park may result in the midfielder losing his berth in Martin O'Neill's Ireland team. However, as risks go, any chance of a switch to a fellow Premier League club is undoubtedly worth taking for a player that has seen himself left behind by Everton's rapid improvement.
