by Lewis Ambrose

Everton midfielder James McCarthy has been scouted by Arsenal, according to Irish Independent, and the player may agitate for a move this summer.

Everton have completed the signing of fellow central midfielder Tom Cleverley on a free transfer after he reached the end of his Manchester United contract.

Not only does the move signal competition for places, but the deal that Cleverley has signed puts him on a significantly better wage than McCarthy.

The Irishman followed Roberto Martinez to Goodison Park from Wigan two years ago and has impressed.

A good passer of the ball, McCarthy also hunts possession tirelessly when Everton want to win it back.

If Cleverley is on a significantly better deal than McCarthy it will leave a bitter taste in the mouth. Especially when you consider that an improved contracted for the midfielder has been mentioned around for a while, with nothing coming of it.

The newspaper say Arsenal have scouted McCarthy and will be paying close attention to developments.

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This isn’t the first time the 24 year-old has been linked with a move to the Gunners, with the same newspaper claiming Arsenal considered bidding back in the January transfer window.

They seem pretty certain that Arsenal have been scouting the Irish international for some time now.

We have plenty of players in the middle of the park, and McCarthy isn’t exactly the holding midfielder that most people think we need to add.

Time will tell, but this doesn’t sound like a particularly likely target to me.