Everton will sign a playmaker from abroad this summer

Everton manager Roberto Martinez will look abroad to add a playmaker to his squad this summer as he believes that there isn’t the talent coming through the ranks in England.

Martinez highlighted English coaches tend to pick physicality over technical ability and as such, he will look abroad to pinpoint the correct fit for theclub.

“It is difficult to find an English No10 because the upbringing is very, very different,” Martinez said.

“I feel we have put things in place in our Academy that mean we will see our own products in that position in the next four of five years, and I am excited about that.

“But it is true that if you look at every single team in the Premier League unfortunately, that player is someone who has had that upbringing abroad.

“At Everton, we are ready to produce our own who can fill that role but we will have to wait four or five years and it is exciting to see how that develops.

“I think it is a real need of the British game being able to produce that sort of player. And that is encouraging younger coaches to develop players that fit that profile because too often those players are not getting kept on because, physically, they don’t seem strong enough and that is a mentality we need to change.

“And then it is developing a certain way of playing where those players can be effective, rather than being missed.

“Really successful teams produce that sort of player and it gives you an attacking threat and allows the players around them to score goals.”

“We have got real clarity in who we want. More than anything, it is that personality who we think can fit into our football club, cope with the expectations and fit into what we want to build.

“That has been work we’ve developed since January and we are very happy with the options we have.”

Manchester City’s David Silva is seen as the Premier League’s leading player in the playmaker position and Martinez is very clear on what he is looking for in a player.

“It is a very specific position,” he said.

“He is a player that needs sensational spatial awareness and can receive the ball from different angles, can always plays forward and can link what is a good control in possession to a threat in possession.

“We have seen it many times when Steven Pienaar is on the pitch. He has that quality of opening up spaces and getting in between lines and that is a player who is very unique because you rely a little on your upbringing and how you develop as a footballer.

“We have seen many efficient No10s in the Premier League in the last five or six years but that sort of player is very difficult to find.

“You are not just looking for the technical ability because it is clear what you are looking for: someone who has got good appreciation of where to receive the ball, someone who knows how to weight a pass and can give good service to the forwards.

“But it is also about having the mentality to adapt to the physicality of the British game and have an effect and also being able to control the big moments of the game.

“That is what a No10 needs. You see many players who have the technical ability to play that role but mentally they are not right for that role.

“That is why it is such a difficult position to be effective in the British game.

“That is the main area we need to improve.”

Which playmaker would you like Everton to sign?

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