OPINION
Everton are reportedly willing to allow goalkeeper Joel Robles to leave Goodison Park before the end of the transfer window.
The Sun’s transfer expert Alan Nixon claimed on his personal Twitter account that the 27-year-old could be set to leave the club on a free transfer.
It is said that there would be interest in the Spanish goalkeeper if he was indeed available on a free transfer, after the £30million signing of Jordan Pickford has pushed the former Wigan stopper down the pecking order.
Robles is yet to make a single appearance for the Toffees this season despite being Ronald Koeman’s first-choice goalkeeper last season.
Everton’s number 33 has less than 12 months remaining on his contract with the Merseyside outfit, but he could now be thrown on the scrapheap for nothing as Koeman looks to offload a number of fringe stars before Thursday evening.
This Is Futbol considers whether offloading Robles is a good move for the club and if a deal can be agreed in the next two days:
Good move for Everton?
Robles is unlikely to feature at any point this season following the signing of Pickford, with veteran Holland international Maarten Stekelenburg being used on the substitutes’ bench.
Known for his proneness to error, the goalkeeper came under plenty of criticism last season as he made a number of mistakes including the concession of two soft goals against Leicester during the Toffees’ 4-2 win in April.
Robles would be allowed to leave the club on a free transfer to foreign sides from January 1 if a new contract is not given to the former Atletico Madrid stopper, and would leave the club for nothing in June.
Getting rid of the one-time Spain Under-21 international now makes little difference in terms of price, with Koeman likely to help the goalkeeper find a new club for the sake of his career.
This Is Futbol rating: 9/10.
Likely to happen?
With his contract set to expire in the near future, allowing him to leave on a free transfer would work well for all parties.
Robles is likely to be on the lookout for first-team football and should welcome a move with the chances of gaining any action at Everton very unlikely.
Nixon claims that the lofty goalkeeper would gain interest in the next couple of days if he became available on a free transfer, and that should convince both Everton and Robles to agree an exit package soon.
This Is Futbol rating: 10/10.