Everton Could Terminate Atsu Loan Early

Roberto Martinez may look to send winger Christian Atsu back to his parent club Chelsea after the player has failed to impress during his time with Everton. According to reports from Goal.com Everton may be looking at new options to replace Atsu should he return to Chelsea.

It's no secret that Atsu has struggled to get into the starting line-up despite Everton's issues on the wing, including an injury to Kevin Mirallas and Aiden McGeady's poor form. The Ghanaian was highly hyped coming into the season after a impressing with Dutch side Vitesse last year, but he has rarely seen the field, playing 90 minutes only once this season.

Despite his struggles, Atsu told Liverpool Echo that he is happy at Everton and did not make a mistake coming to Merseyside.

I don’t see my coming here as a mistake because I came here to get the experience I need in the Premier League.

I am happy here at Everton and I know that with time I will get into the first team.

After the successful loan acquisition of Gerard Deulofeu from Barcelona last season, many were hoping that Atsu would have a similar success. And while Atsu has shown flashes of his blazing speed and dribbling skill, he has yet to put together a complete performance when given the opportunity. Deulofeu did have similar issues last season, as he would often dribble himself into a corner, but he was still able to have a positive outcome during his time here especially his late equalizer against Arsenal.

Atsu will have several opportunities to impress Roberto Martinez before the January Transfer Window opens up, but it may not be an awful idea to explore other options if they present themselves.

If Everton do make a move in the Transfer Window it would likely be for an offensive player as Martinez has said that he would not bring in any defensive reinforcements this season. I would not be upset if Everton cut their losses with Atsu and try to find another player that could have a more positive impact on the team.