McAleny signs new three-year contract

Lyndon Lloyd , 1 July, 13comments | Jump to most recent

Striking prospect Conor McAleny has committed to Everton until 2017 by signing a new deal with the club.

The 21-year-old's existing deal was up this summer but he has now put pen to paper on his longest contract to date, a sign that manager Roberto Martinez believes he can make the step up to the first team.

The new deal is the latest step in McAleny's road back from a horrible leg fracture last autumn suffered when he was playing on loan for Brentford in League One.

He recovered quickly, though, and was included in the first team squad at the tail end of last season but he has yet to add to his two first-team appearances that he made under David Moyes three years ago.

His debut came as a late substitute at Arsenal that year, where he almost announced his arrival in the Premier League with a goal from a snapshot that he ripped narrowly wide of the goal, and that was followed by another outing against Norwich City the following week.

Since then, he has spent time on loan at Scunthorpe United and Brentford but his spell at Griffin Park was cut short before it had really got going by that injury.

"Hopefully the injuries are behind me now and I can start pushing on,“ McAleny told evertontv after completing the paperwork on his contract.

[The manager] called me up a few weeks ago and we had a good chat. That was massive for me.

"He told me I was going to be in his plans and that was a big part of why I have signed.

“Hearing that from the manager has definitely given me a boost and confidence for when I go back in with the lads.

"He wants to give young lads a go and that's always going to be an incentive."

McAleny was reportedly being targeted by Brentford and ex-Bees boss Uwe Rà¶sler this summer who were both hoping to pick him up as a free agent but the striker now has the chance to prove his worth at top-flight level.

Reader Comments (13)

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Sue Brown
1 Posted 01/07/2014 at 15:46:50

Good news. After a couple of appearances last season as substitute, Roberto has obviously seen something in him, maybe as a replacement for Deulofeu. Can score a few too.

Richard Reeves
2 Posted 01/07/2014 at 16:19:25

Great news! ItÂ’s going to be interesting to see who breaks through next season.

ItÂ’s one of the things IÂ’m looking forward to the most along with the European games and hopefully being able to watch a few young foreign signings around the same sort of age as Barkley and Stones with bags of potential.

Bill Gall
3 Posted 01/07/2014 at 16:18:31

As most supporters agree, last season turned out a lot better than was thought at the start of the season. With some of the ridiculous fees and wages demanded by some of the experienced players, I think Roberto is going to have to build on youth in the future and use any money available to build a squad that will provide regular success and not instant success.

We have at the present time a squad with a number of experienced players that needs a reliable striker and a quality midfielder that any money we have available should be used to sign and we will have to rely on loan players to strengthen it as we are all aware of the financial position at Everton.

Even though it upsets me to see other clubs already bringing in players, the signing of this young player tells me that the manager has a long-term plan and bringing in young players is part of a long future plan.

Minik Hansen
4 Posted 01/07/2014 at 16:59:05

Great. What happens outside might be our concern, but more important is what's happening here. We've got a strong personality in our manager and this is a good sign for developing our way back to where the club once was, not to mention we're in a great position now.

Si Cooper
5 Posted 01/07/2014 at 18:40:50

After a couple of one-year deals, a three-year contract looks like real confidence that the lad has a future at the top level. Fingers crossed that he repays that faith many times over.

Jim Bennings
6 Posted 01/07/2014 at 19:22:34

It's only really great news when the season has well developed and McAleny as made some kind of impact. I'm sorry if that sounds sceptical but we have had stuff like this before with young players, all the promise that Vellios offered amongst others so I'm waiting before I start going over the top with the 'great news' shouts.

As far as I can see, McAleny is 21, at an age where he needs to start fulfilling his promise in the Everton first team; he can no longer be classed as a very young player. He had horrendous luck last summer with the leg break... so, now he's fit, let's see what he can offer.

It's good news... but I will reserve the 'great news' headlines in case we sign a proven 20-goal-a-season man.

Sam Hoare
7 Posted 01/07/2014 at 20:17:21

Hope the lad can stay fully fit. Seems like he has at least a few of the attributes to make an impact at top level and crucially seems to have good touch and technique. He should get chances in the Europa League and fingers crossed he can make an impact.

Ant Dwyer
8 Posted 02/07/2014 at 01:20:20

Good luck to the lad, he had hard lines last season with a leg break but thereÂ’s not much you can really do with that, is there? ItÂ’s not like the lad is injury-prone!

He had one bit of bad luck. Onwards and upwards... kick on from now, lad. Good luck!

Ajay Gopal
9 Posted 02/07/2014 at 06:10:09

I can see Roberto sending him out on a season-long loan to Wigan and letting him develop under Uwe Rosler. Rosler seems to be building on Roberto's foundations there and he is building a good team at Wigan again. Hopefully this happens and McAleny will develop into the homegrown striker that we have been craving for over 10 years now.

Kase Chow
10 Posted 02/07/2014 at 13:35:43

Apologies, Bill Gall (#3), but I'm not aware of the financial position at Everton.

I know we were approx 㿔-㿞M in debt. Last season we had ANOTHER net profit from transfer sales and this season there is a record TV deal.

So please can you educate me as to what is the financial position at Everton?

Richard Dodd
11 Posted 02/07/2014 at 19:13:44

I echo Case's sentiments. We seem to have become programmed to the view that Everton are skint and cannot play a full part in the summer transfer spree.

It is hard to accept that the very considerably increased revenues together with net profit on transfers still sees us as one of the Premier's paupers.

Unless BK has given every member of the paying staff a ٟM a year rise, things much be more healthy than has been the case so don't let's buy into the poor, poor Everton garbage. We must be competitive in the transfer market.

Bill Gall
12 Posted 02/07/2014 at 20:04:37

Kase Chow (#10),

Everton's financial position is whatever BK deems it to be regardless of what we read in the media. Everton may have enough funds to pay for a 㿅-30mill player but are not able to compete in the wage demands of this type of player. Even if it is difficult to obtain actual figures, I do not believe that any player in the Everton squad is close to 𧴜k per week.

I entered an article in TW titled: "Can Everton Compete in the Transfer Market" last season and the point, that a number of supporters agreed with, was even if we have the money for a premium player, their high wage demands will ruin Everton's wage structure. I believe that the reason we do not get some players is that other clubs just offer them more money.

Raymond Fox
14 Posted 09/07/2014 at 00:13:51

Richard, we are poor in comparison with our top 4-6 rivals.

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