Aaron Lennon buzzing to be at Everton and feeling wanted again

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/feb/10/aaron-lennon-everton-on-loan-tottenham

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Pictures of Aaron Lennon in a variety of unhappy poses at Everton went viral last week and suggested a player not exactly thrilled by his choice of deadline-day transfer. The reality is the move has brought contentment to a player enduring the toughest time of his career at Tottenham Hotspur.

Roberto Martínez and several television pundits were quick to pin blame for those stern Lennon snaps on the photographer who covered the winger’s unveiling as an Everton loan player. The truth, as the 27-year-old’s photograph album from Leeds United to White Hart Lane can testify, is that the snapper was always up against it.

“I’ve been getting a lot of stick about the photos,” a laughing Lennon admits. “It’s all good banter though, on Twitter, from the lads here and from my mates as well. It’s good fun and I am happy to be here. I’m not the best with photos at any time to be honest. My mum tells me that all the time. The photos might have turned out that way but I am buzzing to be at Everton.”

The start has helped. Lennon made his Everton debut as a substitute in Saturday’s Merseyside derby stalemate and returns to London on Wednesday to face the Premier League leaders Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Just to feel wanted again has been a release for the England international having been marginalised by Mauricio Pochettino at Spurs, where he made only three league starts all season.

“It’s been a tough year and something I’ve not been used to before,” he says. “I’ve been used to playing week-in, week-out throughout my career and this has been the first season when I’ve not been involved so it’s been tough to deal with that. To get the opportunity to come to Everton and play again is unbelievable.

“I’ve hardly played at all this season. He [Pochettino] hasn’t really explained why I’ve been left out. He didn’t say much at all, just that I could go when it came to the end of the window. A few clubs came in for me [including Stoke City and Hull City] but as soon as I heard Everton were in that was my only choice. Other than that I probably wouldn’t have left. As soon as the call came I couldn’t wait to get up the motorway.”

Everton needed an injection of pace and purpose as much as Lennon requires game-time, with Martínez’s team heading to Stamford Bridge on the back of three successive clean sheets but with only one win since 15 December. Reviving a stalled England career is one long-term goal for the winger from Leeds. “I still feel I’m capable of doing it for England,” he insists, but whether a loan move to Merseyside for the remainder of the season will lead to a permanent exit from Spurs remains to be seen.

Lennon explains: “I don’t know about a permanent deal at the moment. I just want to try and get as many games as I can first and that will be tough with the players Everton have got. That’s my immediate aim, to help Everton as much as I can. I don’t think it’s about proving myself again but I’ve not played much football this season and sometimes you need to show your level to stop people forgetting about you. Hopefully I remind people quickly at Everton.”

A similar thought may occur to Romelu Lukaku over his first appearance at Stamford Bridge since leaving Chelsea in the summer. José Mourinho’s willingness to bank £28m for the Belgium international has looked an astute piece of business during Everton’s struggles yet Lukaku’s goalscoring record has improved since he joined Martínez’s team on a permanent basis.

The Everton manager, who may hand the fit-again Tim Howard an immediate return in goal at the expense of the unfortunate Joel Robles, said: “What you don’t often see is the human side of the footballer and Rom is a 10 out of 10. He is always available and always wanting to help the team.

“You couldn’t get a better investment than him as a young man. The truth is he had a difficult start to the season because he was never fully fit after the World Cup and Rom needs to be fully fit to be at his best, but he has scored 10 goals compared to nine at this stage last season and he is a better player than last season.”