Gerard’s Impact On Merseyside

Gerard Deulofeu made his first league start for Everton against Stoke and he rewarded his manager’s faith with a man of the match display.

The 19-year-old had five attempts on goal, scoring once and enjoyed five successful dribbles during the match. It was a performance that came hot on the heels of his cameo in the Merseyside derby, where in 40 minutes he managed four shots on target and five successful dribbles.

Roberto Martinez used his Spanish starlet sparingly at the start of the season but recent performances make him difficult to leave out.

Shots per 90min

Gerard Deulofeu has only tasted 239 minutes of Premier League action but he has made the most of his scarce opportunities. The Spaniard is averaging 4.9 shots per 90min, that is more than teammates Romelu Lukaku and Ross Barkley.

Compared to the most prolific shooters in the league Deulofeu comes out favourably. He has more shots per game than Sergio Aguero, Andros Townsend and Olivier Giroud and is only bettered by the trigger-happy Luis Suarez.

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Gerard Deulofeu’s game is his shooting accuracy. Of his 13 shots this season, 11 have been on target, with the majority coming from inside the box.

Deulofeu is another product of Barcelona’s famed youth academy, he has represented Spain at all ages up to under-21 level and spent last season on loan at Barcelona B scoring 18 goals in 33 appearances.

Everton have a precious talent on their hands but the bookmakers have underestimated his goal scoring potential. Deulofeu carries a potent attacking threat and could be a good value goalscorer bet in any match he starts.

Keep an eye on the team-sheet in the next couple of weeks because if Deulofeu plays, he will get goalscoring opportunities.