Source: Liverpool_Echo
DOMINIC KING: Could be time for Everton to cut out the riddle man
DECISIONS, decisions. Who would have thought the signing of a left winger could end up completely changing the identity of Everton's midfield?
Having convinced Lokomotiv Moscow to part with Diniyar Bilyaletdinov for £9m, David Moyes has signed a player that will provide the Blues with a genuine cutting edge on the flanks, one that will happily hog the touchline.
Listening to the manager speak about his latest capture earlier this week, there is no doubt Bilyaletdinov will go straight into Moyes' starting line-up - as you would expect for someone who has just become the third most expensive purchase in Everton's history.
But to accommodate the Russian international, Moyes is going to need to shuffle the pack that has served him so well over the past 12 months and, inevitably, someone is going to be disappointed.
The early talk that has dominated conversation among Blues goes something like this - Bilyaletdinov comes into the left, Steven Pienaar switches over to the opposite flank and Leon Osman becomes the man to drop down.
That would then leave Marouane Fellaini and Tim Cahill to operate in the central areas with Phil Neville resuming his role as the anchorman once Sylvain Distin takes his place alongside Joseph Yobo at the back.
It is easy to see the logic in that theory but it would be dangerous to jump to such a conclusion, particularly after Osman bounced back to form in the Czech Republic on Thursday evening, producing a performance crammed with honesty and endeavour.
Osman would not argue that he has been a little below par in the opening weeks of the campaign but one thing he can never be faulted on is his honesty and application; he never hides or shirks the issue even when things are difficult.
