DEEP-FRIED Mars bars are off the menu, but Wigan manager Roberto Martinez has told club chef Marti Cameron to give new signing Shaun Maloney a welcoming taste of the Premier League by drumming up some good old Scottish cuisine.
Striker Maloney, signed on deadline day, is yet to make his debut but had 18 months south of the border a couple of seasons ago, with Aston Villa.
He admits that homesickness reduced his effectiveness before his return to Celtic, but now he is better equipped – give or take a few home comforts – to make a name for himself in England.
Martinez said: “Homesickness? When you have another eight Scots in your dressing room and the chef is a Scot as well, I don’t think you’ll find any homesickness.
“The chef will tell you he’s a big Latics fan, but deep down he’s a Celtic fan as well. He’s delighted to see ex-Celtic players coming into our dressing room. He makes sure he looks after them and cooks them what they need.
“Does that include haggis? Hopefully not.
“But I don’t think homesickness is going to be an issue at all. Shaun is well settled and getting the keys to a new place today. His sister is in Nottingham and he’s not living far away from Gary Caldwell and some of the Scottish boys. So he is in the perfect dressing room really.”
Maloney can have no better place to start than at Goodison this afternoon, where Everton manager David Moyes has his own player getting to grips with the Premier League after learning a few Spanish lessons the hard way.
As a true Dutchman, Royston Drenthe bleeds orange, but after his time at Real Madrid and a loan spell with Hercules failed to work out, Martinez feels he may have been caught out by some of the fundamentals.
“He refused to play for Hercules as they didn’t pay him for three months so he wanted to make a point, which you can understand,” said Martinez. “But you have to be in a Mediterranean culture to understand that sometimes you are expected to do your job, even though you won’t get paid for three months.”
Goodison Park chairman Bill Kenwright will use his own money to refund any fans who bought replica shirts for the new season with ‘Arteta’ or ‘Beckford’ on the back.
Mikel Arteta and Jermaine Beckford were sold to Arsenal and Leicester City just hours before the transfer window closed last month.
Kenwright said: “I have been contacted by several supporters, a lot with children, who had bought the new shirts with Mikel and Jermaine’s surnames on the back of them.
“Both players left the club quite literally at the very last minute on transfer deadline day. These are unusual circumstances and I simply want to try and play fair by those supporters who have spent hard-earned money on these shirts.”
The deadline for the refund is September 30.
Moyes, meanwhile, has ditched the kid-gloves approach with England Under-21 midfielder Jack Rodwell, 20, and admitted he is now “on his case” to ensure he fulfils his potential.
“What we are saying to Jack is, ‘Come on. Let’s see if you can give us some consistency’,” said Moyes. “Jack is a good player obviously, but he can do better. He did it last week, now we want it every week.
“He knows he has to do it now. He has been doing some extra work, watching a lot of his games to see in what ways what he can improve.”
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