He’s Magic You Know, Gerard Deulofeu

He’s magic you know, Gerard Deulofeu. That’s how the song goes and for anyone reading who doesn’t know how to pronounce his name, it rhymes. He probably has the honour of having the he hardest name to pronounce in the Premier League but commentators should just be thankful that the reports linking us to Jakub Błaszczykowski were untrue. Regardless ‘Geri’ is ours and we’re delighted to have him, and he’s delighted to be here.

Sometimes players and clubs just fit, it works and the player plays better than he ever has before, Deulofeu certainly enjoys the affection of the Everton fans. At Barcelona he was a small cog in a big machine and at Sevilla he was an unwanted, castigated loanee. He appears to be a player who needs to be loved and Everton provides that for him. A manager who will put him arm around his shoulder and fans that will sing his name from the stands and forgive him for his mistakes.

This season so far he has been fantastic, of course he’ll have games where he is on the periphery which comes with the territory of being a young winger but he has been pivotal in our League Cup run and is starting to have a growing influence in the Premier League. His performance vs Sunderland was an attacking masterclass. Numerous times already this season he has shown how he can put in constant dangerous crosses through the air and exquisite passes on the floor. For a position where great passing isn’t a common attribute, for Deulofeu it’s just another string to his bow.

The talent he has is frightening. It’s the same feeling that you have with Ross Barkley, Romelu Lukaku and John Stones: If they’re this good now, imagine how good they will be. For all four of those players, if they didn’t improve from here then they’d still be top players for Everton. The fact that all four will likely improve makes the future very exciting.

There is however one big negative to Deulofeu’s game at the moment. Everton fans will forgive him for an over hit cross, losing possession or even having a poor game. What they won’t forgive however is diving. It’s not something Everton players do and anytime it is done, it’s never accepted. I vividly remember such incidents with embarrassment. Whether it was Barkley last season, Jagielka vs Aston Villa in 2011 or Phil Neville with the worst dive ever vs Liverpool a few season ago, it’s against the spirit of the club and Deulofeu needs to stop it straight away.

The diving will stop soon however and we’ll be left with just the magic in his boots. It was a fantastic transfer for the club and an addition to a strong core of young talent throughout our club. Any team facing a right hand side of Coleman and Deulofeu will be very daunted. With both having the capability of shooting, going inside and outside and delivering great crosses it’s a partnership that could come to rival the great Baines and Pienaar one that worked for so many years.

He’s magic, a fans favourite and a constant threat to the opposition and a man that can win you a game from nothing. He’s here again, he’s here to stay, and he’s only going to get better.