Everton boss Roberto Martinez defends Swansea over managerial transition

Everton manager Roberto Martinez has reiterated that none of his key players will be leaving in this transfer window, despite fresh speculation about the futures of Ross Barkley, John Stones and Romelu Lukaku.

Stones has also been linked with a January exit after Chelsea failed to secure his signature in the summer, with reports that Guus Hiddink’s Blues are ready to test Everton’s resolve with a bid of around £50m – with interest from Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid.

It is likely that they will do the same with Lukaku and if Man United really want him they should be expecting to pay a ridiculous sum. They will know that, with 11 draws on the board and just one home win in the Premier League since November, nothing short of victory will do.

He wants to score goals, he wants to become better.

“You have seen an evolution in his play which has been quite magnificent”. He is about to play 100 games for Everton, which is an incredible landmark for the age he is.

The 26-year-old has been one of the few successes for the struggling Swans this season, scoring seven goals since his move from Marseille in the summer. That’s the only thing important for us. Whatever the talk is from the outside, it is all positive. “You don’t get that sort of reaction if you are not playing well”.

“It (Lukaku’s ambition) goes hand-in-hand because at Everton we want to play Champions League football, so it is good to have a shared target”, added Martinez. We are not even going to entertain anybody’s future now. “None of our young players who have been performing well will leave in January”.

“That’s the end of the matter”. We are very much looking forward to seeing them have a big role from now to the end of the season, enjoying their football and becoming better. “January is not a window to bring instability to our squad”. “In January we are not going to even consider losing a member of our squad who is going to be important in the second half of the season”.

“We all need to learn at the football club that we’ve got a special group of players and we have to help them and be part of the process in making them stronger in keeping leads, and helping them get the points that the performances deserve”.