Stones submits transfer request

RM has also stated that is makes no difference, and didn't a board member say to a fan at the weekend he won't be sold? Maybe it doesn't make any difference. Maybe I'm deluded.

I really thought we would keep Stones but there is no point keeping a player that wants to go.

I guess Chelsea didn't want to pay more than £30m so they have had people tapping him and his father up in the meantime.

As usual, it is now too late to go for Van Dijk.

1. Sell for 㿑-㿙 Million and try to get few players in before the deadline.

2. Refuse to do business. Tell him he is staying and can go if he gets his head down and performs next season.

This transfer widow looks like a disaster so far.

Who the hell are we going to get in? Once again, pissing around in the transfer window is going to cost us.

I believe this to be rubbish until proven wrong.

Triple your money and genuinely compete for honours rather than compete to stay in the top half.

When you have to share a team with players of the ability of Naismith OR you could play in Champions League – what would you do?

If Everton sell him now then it's completely contrary to what the manager and board member said only a few days ago. The club would be a (more) complete laughing stock.

He stays in this window and does the job he's paid for. End of.

This speculation has been going on for weeks and it doesn't seem to have affected Stones's performances. He seems a level headed lad and once he knows he's going nowhere, that'll be him sorted.

We can't blame the lad though. Just really sad to see our great club just a shadow of its former self.

It's claimed the Baggies are targeting Manchester United's Northern Ireland defender after telling defender Joleon Lescott he can leave The Hawthorns.

Ahahahahaha!

Inequality in the Premier League sucks.

We move on, players come and go.

Was just sharing what Dave had mentioned.

All on us now and I still have a feeling we just won't let him leave. Going to be a very interesting next 24 hours though.

What are his options? Threaten not to play??

If the club do sell, it will clearly be against the manager's wishes

If we don't get billionaire backers, like most other Premier League clubs, we can forget about winning any silverware ever again. Everytime we get a good young player and he shows potential, the vultures gather round and work on his head to unsettle him. It sucks.

If we end up with two lads from South America and Aaron Lennon, then it is a sad reflection of the state of Everton.

Don't be down-hearted, though, as this boy Mori is very very good. He goes box-to-box in a similar way to Stones but he scores goals like a striker and assists like a midfielder. In a couple of months we will all be saying "Stones who?" and hopefully 㿔m better off.

We play them in 2 weeks time... oh, my!

http://talksport.com/football/chelsea-transfer-news-check-out-john-stones-written-transfer-request-150825164149

I for one will wish John Stones all the best, if he does move. He's played well and not gone into a sulk, which is a measure of his character.

We are all totally pissed off by this news – but there is absolutely no call to be derogatory about Naismith. We have quite a few players worse than him and he's a nice guy.

Have a go at Stones by all means – he should have put his request in weeks ago, surely he owes us that?

Is it just about staying in the Prem and creaming off the assets? I've not got a good feeling about what's going on just now!!!

James,

As you well know, the outcome to this type of speculation usually ends with the player getting his wish; it is sickening, to say the least.

If JS does indeed leave, then I would hope a bidding war ensues for his signature. As shite as it is, at least we then get top dollar. I think we should be getting 㿞 million as this lad has got 10-12 years at the very top.

Sick as a pig at the moment... what a player he is.

Let's wait and see. They are just cranking up the pressure.

Question is: Will we spend the money where it's needed?

It's an opportunity to improve the team. Creative players are needed, but Roberto does have a problem identifying them and I don't trust him to invest any money received wisely.

Why is he gambling on two South Americans? Plus we have a glut of midfielders that never play... it's ridiculous.

If he wants to go, fuck him.

However, I still think we should just refuse to accept his transfer request.

Will RM get the lot to spend? Can he spend it well? Can we find a suitable replacement for JS?

There might end up being a squadron of fly overs with banners if this goes pear-shaped.

He will learn but if we get 㿔m for him and the Argentinian lad is more solid and will attack the ball then we may actually be more solid at the back.

We have been put in the same position as the RS with Sterling and I would sell him now with time to replace him rather than allow it to go to the final day.

Has anyone ever thought that the only reason we will be doing the deals late on is because the potential 㿔m addition to Martinez's makes a huge difference to what he can go out and spend? It's taken so long because Chelsea have been placing official bids weeks apart and only increasing each one by ٢-5m each time. If this is the case then Everton have played it exactly right.

Now one player that was mentioned today by Martinez when asked by a reporter was if there was any truth in the link to Bernard of Shaktar Donetsk and his answer was that "He has a few representatives in this country but he can't go into detail." Now if he wasn't here to sign for us, Martinez would have dismissed it out of hand, so watch that space.

What the media fail to realise, is that Everton are in complete control of the situation. The lad's got almost 5 years of his contract left, so for the next 3 years his valuation is only gonna rise, so he's essentially trapped.

The only thing Stones has achieved by doing this, is backstabbing his employers and the club's fans and for that he should suffer. Let's hope Martinez and Kenwright grow some balls and do the right thing.

The club would gain nothing from allowing him to leave at this point in the window, all the best available players have moved on already and the last thing we need is a bunch a panic buys.

If Everton are to protect their good name, they must keep the player for the forthcoming season and tell Chelsea to fuck off. Sell to anyone, at any price, but them. A message must be sent that these people cannot just have what they want.

I suggest we call Man Utd (much as it galls me) and agree to sell to them for 㿔m now if they will pay it, with a loan back for a season. We can even wait for the money.

We can no longer claim that the banks are forcing us to sell our best players. Anything to fuck those rats in West London, who have had the full force of TV and media mafia on their case all summer.

We now must comes to terms with Stones leaving, but we MUST control the outcome to some degree so that we keep hold of a semblance of dignity. Those twats on the Chelsea website are now calling him 'Stonesy'!

If he wants out, let him go and let's move on.

With regards to Stones, the club (Martinez at several press conferences and the director Woods, recorded by a fan) have made their stance, the stance being he is not for sale under any circumstances. If the club go back on their word then surely they will face the biggest fan revolt there has ever been.

Stones signed an upgraded 5-year contract only 12 months ago. The club don't want to sell, the player is under contract, therefore the players stays.

To me, it would probably make sense to leave him out of the squad altogether for the Spurs match even if that would leave only Jagielka as an experienced centre back for that match. Last thing the squad needs is a stunt where the player refuses to travel. Leave him out of the squad for a couple of matches and let it sink in his head over the international break that he is an Everton player.

It's not fair to suddenly jump on Stones's back. He has quite clearly had his head turned by the public pursuit from Mourinho, Terry, Hodgson and Cahill add to that several over zealous members of the media.

I agree with you Phil Head, and only if this happens, could I not believe, that this deal has been pre-arranged.

How can you say that even if the player hands in a transfer request on the Saturday, and agree to one less than a week later otherwise? No wonder Martinez, flipped when it was all over the internet that we had signed Johnny Evans.

1 - Report Chelsea to the FA for tapping up their player. It was only a few weeks ago he was happy and now he has put in a transfer request, surely that is grounds for a sanction?

2 - Be honest but firm about the situation. We don't want to sell, now transfer request is in we have to consider the possibility. However given a number of reasons, being the proximity to transfer deadline, only one settled CB if he leaves, his age and length of contract and the fact Everton are not desperate for the money the prices mentioned by Chelsea are well below what Everton would even consider as fair compensation of they were to lose Stones.

If we sell for less than £50m given all of the above I think we are mugs. £50m apparently 15% to Barnsley, is £42.5m. As soon as people know we might have cash soon the price skyrockets, Utd want £12m for Johnny Evans who has 12months left on his contract!

Say no or take an extortionate amount of money for him. People are already saying Sterling looks good business at £50m, that's shows how much money is washing around the game at the very top level at the moment.

Seriously, if they do, I'm finished with them and a divorce is going to happen!

I'll be hurt, really hurt... but they are not going to continue to break my heart any more.

Balls needed, BK!!!

This is a club with no class run by a massive Russian criminal empire! I would rather see him go to a club with class such as Arsenal where he would develop the right attitudes! Sell him now but with a non-negotiable 㿞 million tag!

What upsets me the most is clubs don't make players honour their contracts and don't expect loyalty from them but take our loyalty, as fans, for granted.

It's getting harder and harder to believe in this club and anything they tell us... well, that's easy actually because they tell us nothing.

Last minute, player hands in transfer request and we sell. 50% of the time we invest some of the money (Lescott, Stones presumably) the rest of the time (Rooney, Arteta) we ring fence it and then it disappears.

Nothing could be further from the truth, our model is clearly based on blooding young talent and selling them on for good profit. I wish the lad well, whilst we continue to rot under this inept and corrupt ownership.

If Stones is 'forced' to stay at Everton for this season as he is contracted to do so, then that for me is the best scenario. We get the benefit of his class this season and then sell him and allow time to find a suitable replacement.

If we let him go now cos he has written his preference on a piece of paper, then what the fuck is that all about? What happened to "He is NOT for sale"?

Then again... this could all be media blocks cos I haven't seen any quotes from anyone as yet!

This should have been done weeks ago and we would have had cash when good targets were still around. Instead we will be running around like blue arsed flies on deadline day picking the bones and being overcharged for the privilege.

Stones wanting the move will be nothing new to those in the know so once more it has been poorly handled from our point of view. Will there ever be a positive summer for an Everton fan?!

The Club should issue a full and frank statement saying in no uncertain terms that Stones will not be sold. He'll sulk for a bit and then he'll HAVE to get over it. Anything less is a complete betrayal of the manager and the supporters.

Bill Kenwright, Martinez and the board have been a complete disgrace with their lack of ambition and signings this summer.

It was reported today that we never even agreed a fee for Yarmolenko with Kiev, giving us supporters false hope again. If Stones does go, Bill, Bob and the board should go also.

Just seen that Marko Marin has left Chelsea on loan for the season. Marko who? Once a very promising footballer from Germany who went there from Bremen where he was Ozil's heir apparent.

The odds say he won't make it there, here he would be considered a God. If Stones goes I will be more shocked that he is a fool.

Ah well, if nothing else the atmosphere for the Chelski game should be something similar to games played in the 70's.

I can't support some of the bad blood to him on here – what does it make us fans look like to our other players? I still hope we stand firm and decline his request.

People inside the club would already have been aware of the fact the player was keen on the move. The press certainly knew something was brewing but jumped the gun. The player himself, along with his representatives, must have realised early on that they may be forced to go down this road as a last resort to try and push any move through.

It's basically 'as you were', with Everton still holding all the cards. The only difference is that the players desire to go is now public knowledge and so we'll witness a concerted cranking up of pressure as the transfer window nears it's closure.

Unless Chelsea make a truly mouthwatering offer that blows away anything put forward thus far, then there's really no reason for Everton to blink first or deviate from the stance they've taken since this whole saga started: We don't want to sell. We don't need to sell. We don't have to sell. If you want to try and change our minds then it's going to have to be an out of this world offer that would give our bank manager the kind of wood strong enough to send his desk smashing through the ceiling.

Final note: I don't think Stones is the kind of lad to sulk, go all mashed potato head and half-arse his way through games in a huff. While he's still here, I'd be pretty confident about him continuing to give his best whilst remaining calm, composed and professional out on the pitch, rather than 'doing a Lescott'.

So John Stones hands in a transfer request. Solution: Arrange with Chelsea/United/whoever for the transfer to go through on January 1. Advise that we have a net value we wish to receive, so any fee must include the 15% fee to Barnsley, plus the loyalty bonus due to Stones as part of the media driven circus inducing him to break his contract.

Banish Stones to the reserves for 6 months, sign an interim backup such as Jonny Evans to play alongside Jags while we source longterm targets to improve the squad to sign in the January window.

Time for Everton to act like a club the size we proclaim to be and not bow to Johnny come lately clubs like Chelsea because of their bigger financial muscle.

Him handing in a transfer request means we don't have to pay out any remaining bit of his contract as it his decision to go and not the clubs. Don't blame the kid – he gets a massive pay rise, plays in the CL, plays with world class players like Hazard, Costa, Fabregas, actually wins something etc, good luck to him if he goes.

Re Everton – can stand firm à la RS with Ratboy for one extra season or get as much for him as possible. Now would be a good time to tell Chelsea and Man Utd we'll listen to 㿏m - cash.

In the meantime, start looking for a decent replacement. Failing that, get Lescott back for very little cash. He's a shit load better than Alcaraz.

Will I ever learn?

Gutted if he's goes, my wife thought someone died. We should demand 㿞mil off them and if they don't want to pay it... Fuck right off!!

And who was it who said Colin Glassar had the inside track on matters? You read the wrong newsbites this time, Col!

The next question is who is next to go: Lukaku, Coleman, Barkley,or Mirallas? How is it possible for any manager to build a team at Everton if you keep getting your better young players sold and only given enough funds to buy inferior players?

It isn't John's fault for submitting this request now as it always has to be the last act and never the first as he'll lose money as a result.

I think what did it was him seeing how badly beaten we were by City on Sunday.

The reality? We can't keep players as good as JS, we are limited to buys of 㾶-15M and at 㿊-40M we have to sell. Bastards. The game against Spurs will answer a lot of questions, it may show that we can expect to be not the best of the rest but a bottom half club. Next year could see a massive fall in season ticket sales as the reality sinks in.

What was this about a large loan that EFC has taken out?

My challenge is to Everton and how we deal with it. Like others, if we go for the cash, let's get an outrageous sum. If he stays then fine, but we still need more quality players. Everyone has strengthened and we need to do as well. Within a week we will know how well we have done, but at the moment I have no confidence. Lennon, Evans and a few unknowns don't cut it.

Come on, Everton, think big and make me proud. I just hope it doesn't unsettle the side tomorrow and Barnsley don't turn us over. I want us to beat Chelsea so bad when we play them.

Or he could stay at Everton, playing in a crumbling old ground, with our best players sold, no investment, with absolutely no possibility of winning anything. It's not surprising his head has been turned.

By whatever means, the sooner Kenwright finally fuck offs, the better. All I want is for this to crank up the heat on Earl and Green.

Although I'd be a little concerned that his side let in two goals off corners.. Oh wait, he doesn't defend set pieces either. He'll fit in fine then!

If Chelsea want him desperately enough, they will pay the 㿞m if we play hard. Personally I still think we should keep him until after the Euros, just hope other clubs come in to fuck Mourinho over!!!

We have made a total twat of ourselves during this transfer window, being outspent by non-entity clubs like Bristol City and Middlesbrough, we are showing no ambitions to this so-called "golden generation" so why the hell would any of them really want to stay?

No Champions League football, not really a glimmer of any hope of it happening thanks to the board being pleased with stagnation and barely a hope of winning a trophy again!

The way I see it is we now have less than a week to spend 㿊 million pound to save our season, rectify the crisis in defensive options and bring in some quality. It's not going to happen, is it??

I think we're snookered on the Van Dijk front, which is another blow. I can't help thinking our pitiful transfer business this summer has something to do with it as well.

Ideally sell him, get a replacement, and invest the rest of the money. But in the back of my mind I can hear "We look for specific targets, unfortunately we couldn't get those players in, but all the money will be available for Roberto in the January window...."

It begs the question: just what is the point anymore?

40 years a blue and I've NEVER felt this disillusioned.

Football is sick, just bloody sick.

If he wants to move on, best of luck to the kid, we get a hefty wedge and have a couple of young lads just waiting to step in to his place.

He was not without his mistakes which are a regular occurrence – just one or two of these at Chelsea and he will find himself in the dog house.

Next!!!

However, we are where we are and, if Stones does intend to leave, "who can blame him, zillions a week more extra etc etc".

However, the club is in favourable, though difficult situation. He is contractually obligated to the club for x number of years and therefore the club are in a position to say "You will be held to that contract, now get out there and do the job you are contractually obliged to do." Or they see it in the capitalist terms which are dominating the football business and simply say that they are going to realise their assets for a profit to the tune of £X millions etc.

One key issue here is that, if Everton want to truly "develop their business" at the moment, then they put their price on their asset and simply demand that it is met or their asset stays very much where he is. After all, in the way of the football world at the moment, Stones is no more nor less than a commodity.

At the personal level unfortunately, money is not the root of all evil for nothing and if he is able to quadruple his salary, move to the fleshpots of London, play with far better players than he will have at Everton, play at the top levels of the game and have medals and honours to show his grandchildren... then who, at the personal level, would say that the lad has any choice?

I have written elsewhere about something similar but I am of an age when we were rebuilding the team in the sixties and it was the most exciting of times to have new signings appearing in five or six consecutive home games from the Bobby Collins era through to the Roy Vernon eras and sadly we did not feel for the fans of Celtic, Blackburn, Hearts, Dundee, or Burnley.

Seemingly what comes around goes around; however good Stones is, and however great he may become, he nor any other footballer is irreplaceable. Having now joined the ranks of clubs especially susceptible to those clubs dominating the current market (as we once did), then Everton are now forced to simply squeeze the last rouble from whichever corrupt oligarch may come calling.

Kenwright has ruined OUR club.

Thanks, Bill.

No, and neither is John Stones.

He's not a scouser, so he does have options, unlike us supporters. Why would he want to stay for more of the same?

If the club had shown a glimmer of ambition in the transfer market, then maybe things might have been different.

If it was an 80s movie about a player who got too big for his boots, we would be booing in the cinema.

The club says to the player that he can leave, but only if he hands in a transfer request. The player does this, then the club calls in some favours in the media to make the player look bad. The fans lap it up every time, and the club get away with it Scott free. It happened to Rooney, it happened to Speed, it happened to Jeffers, it happened to Arteta.

We are the lowest spenders in the league. Our motto should be changed to 'survival is good enough'. Why would the hottest prospect in English football right now – a player who is talked about as a future England captain – be happy to stay at a club that shows no ambition?

Hopefully this is a wake-up call. I understand John Stones's prerogative – stay with us or join the Champions.

Until we get a board who can match the ambitions of the players and the fans, we will keep on losing our top players when the cash is flashed.

We have to sit and watch this PR exercise of 'we'll not sell him' play out to free the club and manager from blame or responsibility for selling him and put it all on the player's shoulders. So the bad guy is now Stones and some fans will vent their spleen towards him rather than seeing through the smoke and mirrors and realise they've been played by their club.

Meanwhile, the important matter of replacements and having enough time to get them in place is marginalised as a lesser priority. The deal should have been done weeks ago putting us in the driving seat to bring in fresh blood. A fucking disgrace.

As an Everton supporter and football fan, I would now like to see our chairman and manager release a statement saying:

"John Stones has submitted a transfer request which the club has turned down. John Stones is contracted to Everton and will remain at Everton this season," and whatever other shit they want to say.

AS LONG AS WE SHOW WE WILL NOT CAVE IN – IT IS TIME TO SHOW WHO IS IN CHARGE ONCE AND FOR ALL.

If we sell, it MUST be for big money (㿏 million won't cut it); if we don't, Stones knows he has to get on with it, and he will.

This is him pleasing his future master and saving his face.

Rant over!

Although it pains me to say this, them across the park are a far bigger club than us. They lost Suarez last season and now Sterling this. Did anyone think a tinpot board like ours or manager would block this move? No, thought not.

Let’s say we get 㿏m / 㿔m for him. By the time Barnsley get their cut I’d be worried who this manager might bring in. I can’t see this South American centre-back slotting right in so we still need 2 quality centre-halves plus the so called No 10 he’s banged on about and a striker.

I hope this link with the Brazilian Bernard is gossip because what I’ve seen of him he’s no better than what we’ve got. Yarmolenko? I think that ship has sailed. Lennon? Done, ok on loan but don’t think he’s the answer. I wouldn’t trust Martinez to go to the corner shop for me let alone run amok with a load of money in this window.

Like a few have said, I hope this Stones business is done quickly because time is running out now. The next few days are going to be interesting, that’s for sure.

Say what you like about Sterling but at least he was honest about his intentions and it was all done early on instead of this slow inevitable drawn out mess.

And, on most weekends he's going to have a much easier job, knowing that his team is likely dominating the opposition in the opposition's half. As opposed to being under constant pressure and having to receive countless back passes from Barry or McCarthy.

Everton have had all window to bring in a few top quality players, in an attempt to at least show that we intend on being ambitious. But he's seen us bring in Cleverly who spent last season at nearly relegated Aston Villa, and Deulofeu who gets to sit the bench. Meanwhile we've started every match with 4 central midfielders, 3 of them in the defensive mold, and have only started a wide man in one of our three matches.

Yet we just spent the week after one win against Southampton being told by many on here that Martinez has us on the right track, and the Board isn't that bad. Only for us to start the last match with a kid at left back, who had to be replaced by another kid, who had to play out of position. Be honest: if he was in the Chelsea team in time to face us, how many balls do you think he'd actually have to defend? Meanwhile, Jagielka and God knows who else will be scrambling around our box for 90 minutes.

Problem is that Chelsea need him now, given Terry's form and their lack of cover. Personally, I don't think 㿔m is worth the impact it has to both our season AND the perception of the club in the long term.

Keep him for another year, you know it makes (financially) sense. If they still want him after a season in the Under-21s then no problem, just let it be 㿨 mill plus. Oh and by the way Mourinho, Looking forward to the game at Goodison are you? Yeah... so are we, you cunt.

Could go on, but can't be arsed. Let's instead demonise this young lad shall we?

Once a player hands in a transfer request, pointless keeping hold of the player.

Whats the point reporting Chelsea, a fines nothing to them.

I just hope City ot utd come in for him and he goes there instead.

We will always be bigger than any player, get rid and bring in reinforcements.

Lets not forget, when we let Rooney go, we ended up in the champions league qualifiying round.

To think on Saturday night I was as positive about our prospects as I've been for a long time.

Can it get any worse?

What's killing us is that we ARE the new Burnley, so don't put the blame on Stones or Rooney or Arteta, it's not their fault that its come to this. 30 years ago if Kendall would've called Sharp into his office and told him Man U had made a bid, how would he have reacted? "I'm moving to a bigger and better club" Get out of it, the best spin on it would've been a sideways move.

Everyone who boos and shouts Judas at Rooney, he can reply "Do you wanna see my trophies cabinet" and Stones wants to be able to say the same thing as Rooney in 10 years time.

If (and only if) he's put a request in get as much as we can for him, but it comes with a warning, as Burnley showed in the 70's the policy of developing young players and flogging them to bigger clubs is dependent on having a flow of talent. What do we do if the talent ever dried up?

In the next few years he's going to be a few stations above what we can really hope to achieve any time soon.

The main thing is, as we are so light at center hald we could be causing ourselves a huge problem. We are already ropey enough at the back. Selling Stones would mean we'd need another 2 center halves in. Plus the South American isn't even nailed on yet. Bedding in 3 center halves with no pre-season? We can't sell.

I've had a bad feeling about this season all summer. We shall see.

First option would have been to tell Chelsea and the player before the season began this is the price up until this date. If you don't match our valuation then there is no deal and both Chelsea and the player are explicitly made clear of the deal.

Second option would have been the board telling the likes of Stones 'We want to build a team around the likes you and Barkley and a few others', lay down a statement of intent and get three/four quality players' well before the season got underway.

This board will never ever learn scrounging around for players last minute, but I expect nothing less because of the shambles we have had to endure under there stewardship for the last 16 odd years. This does not surprise me one bit.

The word 'contingency' probably means nothing to this rabble.
They will say we couldn't get the right replacements in but funds will be made available in January blah blah blah....January arrives and we all know what happens don't we??

Also, no offical comment from the club whatsoever. They treat the fans with utter comtempt and I am truly sick of it. The club is ran like a penny arcade and it really needs to stop. Everton are a established premier league club in 2015. It beggars belief that we are in any way competitve considering the staggering incompetence at boardroom level.

I honestly think its too late to sell him now. He really should be told to stick his request where the sun don't shine.

Contrived?

" Listen John, bang in a transfer request mate. Bill is already taking a ton of shit from the fans, it will treble your wages and we need the money. Fans have short memories and it will all blow over in a couple of months".

If not he's a wanker...

There was a number of central defenders linked e.g. Van Dyk, Koulibaly, Dante. But all of them would have not come to Everton unless guaranteed starters. So would we drop our Captain or Stones? This is why Funes Mori for me was the correct decision as a back up, with Browning and Galloway as other options.

I am not sure whether Stones has sat on this, or there has been discussions going on in the background. People close to Stones had said he was not interested in leaving. And so this could be a complete turn around, and may have come completely out the blue.

We need to carry on showing ambition, and tell John that he will not be given permission to leave. Exactly as Liverpool did with Suarez. Once Suarez knew he wasn't leaving, he apologised to the fans, got on with it. Then unfortunately proceeded to tear every defence to shreds the following year.

People are assuming John Stones will down tools. I don't believe that will be the case if Everton stop Stones leaving. The fans should then get behind the lad, rather than boo him. This would show him what a special place he is at, and hopefully make him think again about leaving.

Still, all is not lost. We can do what the rs did with Suarez and say give us another season and you can go wherever you want and we will get the money you are worth. Arsenal did it with Viera and Henry as well.

I think he's a decent kid and I hope Martinez will tell him that he's not going this season and to get his head down and concentrate on his football. We hold all the cards as he's on a long term contract and as Wood said, it's too late to sell now.

I don't know how this will play out but he won't be the first or last player to have a change of mind/heart. But I do believe we should study some kind of legal action against Chelsea and their media hounds. This sort of behaviour by them is disgusting.

Are these realistic targets??

Van Djik

Fazio (dodgy one in my opinion)

Evans

Michael Dawson

Ashley Williams

Ron Vlaar

Shawcross (injured but could be back soon)

Winston Reid

I'm not mad on some of them to be honest but I'm merely asking if they are realistic targets?

As for other targets, I still want to see Charlie Austin in, I can't get excited by this Leandro Rodriguez kid I'm sorry!

We should also be sensible and find a left back to cover for Oviedo whilst Baines is out.

Rooney
Lescott
Arteta

Too name just a few, the money cones in, about a 1/3rd is reinvested in the squad and the rest is siphoned off into the black hole of other operating costs.

John Stones. You are a traitor, everything we've done for you since you joined us, by making you the player you are. 㿔 million is crazy money and I'd accept it.

NSNO

Now,I get mildly irritated.

Is it any fucking wonder...

Tell him to get his head down and he can go in Jan. It's too late to do it this window...though grateful for the weeks notice.

I'm genuinely sad.

Although having experienced the normal last minute scrambling at the end of the transfer window with Everton, this is going from the sublime to the ridiculous.

He'd get torn a new one!!!

IF TRUE, deeply disappointed in Stones but I'm not convinced it's true.

Brace yourself, John.

Just out of sheer spite I hope we have an ABC policy (anyone but Chelsea) and tell them, publicly, to fuck off. Martinez should come out tomorrow and say, "John Stones will play tonight against Barnsley. JS will not be granted a transfer this season and, John Stones will never be sold to Chelsea". Let's see what their media skivvies say about that.

However, I will say that Stones and his agent have conducted themselves very well, especially compared to Sterling.

On another note, I really think a formal complaint to the FA needs to be submitted The whole sorry tale stinks and Chelsea's behaviour is nothing short of disgraceful - blatant tapping up if ever I saw it.

The Stones money will disappear to the British Virgin Islands yet again to pay back high interest loans because the directors of the Everton Football Club Company Limited do not have any assets to act as collateral to take out a normal commercial loan. Therefore we lurch from one high interest short term bridging loan to the next. The board have sold everything except the stadium. If the club can clear £5m on Lukaku he'll be next. McCarthy has just signed an extension, so his value goes up and he'll be gone next season too.

Every player has his price, but this wholesale asset stripping will not end until Bill Kenwright and his backers and cronies are no longer running this club.

When Kenwright, Green, Earl et al see a conveyor belt of talent they just think that's cash in the bank. This is the reason that the club has never been sold and this is the real reason why we never keep top players. We are run by leeching control freaks with no idea or no ambition. Kenwright put in nothing and his stake (offshored) is now worth around £50M. Private Eye were all over him a few years back. When is that going to sink in?

Go on Twitter and read @WatchedToffee

Now, I hope Stones stays (lord knows it's too tight a timescale to find a decent replacement, never mind the cost), but seemingly every Everton fan condemns Jonny Evans as shite; this Funes Mori is also shite apparently, but Van Dijk is somehow a world-beater waiting in the wings?

Now I've been waiting, watching this pan out but now that we may actually need a Stones replacement, I have to cry bullshit!!

Evans is a decent player who is unfairly maligned. Had he have been our third choice CB I'd have no qualms. As a Stones replacement however - no way.

Funes Mori may well be shite, but people have judged him before they have seen him kick a ball other than on youtube clips - which are never overly favourable towards defenders. Honestly now, how many of you have ever seen him play? I know I haven't and I waste loads of my time watching football from around the world.

Seems many people are basing this opinion on the judgment of Tim Vickery - a man who spouts such utter guff every time he opens his mouth on the subject of football! He is no more than a football hipster, swanning around the Copacabana beach in his sandals and canvas slacks pretending to know about football so he can continue to live his glamorous life in the southern hemisphere, whilst being handsomely paid for his freelance football journalism. During the World Cup, I listened to everything he had to say, and anything he said regarding actual analysis of football, I found to be wanting. I actually cringed every time I heard him offer an opinion both during and after, as it was so far removed from accuracy, that even accounting for differences of opinion, I wondered how he could do this as a living! I came to the conclusion he knows a lot about South America, but very little about football! Now Mori may well be shit but I hardly think Vickery is the sage on this that he is made out to be. Just google his comments when Spurs signed Paulinho as just one of many examples of this!

As for Van Dijk, I know good players can come from bad leagues, but are you being serious?! He is slow, lazy, a poor passer, totally one-footed and seems off balance a lot when making tackles. As stated before, we all have different opinions and I know many will slate me for saying this when I have just had a go at a professional journalist's opinion but I am genuinely interested to know why so many Evertonians I speak to are desperate for us to sign him? I have seen him play maybe eight times now and have been very unimpressed! Surely someone like that Koulibaly at Napoli (just off the top of my head) would be a much better option if we end up in need of a starting CB?

Like I said though, I am as devastated by this news as the rest of you and am not having a go at any one (well, Vickery and Van Dijk aside!) but having spoken with lots of Evertonians during this Stones saga, I would be keen to know. Whoever it is, it looks distressingly like we will be buying another new CB now! Fucking hate being a blue sometimes!

What of Barkley, will he be next? Looks likely doesn't it!
Oh the joys of supporting Everton.

Martinez could possibly resign, I know that would please some but I would be sorry to see him go.
The cynics amongst you are probably thinking he will never resign and you could of course be right, but his sale would sink any hopes that we are a club on the up.

If he wants to earn even more money and buy medals I certainly can understand. Leaving it this late, however, in my view raises doubts as to his loyalty, integrity and decency. If I was a team mate I would be disappointed in him as a supporter he no longer matters. He will fit in perfectly at Chelsea.

I see WBA have told spurs to sod off as well. They want almost 㿊m and spurs are offering 㿀m in installments. No one has to sell any more with the sky money. I truly hope to god that our spineless custodians stand firm over this. I'd rather have an upset player (he'll get over it) than no player at all.

A big bid for Stones was exactly what the club wanted.

It's just disgraceful for the board either in not supporting Martinez earlier in the pre-season or for believing him that we can move forward based on youth and signing 17-20 yr olds with promise.

I said ages ago, when this all started, that this is an existentialist issue. What are we? And what do we want to be? It's up to you and your cronies Bill.

They could have come out early on and stated categorically that he was not for sale - they didn't. That speaks volumes for me. Martinez did - the board did not back up his stance. It's clear now they have no ambition, there's going to be a different atmosphere at Goodison from this point on that's for sure.

As for Stones himself - I'm sorry I know there's no loyalty in Football anymore but what a shithouse thing to do to a club that gave him his big chance. Days before the window shuts. If he realises the welcome Sterling got on Sunday, that's nothing compared to what that little shithouse will get. He's gone down in my estimation.

Utterly dejected, where on earth are we going to find a suitable replacement in a few days? Most of the names mentioned so far I wouldn't have wearing the shirt to be quite frank.

1971 Semi-Final against our neighbours at OT. 1-0 up and cruising, Brian Labone does his hamstring. You know the rest.

It was the start of the end.....or the end of the start ......for the team that was set to dominate English football in the 70's.

Supporting Everton through the 70's was certainly character building.

There is an inevitability about the way the JS soap opera is playing out. I hope the board grows a pair and rejects the request.

RM's "project" is built around developing and/or buying young prospects. If this transfer goes through it blows a massive hole in this and sends completely the wrong message to Barkley, Lukaku et al, let alone us beleaguered supporters.

btw, anyone thinking Van Dyke is the answer clearly didn't watch those 2 legs against an average Swedish side.

How on earth is any team ever going to challenge the Sky League if every half decent player gets bought from under their noses? There ought to be a law against it...

"
Everyone who boos and shouts Judas at Rooney,"

Scuse me mate, but I and 35,000 people didn't boo our boy at his home on the Dunc day. We, and I mean WE, (like were you there), (I,ll bet you weren't) shouted his name from the rooftops from all four sides of the ground in unison.

David tell me the last time you heard all four sides of the ground singing IN UNISON , TOGETHER?

I was there and it happened by an Everton crowd for one of ours. On a lighter note £100 for charity says that within two seasons Wayne will be playing for us.

PS I,ve put £200 on with the bookies......

He is a very young boy. Jesus I had 2 Children and doing crazy things at his age.....However I didn't have a greedy fucker wanting to make as much Mooney as possible.

If I post his agents details what will happen?

"It's because we're shite, love."

Firstly, did losing on Saturday have anything to do with it? 0-2 is disappointing against anyone, but City are probably going to win the league this season, so not the end of the world. Also, Chelsea aren't exactly lighting it up and struggled to get their first win this weekend too. So, assuming it is Chelsea that he has in mind with the TR, why now and not after one of the previous three bids?

Alternatively, has the upcoming match against Barnsley had anything to do with it? Completely flawed logic if true, but this would be the first time in his life that he has played against a former team, and could be playing with his guts.

The only things left for us to do is decide if he plays the next two matches. We wouldn't want a repeat of the Lescott debacle at Arsenal six years ago, but we need Mori to sign yesterday if he is going to get into the first team by tomorrow.

Generally any player that puts in a transfer request forfeits any loyalty payment that is in the contract. Same thing happened when Felli went to United.

Pointless arguing about whether he'll go or not now.

He surely will?

If, as looks virtually certain now, he goes and we get the thick end of £30-plus, please let's not toss it away on a second-rater like Evans. And stop all this nonsense talk about Lennon: what on earth do we need a failed huffer & puffer like him for?

That being said, I don't know who I would go for to replace him. Shawcross is apparently a target we have coveted before, but he's crocked for a couple of months and Stoke seem to have as much, if not more clout than we have right now!

Maybe this Argentine fella has what it takes. If not, I hope Roberto - having been fully aware this was likely to happen long before the lap dog media triumphantly announced it this afternoon - has an ace up his sleeve.

I think Stones could be an iconic player for us for years to come. The foundation of a revival in our fortunes.

He is emerging as the fulcrum of this talented group of players we are developing and his fast emerging authority, leadership and presence on the pitch will missed by all of them.

I'd double his money, make him captain and tell him we'll build this emerging team around him. But do Everton have the will to do so?

A very sad day today. And even more tragic if he leaves.

Love Everton. Hate football.

Give Chelsea the price of 40m paid upfront. F**k the outstanding money on Rom. That's a different deal and we pay the rest of the instalments as agreed.

I've been happy how Stones as conducted himself on the pitch, but personally I don't want him here for another season if he doesn't want to stay.

Conclude the deals on the 2 south Americans, Iron out the issues holding up the Yarmolenko deal, and buy Van Dijk and Charlie Austin with some of the Stones fee. Of course it's never straight forward as this and we'll probably end up with Aaron Lennon for our marquee No. 10 and Fazio, or Jonny Evans for a replacement CB, with no striker bought either.

Use the Stones money to expand the Park End, we're not going anywhere anyway so we should be attracting investors/buyers. Do an Arsenal... half an Arsenal and improve GP.

Those born forty years ago whom have seen the glory years are the lucky ones! Everton are lucky to be in the top flight with the selling and buying policy. My expectations of Everton are survival first and anything else is a bonus.

How much money the manager receives dosent matter. Any player's coming in will be panic buys so late in the transfer window.

If it is true then we need to take the stance the RS took with Suarez. Tell him he's going nowhere for another year and if he has an outstanding season then maybe he could do even better than Chelsea. Remind him he has a contract for another 4 years and that there's a spot in the U21 bench with his name on it if he fucks about.

Mourhino said if the club said he was not for sale at any price they would go away.

Obviously all we said is he is not for sale based on what they bid.

If they do let Stones go then an aeroplane flying over the ground will be the least of their worries.

IMO the whole club is second rate from the board, the management, the marketing dept, through Martinez, Graeme Jones and the medical staff.

I can understand how Stones is feeling because a lot of us have felt that way for some time.

Do you listen to the bullshit about 6 or 7 players or a world class No 10 or do you follow logic and say "We have heard it all before" and while the Premiership is awash with money Everton start to look like Tranmere or Wigan (take your pick)..

Whoever has failed to get a senior CB through the door deserves sacking. It's the 25th of August, and we have 2 senior CBs, one of whom has been the subject of concerted transfer speculation. I can't remember any Premier League club ever being in this situation.

I don't know what to say. If it was 2 weeks ago, I'd say sell him. He has massive potential, but the fee is incredible for him. It's the kind of fee paid for a world class CB. Stones is brilliant, and will be brilliant, but he has plenty of errors in him too. He is not the finished product. I'd sell him if we can get in a top replacement.

This is fucking depressing. And just after the sale of Yarmolenko too. Let's hope the Barnsley game improves the week.

This could destroy our season before it has begun. Sell Stones, and risk a new CB working out? Keep him, and risk an unhappy player disliked by the fans? We must keep him unless we can get a top replacement through the door first, and another back up.

Bearing in mind 15% has to go to Barnsley, £47m is what we should be demanding, clearing £40m for EFC.

But, and it's a very big but, if we can't sign a replacement of sufficient quality ( plus another one as cover that we already needed anyway ) then no deal and Stones has to stay. Even he must be able to see that is only fair on Everton if he leaves it so late to put in a request.

I know.....unfortunate name. I was forever correcting people (and still am)....."erm...no....I'm a Blue"

Makes me wonder what they really want.

For Stones to go all -in and request a transfer with all of the bad blood it creates, suggests he has been given the green light.
No-one wants to be responsible, but if Roberto lands a couple of good deals in the rest of the window, much of the flak may be deflected, but for me it is a kick in the nuts.

Once again, it seems that we ,the fans are the fall-guys here.

Me too - going from earning my annual income in about 3 days from derisory 7 days would be a no brainer... I think I would use my contract to scribble a quick thank you note to the fans, my workmates and the idiots in the boardroom...

They just have to ensure that they are not seen to capitulate even if they have to turn down good money because they owe it to the fans to show that they really do 'Fight - fight - fight for the boys in the Royal Blue jerseys'

Get this right and it will lift all associated with the club == get it wrong and I hate to think what the reaction might be and for how long.

For those reasons, I think our board will actually show some backbone for once in their lives.

I do hope no one has stones on their shirt!

Night all!

I think this is a watershed moment in Everton history. If they let Stones go with such a long contract left, after tying down the contracts of all our other core players. Those other players will be thinking what have they signed up to. It's imperative for the management to turn down the request and force the player to honour his contract like a man. Otherwise what is the point of long term contracts and all the, what is little trust, will be gone. I for one will lose what little respect I have for the management team if they allow him to leave now. We need to take a page out of Van gaals book and send him to the reserves if he thinks we can be held to ransom.

There also, go his chances of representing England at the Euros as he warms the bench at Chelski. Having said that, the classless Terry is doing his best to avoid match time at the moment.

Off you go, Mr Stones. Leave your class under the bench in the changing rooms here, as you won't need it down at that London club. Enjoy the money, feed the avarice.

Once Everton has touched you, nothing else is the same. Remember that when a crowd only cheers you if you dive in the opposition box. I have hated chelski almost as much as the red lot for quite a while now .... but I think this bating of one of our young stars has just about made them overtake.

A light has gone out tonight.

Mine? - he is a very good young player who could become great but he isn't a natural fit with Jags, is at fault frequently with goals conceded(he lost Aguero for the first one on Sunday) and doesn't attack the ball in the air as well as losing possession in dangerous areas. With experience he will improve but if we can get £40m now it will be an enormous help to us either in signing new players or reducing debt.
It isn't just us who do this - RS had to sell Sterling and Suarez, MU had to sell Ronaldo and will have to sell their keeper, Spurs had to sell Bale, Arsenal had to sell Van Persia - all clubs far wealthier than us who had to sell because the player could make more money elsewhere.

Stones is 21? - if he goes his wages will at least double with much better bonuses, guaranteed CL football, better endorsements and therefore Image Rights payments etc. Out of all of the posters on this site who would turn down a package like that when they had no allegiance whatsoever to their current employer?

Of course he will go and the same will apply in the future until we get CL football so if we can use all of the fee after Barnsley take their 15% then we can significantly improve the team.

As for those criticising the release of Dustin and Alcatraz - everyone absolutely crucified them last season so thank god they have gone. There is a week left - lets judge after that - if Stones goes I think it will be pretty lively!

Either pull your socks up and play for the first team or you're in the reserves remind him he signed a 5 year deal (cheeky ungrateful bastard)

Do not let him go to the lot at any expense

He'll still be worth a lot in 6 months or a year

The player may want to go but he can't start sulking because he'll be playing for a place in the England team for the Euros. Ball is in our court, hopefully Martinez sticks to his comments about refusing a transfer request and the board back him.

Let them squirm. They are desperate for Stones. As many people have stated, we hold all the cards. Chelski have no players that we want or who would come to us. ( unlike Manure for example. ) And from Stones point of view, I believe that there is a European Championships coming up so he will be badly wanting first team football.

Let's not be forced into thinking that we HAVE to do anything that we don't want to. We hold the players registration, have him under a long term contract and also need a good CB.

I hope that this doesn't change anything. Come on Everton, be the club that I want to believe we still are !

Still, it will tell us a lot. A white flags hangs at Goodison Park,or, we make a stand for decency. Turn down the request and drop him for a while.

This is the inevitable result...no money, no new stadium, no marketing plan...

If we had a board with a plan Stones – and he'll be just the first – would stay and achieve great things. 16 years without a trophy is going to be 17,18,19, 20 etc...

Kenwright out

Make him stew in the reserves? Great, and just who do we replace him with to keep the first team competitive? Doesn't make sense to me, sorry.

As pointed out by others, we've been here before. Bearing that in mind, I shouldn't be as disappointed as I am, still I'm gutted.

Reflecting on the past sales of our best players doesn't cheer me up, far from it. We still haven't replaced Arteta; when was he sold? For Fellaini we got McCarthy (not a bad player, but was he an improvement?). As for the Lescott transfer... the less said about that the better.

I can hope that we refuse this request and wait for a transfer at a time that suits us, but there's that insanity thing again...

Tony #235. Just over 2 years ago Jonny Evans shoved out Vidic and was probably the best CB in the League. Now captain of N Ireland, he had problems which are now behind him. At just under 6'-3" he is not too small. He is also a left-sided CB who is as hard as nails, is comfortable on the ball, can use both feet, has PL experience and is a leader.

David H #119. Sorry to hear about your illness. Take it easy for a while.

Phil #211. Ditto.

So, for me, get rid and bring in a quality CB (we must've been lining one up, surely?) plus a back-up (Evans?).

But that means we've capitulated to Chelsea.

Oh shite,

Onto stones, he should listen to Jamie Carragher and stay at Everton to learn his trade. he's still a mistake a game CB and he just may end up getting farmed out if he makes too many mistakes.

IMO he's a competent CB, as good on one-on-ones as well as the air, but he's not the quickest or the best at defending space. I will always remember him being skinned by Rodwell for the 3rd goal at Goodison.

We'll probably get to see how good he is playing at Goodison this season because I find it highly likely we'll either buy him outright or United will offer him as the ready made replacement if they decide to bid on Stones. Maybe United are preparing a bid. It might explain the transfer request as it would be Stones's dream move.

The club's silence is deafening and tells it's own story and probably confirms that it is true. If it wasn't I'm sure it would have been quickly denied.

There would be no reason to believe anything they say if they follow through with this deal, as time after time they've reiterated there stance in these discussions.

Johnny's request can be shoved back up his arse for all I care. Going without a win or a clean sheet in the next 10 games will hamper the team's morale more than Johnny's bitchyness.

I'm done venting. Oh and Colin, you said John's going nowhere this transfer window and I'm still in no doubt. Keep up the good work.

It is about time clubs started to stand up to these agents and players who want to leave at a critical team in a clubs preparations. I have left companies to start with other companies but have always given sufficient notice of my intentions, it is called being "honorable", this word no longer seems to be in the English language to agents and players.

Over the next 10 years he will probably go on to win everything...though I think he's mad to go to Chelsea and sit on the bench.

However, losing him COULD make us a better team defensively this season if he's replaced with a more experienced, more robust CB.

Very sad about all this, but at the end of the day he isn't a local lad. I hope Browning smells blood at takes his place. He certainly has more speed and a better physique to play CB right now.

But I wouldn't want to go to fucking Chelsea.

He makes far too many mistakes, is not that commanding and doesn't have a great touch.

He has never been first choice at Utd for good reason even when they were struggling with O'Shea and Wes Brown.

Personally I would prefer to persist with Browning before Johnny Evans but I wouldnt say no to Dann or Ashley Williams if Stones goes.

Apparently, Stones had already told RM he wanted to leave and didn't want to play this card. Anyway, running out of time and patience, he played the card. If the lad sees a better future at Chelsea we shouldn't knock him for that. Playing careers are short. My big regret is that it happens so close to the deadline. Most of us on here have been saying we needed a GK, CB, #10 and another striker for quite some time. The mental constipation in addressing this has been the most galling thing.

Really, what has changed since yesterday? If he's put in a formal request then it's not like he didn't want to leave before. It's just that now he'll forfeit whatever commercial benefits were tied to sale without a request.

The only change here is that us supporters now know more. Whereas before we probably only suspected he wanted to go.

For Everton, we still have the choice to sell him or keep him. For him, he'll need to perform to earn a place in the Euros and maybe a move in January or next summer.

The ball is just as firmly in our court as it ever was.

If we sell, I won't blame John or Chelsea. It remains Everton's decision to make.

Everton should just turn down his request, turn down Chelsea again assuming they'll bid again. Game over.

Stones stays, gets his head down and plays and we're not left in the shit. If they sell, we're in the shit and everyone at Everton looks like a mug. No sane individual would leave us with one senior centre half, surely?

Everton could certainly do what you suggest, which is to tell John to suck it - he signed a 5 year deal, you're not going anywhere yet, etc, which is what I think a lot of folks on here would prefer, since it's so late in the transfer window, and we could be hard pressed to find an adequate replacement.

The problem is if you play him, you're not sure where is mind would be. John might get distracted, lose focus, or maybe decide to take it easy as he plays so as not to risk an injury. His performances have been very professional up until now, so I would hope that if he is called upon; that he would continue in the same vein. It will be very interesting now that the cat is out of the bag.

There are usually three types of outcomes with this. 1) Stones could treat this like De Gea, and refuse to play because his mind isn't on the game (in his case, it's back in Madrid). 2) It could result in something like our Jolean Lescott episode years ago. Play but be all over the place, unfocused, uncommitted, out of position, and make bad decisions that lead to your team getting slaughtered by Arsenal 5-1 on opening day. 3) It could work out like Luis Suarez's did where Liverpool rejected his transfer request, so he continued playing, then later rescind the TR, apologize to the fans, and became a hero again. The first two are the most common and usually the best result is to sell the player (player power is way to strong in the modern game). The third scenario is very rare...but it has happened.

This drama just turned the page and it will be very, very interesting to see what happens when we play, of all teams, Barnsley tomorrow night.

I'm bitterly disappointed but hold no grudges against the lad. He's not a blue (remember, they are born not made, so the saying goes) and he is merely a professional plying his trade. He owes us nothing as he's in a purely transactional relationship.

Let's move on (after a group hug). Bitterly disappointed.

I do think he has been badly advised to try and push this through now. He's got plenty of time to join a club that is regularly in the Champions League and in the meantime he is an automatic pick at Everton and that will ensure he is in the Euros squad this summer. Unfortunately its in the agent's interest to do the deal now and that is what is driving this. Such a shame.

Who we'll bring in is anyone's guess but he'll probably have Premier League experience. I would have liked Dragovic or the KK guy from Napoli but that's life. We'll still have Jags and, hopefully, we will have studied the organisation of the City defence. A master class indeed.

Man up, accept the situation, we get the best price we can for him and buy as many good players as we can. No point in keeping the boy if he wants to go. He wont give his all and we should get players who will.

We are not the club we would like to be and I will not whinge if we get a pocketful of money and spend it well. I'm looking forward to seeing what we do in the next week. We are in a difficult position regarding getting in players, but if we are creative, we might get some good loanees from Chelsea and buy a good striker.

Why be miserable. Accept every situation as if you chose it yourself, be happy and cheer the boys on. I feel so lucky to support EFC. COYB.

Bullshit. If we want him, tell him he's contracted for four years and it's in his interests to continue to perform and develop. From what I can see of his character I would imagine he would simply knuckle down until the next window.

If we choose to sell then fine, but no excuses. I've no ill will against Stones. He's looking after his career and Everton need to look after Everton. Accepting that once you get a transfer request you have to sell just lets off the hook those responsible for making decisions for our club. Their decision, their responsibility. It's absolutely not John Stones' job to make decisions for Everton.

God, I don't know what to think.

A) We have a week left to find suitable replacements
And
B) I do not trust Martinez AT ALL with transfers

The question is - how much less would I accept?

That London lot are making me paranoid.. Am even wondering if the John Terry being subbed, and the John Terry getting himself sent off events were deliberate showmanship - to get the message to Stones -"look - you can walk straight into our back line - we're desperate"

Mourinho seems mad enough to think this up, and JT would go along with it as he'd do anything for his master.

What I have a massive problem is the fact it is public. It was obvious he wanted to go, players pleading with him to stay whilst he said nowt.

The fact it's public means either he or the club or both have leaked this. That's what annoys me.

In terms of whether we should sell I don't think we should unless as Lyndon said at the outset on the summer when this kicked off - we sell for £50m. Gutted to sell him but that must be the price or no deal.

Stones hasn't just decided he wants to go now, after losing on Sunday. If he's wanted to go, he's wanted to go all summer, and that being the case it'd be in his interests to have gone early, done a pre-season with his new team.

This smacks of more stage management by our "Theatre Impressario" to make sure any deal is done late in the day, when there's no chance of any major signings, and the money can then go to service the borrowings off his "Friends of Everton".

If the three or four players needed at the end of last season had been acquired early on in the window then I for one believe that Stones would have had more reason to stay put. He was one of the last signings made by David Moyes, another manager who was badly let down by BK and friends in his final transfer window.

Its a credit to the likes of Baines, Coleman, Barkley to name just a few that they have stayed put.

Get the banner out for the weekend "BK and Co its time to go".

Who do we play in our first game after the window?

Look at what seems to be the scenario - Everton have done absolutely nothing this transfer window. Everton will not win the league. Stones wants to spend what is a very short career winning things. It's why left Barnsley.

Good luck to him. My main concern is that this shambles of a club will not plan accordingly and the window will be shut before we've finalised our pathetic, coma inducing, embarrassingly slow and amateurish transfer trawl. Blame the club not the man. Who'd stick around at this basket case?

Stamping our feet and making him stay will be cutting off our nose to spite our face and will not actually help us. The real big clubs know that all players have a price. They prepare for these scenarios and line up potential replacements. Then they move on. That's life.

Disappointing and inevitable. This will not be the end of this great club. It should be the opportunity to bring in the keeper, stopper centre half and playmaker that we need. The players that will make a difference towards us moving up the table.

If Stones hadn't fairly recently signed a five year contract then maybe fans wouldn't be having a go at him. The whole business stinks, and Chelsea are now just above the RS in my hate table.

Personally, I'd tell Stones he's going nowhere yet, and we'll look at the situation this time next year, and, with the Euros and a further years experience, bigger and better clubs than Chelsea would be in for him. Even if Chelsea paid us £50m and kept him for ten years, it's only £5m a year. And if the clown Luis went for £50m.....

Transfer request. Request denied.

The option of keeping him and making him play under protest is totally unworkable and smacks of spite and I don't believe we are that type of club. This is really hard to take but it's our business model, it is also win win for the club.

Is this fact or rumour?

Is there anyway to tell?

It's in the Echo does not fill me with confidence, has Stones or his agent said anything.

Last concrete statement I recall is Martinez saying he will not be sold even if he puts in a request.....

Sorry if this is irritating but imagine it is untrue, I just hope JS doesn't read some of the comments and focuses on the ones which correctly advise him to steer clear of scummy Chelsea...

Even at 40 million, Everton do not have enough time to replace him and can afford to keep him.

Ignore the media circus and fill your boots.

My God, Stonesy - of all the places you could have gone.

A lot of reports suggest that he was always bound to leave, that Everton as a club could never match a player like Stones potential. It all most feels like, how dare they try to hold on to one of Europe's brightest talents? Get back in your box! and realize your place! The sale of Stones will say we are picking ground, with faulted module - competing but only to make up the numbers. Very sad indeed.

If Chelsea meet our asking price and it enables us to bring in the three top tier recruits we need and will agree deals for in principle, then we will let you go, in the mean time we will work on deals for the second tier recruits we can afford without the sale price, hence the links to a few up and comers.

I think Yarmolenko was on the cusp of what we could afford and Kiev are holding out to see if we take the Chelsea pound, this is why everything is going to the wire.

I expect Stones will be sold and we will bring in Yarmolenko and others over this and the coming transfer window - lot of moving parts and I don't envy the negotiators.

They are quick enough to take our money for season tickets after pumping us full of rhetoric and churchillian speeches about the fabric of being a blue.

Then silence on all matters concerning transfers and nil response to press speculation.

Even RM has no been gagged resorting to " no comment " replies.

The club does not discharge its duty to be transparent to us its stakeholders yet it puts its hand into our wallets as it pleases.

We are being run on the lines of an old Victorian autocracy.

Nil satis nisi optimum ???

What's Latin for " put up and shut up " ??

This is exactly the reason why protests are starting in earnest now. No ambition from the club, poorly run for years and when once upon a time the good players were queueing up to come to GP, now they are queueing to get out. It is highly unlikely we are going to see a trophy grace our club for another 20 years.

I don't blame the chavs for this, they're just crass spoilt bastards who won the lottery and want a lot of bling. No, I blame successive boards who, since 1990, have run our club into the ground and brought about the situation we find ourselves in now. A decrepit old stadium, an inconsistent team, no trophies for 20 years and being labelled by the media as a team that should be proud of the situation we find ourselves in as we punch above our weight. How fucking sad is that for Everton Football Club??

I'm on the way to the tattooist as we speak !!

If we are not that type of club (because we really want to sell?), then we should try to become a lot more like one. I hate using Liverpool, as an example, but by keeping Suarez for an extra year, they nearly won the league and got an extra £35 Million when they did eventually sell him.

Win, win, for the club? Martin, even the duke never came out with anything so stupid mate!

How much of this do you think will actually be spent on the team ? If it's half I'd very surprised, and that's my main worry in all of this.

While knocking the Everton for there dealings is fair comment do I think they are at fault in this case NO.

Stones signed a contract for 5 years and we thought he would honour it, but in todays money driven sport who is likely to turn down tripling your pay, playing in top 3 club and Europe?

If a player wants away sell him for the reputed £35 million plus add-ons
and find someone else.

Stones is very good but like all of Everton's back line makes mistakes, he carries the ball well (most of the time) something other plays get criticism for.

I feel when a player wants to leave get rid for best value, if Stones stays and the next game holds to long on the ball and gives away a goal there will be all sorts of accusations that its because he did not get his way.

Everton saying he is not going anywhere was fair comment while no transfer request was put in, now it has the game has again changed.

Posuit et clausis apertinom

If the full amount of the money doesn't got to RM, then that's an issue with Everton fans and the board, not John Stones and Chelsea.

This has probably been the most media driven tapping up of a player of all time yet all I can see is, "apparently, according to, we are led to believe, we think, etc......." quotes. I asked mcnulty last night where was the proof and answer was - I just know!!

Anyways, tell JS to go fuck himself cos he's just signed a fucking contract and life is not a game. So JS, man up, get on with it and if you behave we will auction you off next season. You want to treat us like shit? Well, we can do the same lad.

Maybe I'm a bit paranoid and cynical, but that's what I honestly believe.

Gone.

End of ...

Add John Stones to this list:

Rooney, Lescott, Arteta and Fellini. All out at the last minute with little or none of it re invested.

I'm hoping this is one sale too far for Evertonians who can't what's happening. Let's stand up against this pathetic, weak board who, time after time, fail to deliver on their promises. At the next protest I will fly the fucking plane myself!

This is my favourite - so he wanted to be sold AND get his pay off from Everton!!
A five year contract was good for him not so long ago, and the the clubs current position on cover for Centre halves is seriously inadequate so tell him sorry but we do whats in the best interest of EVERTON.
If we had been out and invested in players then I would have no problems with him going.
Our last manager said he done what was best for the players but he isn't here anymore so fuck Chelsea and fuck Stones.

Granted he's an unruffled talented footballing defender who plays well to Bobby's script, he is very prone to error and although Jags and Distin got the blame for our uncertainty last season, he was culpable on a good number of occasions.

I'd pick Labby, Kenyon, Hurst, McNaught, Ratcliffe, Watson, Weir and Stubbs before him and I'm sure there are others. Grab anything over £35M and move on !

Also we will likely have an unhappy player on our books and this is not going to help his value and the fact bidders now know he doesn't want to be here puts us in a much weaker position.

We will never get more than 40 -50 million INMHO and it might be wise to sell now if we get an 40 million offer.

Buts its galling to pretty much know that come 12th of September when he is probably with them, we will prob get beat because its all such an uneven competition. It wouldnt rankle so much with me if poaching was two way! But its not anymore. We are a feeder club to the rich boys and it hurts like hell.

I can understand why he wants to go: either of them can offer constant European games plus double your salary; however, the grass is not always greener on the other side. He has Jags alongside him who he could learn plenty from. I thought he might have pushed for a move next year. Good luck to the lad.

Isn't this just football ??

I find it depressing when we are talking about one of the finest young talents in years in the same breath as the likes of Evans, Williams and Shawcross. I say, stand firm tell him he's going nowhere and make him play against his old team tonight so he can see just how far he's come in such a short time.

If they do agree to sell then they are really going to look like a bunch of clowns to the world of football and also even alienate themselves more (if that's possible) from their own fans.

While I could never stop loving Everton Football Club despite some of the heartache they have caused me over the years. If they do agree to sell this would be the biggest kick in the teeth to myself personally by EFC in the 60odd years I have supported them.

TELL HIM HE'S NOT GOING/

This next week could possibly be one of the most important in our recent history. What are we if we get continually get bullied like this? Stand up to the lot of them, that's what I was taught. Otherwise Barkley to Man Utd or City is next. And so on.

The upshot being we would never see another Premier League trophy here because we are kept in our fucking place.

Don't count me in that shithouse situation!

If he wants out let him go, but let him go now so we can bring in quality and the cash doesn't disappear. 40 Million would be good business as he has had 1 season. Lunacy money.

Would be delighted to see United or City gazump those fuckers in West London though and why the club doesn't report them is a mystery.

After all, who has to face the fans and the media? It's not BK (he's sick after all, isn't he?) or Sideshow Bob, or Woods, Green, Earle etc....it's the manager. If they do this deal without Roberto's consent I hope he does the correct thing and resigns. This club has been fucked over too many times by the bunch of shit for brains cowboys in charge.

Whatever happens will be perceived as wrong by the various interested parties.

We all imagine how transfers potentially work, and this one seems to follow a similar path to others over the years. Media speculation. Silence from player. Bids increasing in price. Club 'rejects' them. Club sort of declares he is not for sale. Going nowhere etc. Then transfer request comes in. Media get all excited again. Fans go into meltdown! Player is exposed as being........(insert whatever word is suitable). Suddenly price to be paid seems to match what club are prepared to sell at. Club reduces the fall-out on itself as player wanted to go. Heads been turned or whatever cliche is appropriate. Etc

Of course, transfers are never as simple as that. We, as fans, never really now what goes on behind closed doors and what decisions are taken at whatever level.

Personally, part of me says if he wants to go, then let him but on our terms. He has the potential to be brilliant and whilst it would annoy me to sell him to Chelsea as I just don't like their principles, I would feel less aggrieved if he went to Man Utd or in 12 months time Barcelona. By then they will be able to buy players again.

For potential I would say minimum £50 million but try to take the money up front, although this doesn't seem to be the usual method these days and perhaps never was, and a player added in, and a sell-on fee if he gets sold. Don't want a performance related deal as per Rooney.

If he goes, I also think that he is replaceable. He is only 21 so by no means one of our senior players but a very elegant and stylish one. Whilst great to see this elegance at Everton, I am quite happy to have an effective defender, one with a more physical approach perhaps, and one who commands the penalty area. I don't see that in Stones at the moment but he is only 21 and that comes with time and experience. However, and I may be wrong as it is a long time ago and football was different then but I seem to remember John Terry and Tony Adams as being commanding when they first appeared on the scene. You could see them both as future captains and leaders. I don't see that with John Stones. If he was more demonstrative on the pitch, then I imagine he would have been a bit more vocal off the pitch this summer and if he was considering a move got word out like Fellaini did. But it seems he is a quiet, unassuming guy who goes about his business quietly and efficiently.

Ideally as a club we should make a stand for all the clubs whose players are seen as easy pickings and stand by our 'declared position' of 'not for sale' and reject his transfer request for now and reject all offers and come to an understanding with the player. If he still feels the same way in 12 months time then we just might look at offers then.

That way at least as a club we keep a modicum of control or think we do.

Liverpool managed the situation well with Suarez the season before last and got a lot out of him.

The timing of the transfer request (if true) on the eve of the Barnsley game is interesting. I assume he would have been included in the squad and involved in the match somewhere along the line as it is against his first club. If he is not involved it will be a shame for Barnsley fans who no doubt would have given him a warm reception. Again, whilst he is an Everton player, if fit, transfer or no transfer pending, he should be playing. If Martinez wants to rest players, Jagielka could stand down. Stones is younger and needs games. I don't think Everton should worry about the player being cup-tied. If he doesn't start, I would bring him on even for 30 seconds. If one aim of his is to win trophies, then that makes him cup-tied for any new club, and one less to win. Of course, as long as Everton win tonight, at least he can win the League Cup or whatever it is known as, with Everton.

I feel we should get a banner !

I can't believe that this transfer request has come out of the blue and no fucker knew what Stones's view on it was, although it is Everton we are talking about, so nothing would surprise me. Amazingly we haven't learnt fuck all from the Lescott fiasco and once again we'll be left foraging about for loans and everybody's cast offs at five to midnight on Deadline Day.

Apparently he has said something about other footballers' experiences where this situation has happened at clubs and is fairly common knowledge amongst players and boardrooms in football.

Now, whilst I don't subscribe to this theory at this stage, the board allegedly do not need the money; it will not be in Everton's best interest to sell, full stop... but certainly not at this late stage in the window.

The board have been adamant that he will not be sold, so it will go against everything stated and all logic if they sell him now.

If that does indeed happen, then it certainly will give some serious legs to this (at this stage) conspiracy theory.

The only ones who "haven't learnt fuck all from the Lescott fiasco" (I'd add Rooney, Arteta as well) are the fans who clap him or continue to caution us as to be careful what we wish for.

PS - deadline is at 6pm this time round, so five to midnight would be nearly 6 hours too late - of course, that's an excuse they've yet to use.

Many excellent youngsters might see us hardballing as a negative that they will get stuck here and therefore not join. Not everyone is looking for a project like Lukaku. But we do need to buy serious quality to ensure these guys continue to believe in the club, that is true.

What if we use the cash to buy a world class number 10? Would that not give even more of a lift?

Its completely hypothetical but so is every other gloomy scenario right now.

The board needs to grow some balls and refuse to sell or negotiate with Chelsea. Martinez needs to get hold of Stones and tell him he isn't going and to concentrate on playing for the club, getting to the Euros and earning a new contract. I don't think he is the sort to spit his dummy out and put in poor performances, and he cant afford to. Come September he will put it behind him and get on with it.

Refusing £40m and building a team around him is intention of ambition and he will get a move in the future if he needs it.

Everton must not sell him this season. There will be absolute mutiny if he goes, it would put the final nail in this boards coffin and will confirm to all that Everton are no longer a club looking to challenge, just survive.

I also think that this just highlights why nobody outside the monied clubs will ever get into the Champions League on a regular basis. When you look at the money the top 5 clubs are spending, the rest of us are there to just make up the numbers.

It's going to be a week that really affects the feeling of the fans about what level of club we really are and where we can realistically aspire to be! It will also absolutely affect the fans relationship with the board.

These are tough decisions and having all the power with BK rather than a wider board of interests and views does not fill me with confidence.

Admittedly it is going to be hard to find a replacement of similar quality but I don't think we need to pay even half that amount to get a star player.

Should keep a handy sum of money ready to disappear into the Elstone abyss.

Yes, Everton need to work smarter, but they really are pissing against the wind. The Champions League and the financially rigged process for qualifying for it is slowly strangling us to death.

I'm genuinely sad at what Eveton FC has been reduced to but I don't see any light at the end of the tunnel, nothing that the club can realistically do that will change the status quo. How interesting is the Premier League to supporters of clubs outside the top 4 any more? The top 4 is a seperate league only ever contested by the same 5 teams. Everyone else living off scraps and celebrating when they reach 38 points so they can do it again the following year.

They have tried to get a bigger story, for instance a firm "I'm not selling no matter what" statement before releasing that Stones had handed in a transfer request.

Martinez hasn't really played ball, his last chance was the Barnsley press conference. He told the journalists to move on, so they did and said fuck it, we're letting the story out.

Good business that. If he wants away, grab the money and fuck him off. Quick.

We've got people slamming the board for lack of signings and then saying in the next breath "but once he decides to go you've got to sell him". If there is a polar opposite of signing good players than I reckon that's probably it.

I don't know why but I'm just not feeling the emotion this time around. Maybe Rooney killed that part of me off. I just think that club and players have a marriage of convenience. We outgrow players, we ditch them. They outgrow us, they ditch us. Both ways, we have to deal with the constraints of a contract.

Basically, those saying that we have to sell him now are giving the board exactly what they want. An excuse. The only excuse for selling Stones is that we have decided the money is of more use than the player. Our terms.

I posted this on the Everton V Manchester City thread:

"If we roll City, keep hold of John Stones, and sign Yarmolenko everything changes. We could be on the up again."

You have to laugh don't you.

Seriously though I am gutted about Stones. I had bought into the theory that Martinez had sold the youngsters on his project and this was the way forward for the club, and furthermore that Stones would be his leader on the pitch.

I am not going to knock the board on this one. They held on to Coleman, Baines, McCarthy. The difference is none of those 3 handed in a transfer request - he wants away.

They will have to sell him now. If they don't they will be cutting their nose off to spite their face. Learn from the Lescott schemozzle.

I just hope it doesn't knock the stuffing out of the rest of the team.

We should make him stay, give him a couple of weeks to get his head straight, and then enjoy him for one last seasob before selling him for £50 million after the Euros.

To sell him to Chelsea would be surrendering to bullies, and that would be the final straw for a lot of fans who are already disillusioned.

Back to the drawing board.

If true this would suggest to me that they are planning on keeping JS, for another season at least, and will allow us to keep all of the money in any future deal be it £30 or 50m next summer.

It doesn't mean he's going or staying but it would show he's a pro in the best sense of the word.

Ya Liverpool never recovered, but its a striker which is much harder to replace. The greatest example of losing your potential must be Spurs with Bale. If they could have built around him who knows what they could have achieved.

I have been saying no to this no matter the cash all along, but its such a delicate dynamic now with the transfer request. I have also been saying we cant replace him adequately anyway. So maybe its worth taking the risk and just say no. I believe he is a professional and wont drop his head. He would know it wouldn't help any future transfers he might want if he does drop his performance.

Maybe my acceptance of our fate is also I do feel resentment to the kid for wanting to leave and want to wash our hands. Also we have the pain of not being able to buy the number 10 we want and I know this would help... I admit my sober version is tainted with a shot of pissed off.. haha.

Ok I'm back! Screw Em all.. keep the lad! Just say NO!

Getting all up tight and sentimental about these mercenaries, however talented they are is a recipe for heartache. Not one of them gives a stuff about us, I can assure you, with most planning their next move the day after they've held up the shirt !

Think of them as you would the latest big act at the Empire. ' I love you, Merseyside', they used to shout. Tomorrow was a different stage in a different city - and they loved them, too !

"Where's the Stones money Bill?"

We need at least 3 players regardless of Stones going.

Bet he plays tonight.

He'll miss the first twenty minutes such will be the rambling.

OK so lets say that Chelsea do slap down £45M for Stones and say "That's our final offer, all of it". Not a blink from Everton as we say, "He's NOT for sale".

Then lets jump ahead 12 months and on ToffeeWeb we're debating what we could have done with the money Chelsea offered and

a) "Isn't it bloody typical luck for Everton that six weeks into the season Stones suffered that bad injury (example Oviedo) that will keep him out for at least another 3 months into the 2016/17 season.

b) "What the hell has happened with Stones ? This time last year he was the next English 'Big Thing', but he really hasn't come on at all this season".

Both scenarios are possible, and we'd be looking at the books and wondering "So why the hell didn't we grab the money ? We won't get even half of that for him now".

As I said in opening, "I'd love for Everton to have the sheer brass nuts to keep John Stones (and not just for another 12 months)".

Footballers are ambitious. If they were not, they would not be top players. Stones has no loyalty to us - he has only played here for 2 years, and is desired only because he is a great player. We have criticised and booed our players when they have underperformed, but expect unrelenting loyalty in return, even after our club has underperformed. At this moment he has a chance to move to the Champions. He will likely have this chance next season, or the season following, but perhaps he does not see it like that - especially if they were to bring someone else in place of him, or if his standing dropped. He wants to play for the Champions, because playing for them means he can play UCL football, and challenge for the title. He has a brilliant opportunity of displacing a 35 year old Terry on the wane, or an unspectacular Gary Cahill at this moment. There is nothing surprising about his decision to leave and nothing uniquely greedy about it. It makes far more sense to frame it as a career based decision, because he will become the most expensive British CB in history, and will not be going to Chelsea to warm the bench.

From our side, we should sell him if it suits us. We need a replacement ready first, and we should look to get 35mil plus some add ons. If we do, we've got an absurd amount for a defender with mistakes in him, and a player with brilliant but unrealised potential. It's still a great deal for us, especially because defenders are cheaper than attacking players. But we must replace him. I would prefer that we didnt sell, because such a selling model is doomed to water down the quality in the first eleven, even if it improves the squad. Yet, we will go on, even if the shoddy management and the timing of the transfer request has fucked us up. It's the 26th of August, and we have 2 senior CBs at the club, and one of those is half way out the door. I repeat what I said previously: Someone should be sacked over that. It is nothing short of a disgrace, and it has contributed to the precarity of our current situation.

The silence speaks volumes. The request is in, I've no doubt about it.

Now we are in a mess. Any substantial fee spent now will be a money that has been spent in a panic. Hopefully we will keep hold of him until next summer and after a good season we can hike his fee up another £10 million. Cannot see it happening though, wouldn't be surprised if he is sold on deadline day and the entire transfer fee disappears into the void that is Everton Football Club.

We'll soon find out who is now pushing for the deal. Stones (and we'll say no because he's not for sale) or Everton (because ...)

The club have now decided that they don't need to even communicate with the fans. When was the last time we heard anything positive?

They have got away with this buy to sell policy for the duration of their tenure, because the fans never really kicked up a fuss. I've a feeling they are in for a shock this time around though - and not before time.

Basically everything is fine until the split-second that straw is added, then suddenly the legs of the poor beast buckle under the weight and the damage is done (ok maybe it's not a dead camel, but my guess is it's very difficult to revive a buckled camel).

For me Alan Ball being sold was more of a log than a straw, but my Camel was young, fit and strong and after the initial shock, kept on walking.

Rooney being sold was quite a hefty straw too (a definite leg-stiffener) but we got over it.

As for Lescott, Arteta, Rodwell, Fellaini, Graveson - not individually that much weight, but together it got my Camel's attention.

Now it's Stones - again quite a hefty straw, but not really much I can do now as as I already have a season-camel..er...ticket (starts to panic, wishes I hadn't started the daft straw/camel thing).

But what about Barkley in January?

Or Lukaku 12 months from now?

Or Coleman to Utd on Saturday?

Truth is my Camel is starting to feel a bit goosed and it's possible that a couple more straws and he might think 'Fuck 'em and fuck the season-ticket, I'll save 650 nicker and watch it in the alehouse' (only in..er Camel language).

By the way, can you guess what brand of ciggy I smoke?

That's right, Bensons.

Andrew Rocha 308 - welcome to Everton and a great first post. I agree with your general comments. If a player, such as Stones has signed a contract, then we should turn down any transfer requests and bids and make him honour it. As you say you can't build a team if you have to keep selling your best young players. Unfortunately conventional wisdom says you should always sell a player when they put in a request. I think conventional wisdom is wrong. If more clubs took a stance then the tactics used by Chelsea and Stones would get used less and less.

At the current moment we are in an environment, because of the massive TV money, whereby clubs shouldn't have to sell players if they don't want to. This situation hasn't really arisen before for clubs, Everton for one had to sell Wayne Rooney to stop the banks from taking the club over. That's no longer the case. Next year the TV revenues will go up again, so prices for players will most certainly increase. That is one reason why we shouldn't sell Stones now. The other reason is that his value as a player will only increase the better he becomes. The final reason is that simply put its a very bad time to sell, you have little or no time to get in replacements and we are already short on centre halfs.

If Liverpool were in the situation that we find ourselves in you can bet that they would not be accepting the transfer request and they wouldn't be selling Stones this window.

If he does go, and I hope he doesn't, I hope its all bollocks, I wish him no luck at all. In fact, I hope it all goes down hill for the lad.

Jamie #456, I'm with you. I hope his form goes out the window, and John Terry gets his revenge by knocking his missus up or something. See if he misses the fabled dressing room spirit back here!

Stones left Barnsley to go to a bigger club and now he's going to an even bigger club to fill his wallat and trophy cabinet-what's wrong with that?

Secondly he's a defender who as Jim pointed out has a mistake a game in him not a goal machine or a midfield general; yes I want him to stay he's a cultured defender who looks easy on the eye but I'm old school and defenders are there to defend and there are more than enough CB out there to fill in while the young lads come through.

Like Jim IMO the scandal of this is that we let 2 CB's go 2 months ago and they haven't been replaced, and even if Stones stays this means we're an injury/suspension away from square pegs on round holes.

It doesn't have to be a marquee signing; a Ron Vlaar or similar until the youngsters get up to speed. This isn't about money, or lack of, it's about strategic planning rather than lurching from crisis to crisis, and has echoes of the year Rooney was sold and we were touring the states and we couldn't put a full bench out.

This is Everton FFS, longest serving team in the top flight, 1
2nd longest consecutive years in top flight-blah blah. NOT Rush & Diamonds except we act small time; maybe that's why we are small time

Now this got me thinking. Not long ago Kev and Macca were "desperately unhappy" until they got new deals. I imagine Stonesy is now one of the lower paid players in the first team squad could this just be a way of his people getting him a better deal? I know he only signed a new contract last season but contracts can be renegotiated can't they?

If it is true that he has handed in a transfer request then I think we should sell him and set the bidding at £45m. I don't want players putting on our shirt who don't want to be here. Coincidentally, I started reading The Cannonball Kid book last night which the missus bought me for my birthday. When you read Hickson's quote about dying for Everton it puts into perspective the modern footballer. The vast majority are a bunch of overpaid, badge-kissing mercenaries. I thought John Stones might be more grounded but it looks like I was wrong.

I was trying to think last night about which players have left Everton and genuinely gone on to better things: Rooney, Arteta and Lescott have all won trophies. What about the likes of Gosling and Rodwell (I haven't checked but Rodwell probably won medals by sitting on the bench)? They didn't exactly set the football world alight did they? Barmby left us to go to the RS and finished up at Hull. Even going back to Lineker, we won the league the following season.

The grass isn't always greener. There will be certain expectations for a £40m defender. His main job will be to defend and he'll have to cut out the frequent mistakes through overplaying. If he doesn't perform then Chelsea have the resources to cast him aside.

If he goes to Man Utd then make evans part of the deal (£35M + Evans)

Big fish eat little fish, and we stopped being the great white shark a long time ago.

Well we do know what a loveable chap John Terry is when he feels threatened or under pressure. So he eggs on the Chelsea established to play all manner of pranks and insist that all new arrivals sing them a song (to Cahills "GarryOke" or whatever).

But up to now their new signings haven't arrived wearing a freshly printed label saying "Direct Replacement for John Terry".

Will make for interesting reading in someones yet to be published biography:

"...and we was all larfin' as we was singin' the eighteenth verse of "My Ole Man Said Foller the Van" while John Terry dry bummed him !"

However the biggest negative is it does have a negative effect on the club and shows us very much as the prey! Therefore I think if we do sell we should do everything in our power to not sell to Chelsea to demonstrate we won't be bullied!

All in all a sham logic transfer window which is turning me grey! I challenge myself to not check TW for an hour! Impossible task!

I don't know what to think or advise. Sadly neither do the club. I make that 24 hours since the supposed transfer request was made and we've still heard nothing. This is where we consistently let ourselves down as a Club. I hope the Club are reading the comments under the ridiculously ill-timed 3rd kit tweet earlier today. What a shambles...

Short term fixes... Evans and Lescott. Christ did I just write that..... Surely we get the players in now before we accept any bid. Do we have the funds to do that.. probably not.

I think signing Austin and Yarmelenko would soften the blow, however I fear we'll settle with the two south americans, Lennon and some other rotter of a centre back.

I feel sorry and massively admire anyone going to Barnsley tonight. I'll be watching that through my fingers in a dark room.

Let's see how this pans out but I still think he'll be an Everton player come September.

This means that JS written request means nothing because, there is no offer on the table.

So to all of you "wanting to be told what is happening", you have. There is nothing happening. When would you like to be advised regarding the next "nothing happening" ?

Like Sam, Keith and a few others have said, just tell him it's too late now and we'll talk about it next summer. If he has a good season, and a good euros, he'll be worh far more than the latest (and last) £35m plus 5m in add-ons that Chelsea will offer this week.

We can turn this into a win win situation if we are clever. The lad stays, has a great season and either, changes his mind or we get a huge transfer fee next summer.

To me, that smacks of sheer dereliction of duty by this manager who should have been identifting replacements even before he gave the two old boys their notice of dismissal. And don't give me, 'Bill wouldn't release the money,' because that's an easy 'out' for everyone who finds it difficult to lay any blame for anything on the congenial Spaniard.

Well before now, the courting of Stones by Maurinho should have become an annoying sideshow as our two new defenders settled in via a full pre- season. Prevarication was often seen as Moyes' greatest weakness as he frequently talked of needing to see any signing a dozen or more times before he could make a decision. But he was Mr Decisive compared with this bugger !

Here we are, three weeks into the new season and all he can point to is a 'maybe' defender from South America whom I bet he has never seen 'live' in his life ! For gawd's sake, stop throwing Stones at Uncle Bill and cast the blame where it really belongs !

But, there is no new offer (from ANY club) and until Everton have received it and considered it then there is nothing to report. Far from looking buffoons they appear shrewd, considered and discreet. If you don't agree, then go and have a look at how Ebay works. The highest bid secures the goods but if you openly say "buy now for £X" then no-one will bid higher than the "Buy Now" price.

I said (twice) in posting 437 "I'd love for Everton to have the sheer brass nuts to keep John Stones (and not just for another 12 months)".

Showing our hand to the opposition is not in our interests, now matter how keen you might be to know what is going on right now.

Tell Stones he ain't going nowhere and tell Chelsea the same. Stones can't afford to sulk, not if he wants to start for England next summer.

I can understand why some might say take the money, and if a player wants out then ship him out, but who are we supposed to replace him with at this late stage? By the way, I agree with those saying that entering the season with two senior centre halves is criminal, even by Everton standards.

As for the future, Stones will only get better and clubs will always want centre-halves, particularly home grown ones. Selling him for £30-40m now will look ridiculous over the next few years. If we bend over and take a shafting now then who's next, Lukaku? Barkley? Time to make a bloody stand Everton!

Phil, that's a bit contradictory even for you isn't it? You now call Dithering Dave, Mr Decisive compared to this bugger yet you let Chairman Bill off on both counts. Who runs the sodding club then? For years OFM, usually, waited until very late to make his moves many of which never came off. This manager is no different by the looks of it. But if I'm running a struggling business isn't it my responsibility to make sure that my underlings are making the correct decisions?

As chairman the buck has to stop with him. If he's as pure as snow as you make out why, after so many years in charge, are we still so shambolic in the transfer market? Can't he say to HIS appointed managers, I want all our transfers done early this year? Can he hell because, as you well know, every year he's scrambling around trying to find the money to make at least one or two deals (usually after selling someone).

So let's be fair Phil. The managers aren't the problem, the problem is the chairman and his seven dwarves (mentally if not financially) who don't invest a penny, have no strategy and don't seem to give a shit about the club.

It's possible they might have spent the time since the last Stones bid, securing the services of another CB.

I mean theoretically they could say "what are you looking at us for? - we bid £30m, you said no, we're done'

Imagine later this avvy if they unveiled £43m Spanish star Manuel Laybor or £51m Russian legend Leva Vestov - where that would leave Stones?

Link

My opinion is that Everton can't turn this deal down, and that it's a pantomime to try to make it look like they don't want to sell. Stones and Chelsea are just part of the whole façade. Behind the scenes we're saying "He can go, but for fucks sake let's make it look like we did everything to try to make him stay".

That does sound very paranoid doesn't it.....medication time for me.....and stop listening to my phone calls !!

The only positive I see coming out of this is , it shows up the poor unprofessional way this club is run in both its search for players and scouting system. After letting 2 back up center back's go and with the knowledge we would need at least 1 experienced center back for cover ,with the transfer window rapidly coming to a close ,all we have is expectations that we will be signing 2 players and still looking for a # 10. And now we may be having to play with only 1 recognized experienced center back without cover except for youth players.

Unless the board and the manager stand firm over the comments made over the last few days and do not sell Stones, they will show the rest of the league what many of us have been saying that this Chairman and board are not worthy of running Everton F.C.

Eugene, that could be a possibility. Maybe Garay or TW favourite (by some) Ryan Shawcross? I still think Chelsea will make one last bid (480) but then move on.

"We hold all the cards"
Goddam motherfuckin right we do!

The main question now is do we stick or twist as a club.

On the one hand we could simply tell Stones he has 4 years of his contract to run and we need to find a suitable replacement before and if he is allowed to go.

On the other hand if his head has been turned and he is a waste of time over the next few months and supporters start to get on his back the way they did with Trevor Steven then we might as well cash in now as long as the money is reinvested in the squad which is also highly dubious knowing the history of this board.

This situation has really gutted Evertonians and made a mockery of the "Golden generation" claims a few days ago.

Hope I haven't started a move for a new club motto :-(

Subs:
Coleman
Robles
Callow youth
Callow youth
Callow youth
Callow youth
Baines

It won't be boring!

He's from Barnsley. He's been here two and half years. He's never claimed to be a fan. He doesn't owe us anything.

We stand to make an absolute fortune on this deal.

It's the model we've followed for years. Granted, we could have done with more notice but a week should be enough to get a few players in. We all know what it's like on deadline day now.

Personally, I think he'd be better off staying here for another two years. But what do I know ? When I was 21 I still lived at home , shootin' it into toilet paper.

Leads me to believe that he may be on his way..

This is Everton through and through - we find things out from the gutter press, not our "True Blue" chairman.

Just heard him say "Make your mind up fast, if he doesn't get it, we've had a great offer from Bluekipper"

(bollocks - knew I made a mistake making Elstone my agent)

Perhaps you have something regarding the first 1k post award on TW.

However, given TW posters insistence on repeatedly getting our own players names wrong, I reckon that a commemorative collection of first team shirts be made avaialble:

Howerd (master of the treble save. "Nay, Nay, thrice nay !")
Robels (sidekick to 40's tearaway Adrolf Hilter)
Hibbot (Best man at Grand Alf's wedding, famously lost the wring)
Coalmen (terribly dirty player)
Jaligelka
Stownes
Braines (Currently dating Tracey Highland)
Ovideo (Irish TV Show presented by Hairy Hill)
Gibsen (wrote "Header Gambler)
Barrie (wrote the cook book "Peter's Pans")
MacCarthey (Songwriting partner with Lemon, on loan from Spurts last season)
Delfeluo
Bestich (grion irritation which legendary Man U player "Geordie The Beltfirst Boy" frequently suffered from)
McGreadey (minor role in the West End hit "Oiliver !")
Nasimth
Lukakulu (He's my baby)
Miralles
Krone (signed from Burg1664)
Clevely (likley to be best man at Braines wedding)
Barklay
Pineaar

Marintez

Kermight (Cousin of famous "Muppet Show" Character)

Anyway, Bill is busy finding an investor at the moment, as ever.

For a proper laugh, just listen to the "blatant shit-stirring" antics on Talk-Shite with Adrian Durham and Barnsley born Barnsley bred stong-ith'arm-thick-inth'th'ead Darren Gough.

Bill will be in his bunker with his accountant thrashing out how he can best pay off the loans with the money.

Well, this is a first I never thought I'd see the day when I'd want United to sign one of our best players. If they do want Stones, I don't think he'll hesitate about which club he'll move to.

The player told someone at another club (in Scotland). That person didn't believe it at first. So, has this whole thing been a show put on by the club to paint the player in a poor light and poor old EFC as the victims? I don't know what to believe anymore.

Anyway, let's see but if the price is close 㿔m; then it's a distinct possibility. It would also tie in with rumours of EFC trying to renegotiate the sell-on fee with Barnsley for a good while.

There is no way we should have let him go at the time but our chivalrous manager sold him on account of helping the lad gain a world cup place. By his own admission he put the player's wishes ahead of the club's.

A very kind thing to do... remembering It did make my heart sink though, with regard to this situation.

I really hope we make a stand on this. It will be better for us and stones I believe.

I'm not saying JS hasn't asked for a move but until I see it on the OS I remain hopeful.

And I don''t think he is as good as we have all been whipped up into thinking.

And ...no player bigger than the club.

And finally....because I am now bored with the whole fucking thing...as I am with PL

"Aliens Land In Tuebrook"

You sure ?

Sure they haven't ?

Well, let's see what happens.

Nothing else to see here until the truth comes out.

Everton haven't treated the lad badly, he get's paid on time (bonuses included).

John Stones hasn't treated Everton badly, he turns up on time, trains when & as required, has played with class, has said not one word regarding this matter to any external source. Neither has his agent, (aka his Dad), nothing.

Chelsea have commented via John Terry & Garry Cahill. Jose Mourinho made some clever arsed remarks about a closed/open/open/closed transfer window.
Chelsea have apparently made 3 bids (£20M, £26M, £30M).

Prior to any of the three Chelsea bids, they made some enquiry which prompted Everton to respond with a written response indicating that they should not make any offers for John Stones because he is under contract with Everton.

Everton hold many contracts of professional footballers and are entitled to make any or none negotiations during that period. ANY.

Everton may choose to disclose or not disclose their reasons or valuations, terms and conditions regarding any of the player contracts prior to, during, after or never with regard to approaches, offers, bids or requests to leave.

At the end of the day, us lot on TW know almost fuck all about the contracts of professional footballers and how they are traded. That makes us almost identical to every single football fan across the globe.

But in our midst there will always be "Hystericals" demanding to know every minute detail of every second of every discussion. Well the reason that you (and the rest of us) are not advised momentarily is because we don't own the right to. Furthermore, if Everton did decide to hand one of us the information, 99% couldn't make head nor tail of just WTF they were in possession of.

If you really want that level of information, go and buy out the people who currently own those rights. Otherwise, just wait and find out but please, please, please, keep you feeble minded "poker night" negotiation advice to yourselves

Here's an example:
You own a car, do you permanently have a for sale sign in the back window ?
If you did, would you expect to finally be paid more or less than the full asking price ?

IF you wrote down on a piece of paper the final breakheart price that you really would let your car go for and slid it to an interested buyer, you reckon they would offer more or less than your secret figure ?

Put it another way, IF you knew just how high a budget Chelsea have to purchase John Stones, would you want 50%, 75%, 100% or the footballers favourite 110% ?

I'd take £30m + jones from United over £40m from Chelsea....

Afetr 10 minutes of "you comment is being moderated" the page "reset" to "Add a comment" with no trace of my question at all.

How naive of me . . . expecting the club to tell the fans what's happening.

How many could pick him out in a police type line up?

As it is, you and your followers are either in denial that Stones could possibly wish to leave our club - average outfit that it is these days- or you are predicting his loss would be a disaster.

It's how the game works, mate, somebody pays us good money to buy our talent and we break some other speccies' hearts by pinching theirs.
Get over it, he's only a bloody centre-half not a superstar goalscorer !

Good. you have absolutely no right whatever to access to the terms and conditions of John Stones employment with Everton FC, none.

Do you email John and cc Roberto & Robert & Bill when you turn down weekend overtime or file your expenses claims ?

Regardless of being the most talked about footballer in British game at the moment, he has precisely the same individual rights as any other employed person under UK Law. (OK, I reckon that despite being 21 he probably gets a shade more that the minimum wage. Probably)

Box Office is shut Sunday and Monday

Following your logic Phil, if Lukaku scores 30 goals this season we should just bend over next summer when any Tom, Dick or Harry comes knocking on our door with with a fabulous £20m plus offer? Jesus wept Phil.

Sore head now

Reading on the comment is attributed to "Barnsley academy coach Ronnie Branson,"

Oh how I just wish we spoil the party and keep him!

So the secret is out, at long last! So disappointed. Didn't see that coming. Is there any Plan B, Gerry?

Club state not for sale, in private a different story so Chelsea keep bidding.

Club tell Stones he will get his move but needs to submit transfer request.

Club state no choice but to get best deal for Everton blah blah.

End of window looms and no chance to reinvest much of it £.

Written, Directed and Starring BK and cronies.

"Box Office is shut Sunday and Monday".

What fucking choice did that leave Stones ???
No wonder that sneaky bastard Mourinho subbed JT then, obviously they have paid off our admin dept to undermine us.

Have to be honest, I never saw that one coming. Gutted.

Northern Ireland have a series of important games coming and I would rather have Evans playing instead of Stones by some distance. As John Daley said, Everton should be in the driving seat( para-phrasing, John) have a chance to demonstrate some leadership.

Keep him for another season, and then sell for 50 mil

Official line on Twitter

I have been asking Oliver Kay (Times) if Stonesy really did put in a transfer request (he broke the story) and the fucker won't answer me. Mcnulty the same. Yesterday they were all high and mighty and today not a peep!!

Ian - I agree; SSP1 inetreview it was never mentioned. In fact I have seen or heard nothing from the club about the trasfer request. Although every media outlet is stating he has handed one in. Maybe I missed something.

It would seem clear Stones still is willing to play for us, and given the stance the team have taken he is not going to be sold, so the rumors might go on but I can't see this having legs. How would big balls bobby explain selling him now? If the board sell him, Bobby would have to leave too, you cant stay in a club which the board doesnt back you when you need it.

I would like to see a new contract given to Stones, 6 years plus and job done

I suspect the all powerful EPL lead by that arrogant article Scudamore is the real problem. The same EPL that's been the major factor in the decline of the England team during the last 20 years by allowing our game to be flooded with foreigners, both in 1st team squads & academies.

All he cares about is the EPL brand and drawing in megabucks for loads of croanies and hangers on like Shearer & Gary Neville.

But also, no club is allowed to have more than 4 on loan players in their squad. So why allow clubs unlimited players loaned out "another Premier League Club" currently have 26 players out on loan.

I'd suggest that EPL clubs should be allowed to include 4 on loan players, but a higher limit for Championship Clubs and League One Clubs allowed even more etc.

But so far as loaning out players the limit should be perhaps only 8. That way the monopolisation of talent (which they do not develop) would be spread around less cash rich clubs. Then when the moneybags come knocking there would be income for English Clubs keeping the money in the English system.