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News is breaking in Mexico that Andres Guardado is being eyed by Everton manager Roberto Martinez. The winger had a solid World Cup in Brazil, and has recently been informed by Valencia that he is not part of their future plans. Various Mexican football sources have picked up this story and are reporting it widely.
Me dicen que Andres Guardado está en la mira del @Everton #fb
— John Sutcliffe (@espnsutcliffe) July 31, 2014
Translation - They tell me that Andres Guardado is in the sights of the @Everton #fb
.@joserra_espn: Les tengo una buena noticia, me enteré que Andrés Guardado podría irse al Everton.
— Fútbol Picante (@futpicante) July 31, 2014
Translation - .@joserra_espn: I have good news, I found out that Andrés Guardado could go to Everton.
Guardado emigraria al Everton: Los expertos de Futbol Picante comentan los rumores sobre el futuro del selecc...
— Gerardo Torres (@Gerardo_ESPN) July 31, 2014
Translation - Guardado moving to Everton: The experts at Futbol Picante discuss the future of ...
Guardado has been out of favour at Valencia since the turn of the year, and he played out the second half of last season on loan at Bayer Leverkusen, a term cut short by injury. Nicknamed 'Principito' (Little Prince), Guardado played five seasons with Deportivo La Coruna scoring twenty three goals before moving to Valencia two seasons ago, where he added one goal. Like another Everton player Bryan Oviedo, Guardado can play both left back and left winger, and is known for solid physical play and pace on the break.
Never the biggest star of the team, he has still gone on to become one of the most influential players of the Mexican team in the last decade.
Strong performances in his last two games against Brazil and Croatia have reminded us of the talent that once was. Maybe he’s no longer an impact winger or an up-and-coming talent, but he’s still proved a helpful piece – capable of leveraging his 107 caps to help his less experienced partners. Once so crucial to a now tarnished Golden Generation, the new prince can still come up big, as he did with his goal against Croatia.
He first played for Mexico in 2005, and has since represented El Tri in three World Cup tournaments. Guardado currently has 108 caps, with fifteen international goals, the latest of which was a scorcher into the top shelf that proved to be the winning goal in a 3-1 romp over Croatia in the World Cup this summer.
The lad knows where the goal is when he does charge forward, as evidenced by other times he's hit the net against Costa Rica and the USA in Gold Cup competitions.
The 'Roberto Martinez effect' has been felt widely with more and more players across the top leagues paying attention to Everton. A player of Guardado's experience would solidify the Blues ranks and provide them with much-needed depth with the upcoming Europa League campaign. His market value is about £5 million, which should be decent enough for someone with his background.
Should Everton sign Guardado? Leave a comment below and vote in the poll attached.