Seasons » 2015-16 » Everton News
Niasse could debut against West Brom

The Senegal striker, a £13.5m capture from Lokomotiv Moscow on transfer deadline day, would have been eligible to face Stoke City last weekend after his visa was granted in time and he was itching to be involved but Roberto Martinez didn't feel he was quite ready in terms of fitness.
Niasse has been out of competitive action for the past eight weeks due to the end of the Russian League season but he could feature in front of his new fans against West Bromwich Albion.
Martinez told evertontv that the 25-year-old's debut could come this weekend, particularly as he is so willing:
"He had one full session with the team before the Stoke game but I thought it was probably a bit too early.
“This week has been completely different, he has had a really good working period and all he needs is some good solid work before he can compete in the team.
“The Premier League is a competition that you have to be ready in order to have an impact.
“It is important he gets the time and the understanding he needs but, at the same time, I have seen he is desperate to be involved.”
Reader Comments (62)
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2 Posted 10/02/2016 at 16:33:59
Having said that, a one nil win will do.
3 Posted 10/02/2016 at 16:37:24
4 Posted 10/02/2016 at 16:37:40
5 Posted 10/02/2016 at 16:45:46
I can see a 1-0 here. Pulis parking the bus and Berahino nicking one.
I'm an Evertonian - I expect disappointment
6 Posted 10/02/2016 at 16:54:05
7 Posted 10/02/2016 at 16:56:20
8 Posted 10/02/2016 at 17:01:17
But Christopher #1 not playing Lukaku unless he is not fit is just crazy. 20 goals in 31 games means he plays.
The new lad needs a run out and let's see how he goes.
9 Posted 10/02/2016 at 17:20:01
10 Posted 10/02/2016 at 17:22:34
11 Posted 10/02/2016 at 17:23:48
Regarding other players - keep a winning team.
The likes of Howard, Stones, Baines etc will just have to prove in training that they should get the nod.
It should be a reward for hard work to get in the team, not a given as it has been with some players in the past.
I want my Everton team to be full of players who have earned the right to play.
12 Posted 10/02/2016 at 17:27:10
13 Posted 10/02/2016 at 17:56:53
14 Posted 10/02/2016 at 17:58:57
15 Posted 10/02/2016 at 18:01:19
Hope not, for the lad.
16 Posted 10/02/2016 at 18:40:28
There appears to have been some big individual improvements recently and hopefully that will continue.
Stones should continue on the bench and the new lad should start off the bench also rather than leave anyone out just yet after that great showing at Stoke.
17 Posted 10/02/2016 at 18:45:39
18 Posted 10/02/2016 at 18:59:22
Better safe than sorry.
20 Posted 10/02/2016 at 19:23:54
As much as I loved billy, he never really justified his price tag
21 Posted 10/02/2016 at 19:30:51
22 Posted 10/02/2016 at 19:37:38
Let's not all get to wound up and expect too much too soon; it could take him several weeks to see out a full game playing at the way we hope.
23 Posted 10/02/2016 at 19:45:35
24 Posted 10/02/2016 at 19:52:48
I'm assuming he hasn't spent the last two months on the piss. Give him half an hour.
25 Posted 10/02/2016 at 20:03:39
26 Posted 10/02/2016 at 20:26:13
27 Posted 10/02/2016 at 20:37:07
28 Posted 10/02/2016 at 20:44:37
It's all a bit of a puzzle. You don't splash £13.5mil on a back-up or bench warmer. This lad is here to play. We've watched him since September and Martinez and the chief scout like his ability, his experience, his character and his North West ties. We've known all along that Lukaku is off in the summer and have jumped in early. Something you have to do with players who put the ball in the net. Okay, he might have to play out of position while the big fella is still here but will understand the situation.
We'll have run the rule over many players and Oumar Niasse was the one who ticked all the right boxes. The Premier League is a high pressure battle zone these days and pure talent is not always enough. When fully match-fit this lad will be a real all action team fighter and we wish him well.
29 Posted 10/02/2016 at 21:08:18
Watching this West Brom team on TV at the moment I think I will predict a 4-0 win this Saturday. Same team will start.
30 Posted 10/02/2016 at 21:21:21
If Lakaku is not fit then by playing him you could end up with him injured and out for a while, or play your favourite Kone and keep Niasse for last 30 minutes.
Thing is we do not know how fit Lukaku and Niasse are, but bet Kone is fit!
31 Posted 10/02/2016 at 22:22:39
Martinez stated that every now and again we would keep all our best players and go for everything. This was supposed to be one of those seasons but it hasn't quite worked out.
He also said that if we sell two of our best players and use the money to bring in four new faces, it will make us stronger. I believe it will.
Of course, if the Americans take over we don't know what will happen but Martinez is sure to convince them that everything is under control.
32 Posted 10/02/2016 at 22:46:06
33 Posted 10/02/2016 at 22:47:26
34 Posted 10/02/2016 at 22:59:55
At the risk of sounding like our red friends, next season looks very positive if we can keep hold of our young players.
35 Posted 10/02/2016 at 23:14:43
38 Posted 11/02/2016 at 01:24:36
That really shows you how good we are, doesnt it? When so many top, supposely teams are playing shite we always seem to fall in line, with them.
As for this Niasse, 13and half mil and were talking of giving him 10 minutes. For fucks sake. Get him on at start. And lets see what he can do. Fitness levels what a joke.
it just makes my blood boil.
42 Posted 11/02/2016 at 02:34:35
His agent bleated away last season. Heard much from him lately? No, right? The only reason could be is that Lukaku told him so. Can't be another. If Luka wanted out, old blabbermouth would have been going on so much, Roberto himself would have thought, "Gee, this guy never shuts up."
We lucked into Luka, thanks to Mourinho, plain and simple. If his loan-spell with us didn't convince Jose to keep him, well, hahahaha. Imagine that fantastic Aquero and Lukaku. Yikes! You really ARE special Jose.
Whoever the owners are, come the Summer, Lukaku we have to keep. Barkley too. Stones? Meh.
43 Posted 11/02/2016 at 06:09:31
By the way. The Chinese are after Jags.
44 Posted 11/02/2016 at 06:27:46
As for Niasse, I'm all for giving him a good 30 minutes in the second half. I'm sure he won't have been sitting on his backside during the Russian winter break, but his fitness levels won't be quite up to Premier League standards yet so should be gradually introduced to the pace and style of play over here. If Rom isn't fully fit, that's a different matter and I'd then prefer to start with Niasse, and if he tires early, bring Rom on for the last twenty, anything but Kone,whose speed(?) and style would suit West Brom's defenders to a T.
Most importantly, if Martinez replaces Robles with Howard then every word he has said about 'form players' and 'ni favouritism ' will be proved to have been a pack of lies. I don't think our manager realises, even now, what a thin tightrope he's walking regarding fan support. If he sticks to what has been proved to be a potentially successful line up, all well and good, but if he starts being the tinkerman again and it goes pear shaped on him in terms of results, then the atmosphere at GP, only just picking up a bit after recent results, will quickly turn more toxic than anything he thinks he's seen so far.
45 Posted 11/02/2016 at 07:07:11
I hope I'm wrong as I'd love him to stay.
As for Niasse, I suspect he's ready and raring to go. His energy and speed may just force Rom to lift his game.
46 Posted 11/02/2016 at 07:19:25
We have to press on and start knocking off the likes of Arsenal, Man Utd and Liverpool and brushing aside the likes of WBA and Bournemouth in this league.
47 Posted 11/02/2016 at 08:41:03
And more importantly, that he wants to be here.
48 Posted 11/02/2016 at 08:57:04
I really hope Lukaku stays with us because right now I don't think there is a better striker in the world that would come to Everton.
49 Posted 11/02/2016 at 09:13:31
50 Posted 11/02/2016 at 09:45:57
I couldn't care if we paid £42 mil for him. He can't expect to walk into a winning side. If we we're struggling I'd be all for him starting but, at this moment, we're not, so a place on the bench will have to do for him.
If we're struggling, get him on with 20 minutes to go and see what he's about. That said, I'd be disappointed if we don't beat West Brom on Saturday. They look a poor side and we couldn't be playing them at a better time.
51 Posted 11/02/2016 at 10:49:57
Jack: this guy hasn't played competitively in a while, why would he be match fit? Why does fitness make your blood boil? We're not talking about ordinary fitness. This guy is fit. They're all fit. We're talking about getting an already fit body adjusted to taking huge amounts of stress. Not whether he is physically fit and able to run around for 90 mins. They can all do that. Just shows you have no idea about the levels required for professional sport, let alone the speed and the physicality required to come up against players who have adjusted to playing every week in the EPL.
Throw him in from the start against a very physical Tony Pulis team and considering he won't have had any bad knocks or serious physical contact in weeks, we could see him badly hurt and out for 6 months. Wouldn't be the first time it's happened to players trying to get back up to high levels of performance.
Training is not the name as a competing match and keeping fit is not the same as performance level.
52 Posted 11/02/2016 at 12:11:20
53 Posted 11/02/2016 at 12:32:01
Admiration?! Off who... It was the opposite, I wrote that with an sly smirk.
Its hard to know just what Martinez will do at the best of times but he doesn't seem to like to change a winning team so I cant see him making any changes. Who would change a team that has won the last 3 games by 3-0?
We have to keep this run going as long as we can and see where that takes us. Its unfortunate of course that the best part of the season is over now and a CL place is out of reach. Would Lukaku stay with an FA Cup win or a Europa League place? Now that Deulofeu, Barks and Lukaku seem to be improving and finding there real levels I would hope that they would want to stick around for another season and see what they are capable of achieving.
Next season what do we need? A new keeper, back up right back? Not much anyway... Maybe to keep Besic fit!
54 Posted 11/02/2016 at 12:35:44
55 Posted 11/02/2016 at 13:16:31
Niasse & Tarashaj were obviously signed with next season in mind. Andre Ter Stegen, Marc Bartra & Andriy Yarmolenko would fit in nicely.
56 Posted 11/02/2016 at 14:41:42
57 Posted 11/02/2016 at 15:08:24
I must have missed something there. Perhaps I was at the World Cup and didn't realize just how fit you can become in a week.
58 Posted 11/02/2016 at 15:22:08
59 Posted 11/02/2016 at 15:39:12
60 Posted 11/02/2016 at 15:42:48
61 Posted 11/02/2016 at 15:46:27
62 Posted 11/02/2016 at 19:09:50
He's not joking - both stories are being reported online today. Jags to China and El Bob to Inter.
Potentially at least.
To put some context on this, I also read today that Mike Tyson had died of a heart attack.
He hasn't. He's fine.
63 Posted 11/02/2016 at 20:36:20
64 Posted 11/02/2016 at 21:36:39
65 Posted 12/02/2016 at 10:09:04
66 Posted 12/02/2016 at 18:36:18
68 Posted 12/02/2016 at 19:02:10
69 Posted 14/02/2016 at 09:04:35
Except he was not even on the bench! When will Martinez tell the truth or say nothing?
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1 Posted 10/02/2016 at 16:32:50
Looking forward to see Niasse play.