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According to the Liverpool Echo, Everton have offered Leighton Baines a new 12-month contract.
The Englishman’s current deal is set to expire at the end of the month, but the Toffees are keen to keep the 34-year-old club icon at Goodison Park for another year.
Baines only made eight appearances in the 2018/19 campaign after the arrival of French left-back Lucas Digne in an £18m move from Barcelona, and you can’t argue with Marco Silva’s decision to play him over Baines – Digne netted four goals and recorded five assists in his first season on Merseyside.
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Everton’s No.3 has jetted off to America for a family holiday, where he is mulling over the offer of a new deal and is set to discuss his future with his family.
The Merseysiders value Baines and want him to stay and be backup to Digne, but his decision is yet to be revealed.
So, are Everton right to offer Baines a new contract given his age and lack of appearances? Football FanCast’s writers have their say…
Matt Dawson
“Unless he takes some sort of pay cut from the £70k-a-week he currently earns then Everton would be crazy to give him a one year extension. Baines was a fine player back in the day, but at the age of 34 his best days are past him by a considerable distance. However, should his wages now decrease then he can still be a valuable asset to the Everton side.”
Luke Glanville
“I think that Everton are right to offer Baines a one-year contract extension, even though it may seem like a purely sentimental move. Silva has a clear first choice in the left-back position, so it’s doing no harm keeping the 34-year-old as one of his back-ups, considering he’s still capable of doing a job at Goodison Park. The Toffees will at some point undoubtedly need a new player there, but this move would allow them to delay that search a little bit and focus on other priority areas of recruitment this window, such as up front.”
Harry Sherlock
“Baines is a solid hand and he does everything that he needs to do with a minimum of fuss. With Digne making the left-back spot his own, keeping Baines on is sensible in terms of squad depth and in terms of experience. Silva has made a smart decision in keeping a veteran onside and it makes all the sense in the world.”