Everton fans will wish Jose Baxter all the best as he exits again

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One player who will not be at Everton next season is now known. Jose Baxter departs the club for Oldham Athletic for the second time in his career. In 2012 Everton’s youngest ever Premier League player left the club to join Oldham after rejecting a new deal at Goodison Park. It was a move he made in order to kick-start his career by playing regularly. Six years on and this move is much the same.

Baxter is starting all over again. After his move to Oldham, the talented former England youth international went on to thrive at Boundary Park, before also having two great seasons at Sheffield United.

But his career soon went downhill, with his off-field controversies well publicised. After two suspensions for failed drugs tests last summer, he made a shock move back to the club that had nurtured the Bootle-born talent from the age of six.

Everton re-signed Baxter and allowed him to train with the club’s under-23s in order to get back on track and rediscover a love for the game.

He ended up featuring nine times for David Unsworth’s side, bagging two assists, but this move was never about his performances.

It was a touch of class from Everton to give a young man who, admittedly, made big mistakes another chance to come good. It was a tremendous act of responsibility from Everton to decide a player they helped groom from a young age was not yet out of their sphere of influence.

Baxter remains just 26-years-old and, innately, carries immense talent. He will now work under Richie Wellens at Oldham who can hopefully get the best out of a player who has reverted to more of a central midfield position recently.

Everton fans will no doubt wish Baxter all the best. He certainly made some massive mistakes which for some, given the opportunity he had, will not be treated with forgiveness.

But the flawed star now has a chance at redemption. It would be great for him, Everton and Oldham if he could find his way back to his best form.