Joel Robles to stay at Everton, for now

Despite having dropped to third in the pecking order, it’s appearing that Joel Robles is going to have to stay at Everton and work his way back into contention. Manager Ronald Koeman has always said that he would like to have three starting calibre goalies and keeping Robles would suit that narrative perfectly for the Dutchman.

There had been talk about a move back to the La Liga for Joel, with Deportivo la Coruna leading the race for the player’s signature, but now it appears financial pressures have scuppered any chances of that happening.

As reported by Marca yesterday, Depor are focusing their efforts on goalscoring and are in talks with Arsenal to get back striker Lucas Perez for £14m. With that priority in mind the cash-strapped team will not have any additional money to fund bringing Robles back to Spain.

Perez was linked with Everton last summer as well, but eventually chose to the Gunners where he languished on the bench before looking to return to Deportivo this summer.

Everton had offered the goaltender a new deal during the offseason but he declined to sign an extension, with his current contract expiring at the end of the season. Malaga, Las Palmas and Getafe were previously linked with a move for the player, as have Premier League newcomers Huddersfield Town, but nothing came of those rumours.

Joel at his best offers a higher ceiling than current number two Maarten Stekelenburg, but at his worst he can be abysmal, conceding some boneheaded goals and penalties last season. At 27, he is still young in goalkeeper years, but will need to develop his positioning and decision-making elsewhere.