Season 2011-12 Fan Articles

Who's on board for 2012-13?

By Matthew   Lovekin  ::  02/02/2012   37 Comments (»Last) After the January 2012 transfer window has shut, Everton look in a far better shape than before. We finally have some quality players again with pace, creativity and attacking intent ? pretty much every characteristic that has been missing from the whole squad for the entire season so far!

However, all these main concerned players are on very short-term contracts and we could be in the same position at the start of next season if only some or none of these players stay.

Landon Donovan

I truly believe the American is a world class and very intelligent footballer. Landon has proved this not only at Goodison but also on the international stage at the World Cup. He possesses pace, passing ability and seems to raise his game when needed; the sign of a top player.

Landon also comes across as very intelligent in regards to picking the right pass at the right time and never seems to panic. He is versatile and can play in any attacking position, can score as well as create goals and works hard. Landon is also a true Evertonian now and if he did arrive permanently should be relatively cheap (£5m-£10m) and reasonable wages. He is also a real athlete so despite his age, should have a number of years playing football left in him yet.

In fact, there is only one negative I can find in signing Donovan on a full-time contract; that is he is unlikely to want to join us permanently. Who would really swap a nice cosy lifestyle in Los Angeles for Merseyside?

Royston Drenthe

On the face of it, Drenthe is an explosive and powerful left-winger who can create and score goals with lots of pace and an eye for a trick. Drenthe is also on a free transfer at the end of the season, so surely signing him is a no-brainer?

Well, no. Unfortunately, Royston is the complete opposite of a stereotypical David Moyes player and therefore I?d be surprised if Moyes made a move for Drenthe in the summer. Rumours of fall-outs between player and manager, not tracking back, and not working hard enough, as well as rumours of his arrogance and ego, will count against Drenthe being at Goodison next season.

A great player on his day, but will Moyes feel he can get more good days than bad out of the temperamental Dutchman, not to mention his reported high wages?

Steven Pienaar

In an ideal world, most Evertonains would probably choose to see the pace of Donovan and Drenthe tearing down either wing for Everton next season. However, in a more realistic/Moyes world, we will probably see a hard-working central midfielder pushed out wide next season. Cue: Steven Pienaar.

Evertonains know all about Pienaar; hard-working and skillful. Perhaps not enough goals or assists but excellent wing play with Leighton Baines.

The main stumbling block in Pienaar?s return could be the transfer fee. If Pienaar performs during the next six months then Spurs will bump up the asking price to probably around £5m. The only way Everton will get that sort of money is by selling players first, which will be a major stumbling block as we are running out of players to sell. Currently our best players are only on loan!

There will also be the problem of Pienaar?s wages. He turned down £65k per week to go to Spurs a year ago. Everton are nowhere near that financial situation now and he might only get offered around the £40k per week mark.

The question is: how much does Pienaar really want to come back to Everton?

Denis Stracqualursi

The Beast from Argentina is becoming a cult hero. Lacks quality but runs through brick walls (or Man City defenders) for Everton. He doesn?t stop working his hardest until he is ready to collapse on the pitch. He can head the ball and holds the ball up really well which suits David Moyes?s style of play.

Signing Denis should be a formality. It should be a case of asking his Argentine club how much they want (£2m-£5m) and then paying it.

The only downside to Denis now, is will he start another game now that Jelavic has signed? I think the big Argentine has to play now and could be even better in a partnership by holding the ball up and creating chances for Jelavic. Has Moyes got the bottle to start Denis in place of Cahill? I think he deserves the chance and Moyes needs to start both strikers with Cahill being an impact sub.

A lack of opportunities for Denis now could result in him not being at Goodison next season which will be a major disappointment.

Summary

Ideally, Everton would sign all four of these loan players for next season. Donovan and Drenthe would be first-choice wingers with Pienaar a back-up. Denis would be second choice striker but Jelavic?s partner with Cahill on the bench. However these four would cost around £15m and approximately £150k per week in wages. I?m not sure how Everton would raise this money but they surely need to try.

Unfortunately, I really can?t see Donovan ever playing again in a royal blue shirt after this month, but he is such a good player that Everton need to try every possible angle to get him to sign. At least three of these four players need to be signed for next season for Everton to move forward as a club. The other three players would probably cost around £8m and £110k per week in wages which is more realistic.

Personally, I feel if we sign only one or two of these players then we aren?t going to improve enough as a club. Signing none of these players will simply be a disaster for next season and it?s doubtful if Moyes will be given any funds towards signing any permanent players. Successful loan signings need to be made permanent by the Board otherwise we will simply have a continuous stream of loan players.

Loan players should be a stop-gap solution, not a long-term plan. How the Board can fund this plan on the reduced wages budget as well as generating future transfer funds is the next step...

Reader Comments (37)

Note: the following content is not moderated or vetted by the site owners at the time of submission. Comments are the responsibility of the poster. Disclaimer

About these ads