Atsu agrees Everton loan - report

The long-running Christian Atsu to Everton saga had, last we heard, hit something of a stumbling block regarding Chelsea's insistence of a January recall clause in the loan agreement. But either that was incorrect or one of the two sides has caved, because apparently the deal's back on and very near completion:

Christian Atsu has agreed to join Everton on season-long loan. #EFC #CFC

— Pete O'Rourke (@SkySportsPeteO) August 8, 2014

I love the idea of an Everton loan for Atsu. As he showed during the World Cup, he's good enough now to cause Premier League left backs problems, and deserves a chance to see whether he can be a consistent performer at this level. With Gerard Deulofeu getting plenty of time with the Toffees last year, it's not difficult to see them leaning on Atsu for game-changing moments, and Roberto Martinez has a history of making the most out of loanees.

I guess now we wait until everything becomes official (or falls apart again).