Roberto Martínez has denied Romelu Lukaku’s decision to change agent is an indication the Belgium striker will look to leave Everton this summer.
Lukaku recently ended a long-standing business relationship with Christophe Henrotay to team up with Mino Raiola, the influential Italian-born agent who counts Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Paul Pogba and Mario Balotelli among his clients.
Whereas Henrotay has close links with Everton, having also brought Kevin Mirallas and the Belgium Under-21 forward David Henen to the club, Raiola has already championed Lukaku as a signing who could turn Juventus into Champions League winners.
The 21-year-old signed a five-year contract at Goodison Park only last summer and, after an erratic start to the season, has emerged as one of the few positives in a poor campaign for Everton, becoming the club’s leading goalscorer in European competition in the process.
“He has changed his agent but we are not concerned. He is entitled to do that,” said Martínez, who will be without Lukaku at home against Southampton on Saturday should the striker fail a fitness test on a hamstring injury sustained before the international break.
“Everyone speaks about the colourful character that Mino Raiola is but he has a lot of players who are happy to stay at one club. I dealt with Mino Raiola at Wigan and not many people know that he had Danny de Ridder or Vladimir Weiss, players who have been happy to stay at a club. I don’t think there is anything to read into that.
“It has been a very interesting season from Rom’s point of view. At the age of 21 he had to cope with coming back from a World Cup and it affected his physical level until January. Since January he has been very consistent and he probably hasn’t been given the credit his performances deserve. He has been performing really well.”
Two players who do appear destined for an Everton exit this summer are Sylvain Distin and Antolín Alcaraz. The veteran central defenders are out of contract at the end of the season and the 37-year-old Distin has been overlooked completely by Martínez since January. The Everton manager, however, insists all players are fighting for their futures in the final eight games of a dreadful season.
Martínez said: “It is too early to tell what will happen. I am sure the next eight games will tell us a lot about what is going to be the situation of every player at the club, not just the ones who are out of contract.
“Just because you have a long-term contract it doesn’t mean you are guaranteed to stay in the squad. In the same manner, just because you are out contract it doesn’t mean you will leave. Every player in the situation we are in is giving you a lot of answers as to who is going to stay in the squad.”
