Roberto Martinez shows the way forward

Roberto Martinez might be smiling but he also brought plenty of smiles to football fans faces this season

He lifted the FA Cup with Wigan Athletic, but his first season with Everton was nearly as successful, we investigate...

With Manchester City's romp to the Premier League title, Liverpool's valiant second place finish and Sunderland and Crystal Palace's great escapes receiving much of the media attention in the aftermath of the 2013-14 season, one of the season's biggest achievements - Roberto Martinez's fifth place finish with Everton - has been largely overlooked. 

Whilst the Toffees have become accustomed to battling for Europa League qualification in recent years, the manner in which they secured fifth spot this season deserves praise and Martinez's achievements with such a limited budget deserve real credit.

One of the cornerstones of Everton's success this season has been Martinez's uncanny ability in the loan signing market. 

It has long been recognised that Premier League youngsters can benefit from time at lower league clubs; Everton's Ross Barkley and Sunderland's Connor Wickham, who have both spent time at Leeds United and Sheffield Wednesday in recent years, are great examples of what can be achieved, but the practice of young players moving on loan between established Premier League teams is relatively new. 

With the vast inequality in wealth between the richest and poorest clubs, the practice of loaning players between the 'haves' and 'have-nots' only looks set to continue. The richest clubs can afford to buy up young talented players and allow them to sit on the bench, knowing that they can withstand the loss if they don't make the grade at first team level. 

The likes of Manchester City, with a glut of world-class talent at their disposal, have no reason to risk throwing a youngster into their first team and so untried players are rarely given a chance. 

For the good of the game, and to stand a chance of keeping up with the Big Guns, other clubs must follow Everton's lead.

Whilst Everton had the nucleus of a strong squad when Martinez arrived at the club, he quickly added to it with a number of permanent signings from Wigan Athletic as well as three key loan signings who would go on to define the Toffees' season. 

Gerard Deulofeu, signed on loan from Barcelona, signified Martinez's intent and showed the kind of creativity, excitement and youthful exuberance that would typify Everton's season, and Romelu Lukaku, who was inexplicably allowed to go out on loan from Chelsea for a second season, netted 16 goals as the Stamford Bridge strikers floundered. 

Martinez's loan business was not restricted to young players, however, and, as will surely become more common as the top clubs hoard more Premier League talent, he managed to net an established England international as well in the form of Gareth Barry. 

Barry's loan spell was arguably more significant than Lukaku's or Deulofeu's as he added experience and stability to the Toffees midfield, allowing James McCarthy and Ross Barkley to flourish and grow alongside him.

Over the last few years it has become increasingly difficult for many Premier League clubs to hold on to their up and coming stars as they have struggled to compete financially with those at the top. 

With no genuine efforts on the part of the authorities to limit transfer fees, wages and squad sizes, this trend looks set to continue; the only way for the smaller clubs to compete is to master the loan market. 

Roberto Martinez will surely be busy trying to secure more loan deals this summer and, if he can repeat last year's coups, then the Toffees can look forward to another successful season in 2014/15. If any of the other less wealthy clubs want to follow Everton's lead and challenge for Europa and Champions League places then they must surely follow suit.