Koné rejects contract offer from Sunderland

Kone should be sorted within a week. Seems he wants out ASAP. He wont be playing this weekend due to some minor back injury.

I think Kone is pretty much a dead cert, I think probably the only reason he hasn't signed yet is because the Sunderland fans have wrote a protest or something and would be fuming if they sold Kone.

Maybe this contract rejection is just a way for the club to say to those fans that we tried everything we could to keep him... Usual Moyes bull shit basically that he fed m us for many a year!

I think Kone is pretty much a dead cert, I think probably the only reason he hasn't signed yet is because the Sunderland fans have wrote a protest or something and would be fuming if they sold Kone.

Maybe this contract rejection is just a way for the club to say to those fans that we tried everything we could to keep him... Usual Moyes bull shit basically that he fed m us for many a year!

Get Kone in a nice hot bath with some relaxing candles and bath bubbles - his back will be fine.

He is basically saying that he really rates Hart and he is a fantastic keeper but in order to be in contention ahead of the other keepers he needs to add a certain quality to his keeping. He has offered him the opportunity to stay and learn the qualities he is looking for which will put him back in contention. So its either go to Everton and win nothing, or stay and fight. It is likely he will win more trophies as a bit part player at Man City than at Everton. But the catch is he will considered less for England if he does stay on at Man City, talk about rock and a hard place.

Williams, Jagielka, Funes Mori, Pennington, Galloway, Browning...

I'd much rather concentrate on getting in 2 or 3 decent strikers, we are so weak up front – even if Lukaku stays. No proper forwards available last week, and Kone on the bench (he's not a proper forward either). It's all wingers at defenders at the moment; where is our creative midfielder or goalscoring forward that we actually need?

His form over the past year has not been to Premier league standard never mind international.

I just get the feeling he has some personal issues which are affecting him.

1) Kone really wants to leave for a bigger club that looks like it could challenge for things soon.

2) Kone just wants more money than Sunderland are offering and know Everton will give it.

3) Kone is a bit of a mercenary who's creating a fake injury and putting in a transfer request when he feels he's being slighted. How long until he does this to Everton?

What I think is that there's nothing wrong with wanting more money or having bigger ambitions than Sunderland. Let's face it though, if Stones had shown up with a bad back after a transfer request, we would have vilified him. Kone's attitude towards Sunderland doesn't necessarily mean he would do the same to Everton but it does mean he's capable of it.

I'm willing to take the chance on him as he looks a strong center half. If he starts angling for a move in a year or two, fine, as long as we get a good transfer fee. He just better not pull a fake injury on us.

I'd much prefer Jack Butland or Jasper Clissen!

Bit of a mess this Kone situation suppose that's what goes on these day's but it does make you wonder what type of character he is!

Pretty standard footballer stuff!

But the noises are that he doesn't want to sign a new deal has he wants to come to us.

I hope that in the next 2 weeks we can get this one over the line. He's a really good CB and seems to have a bit of everything. Height, stature, physicality, bit of pace, dominant in the air, good in the tackle, aggressive and he'd be a great addition!

I am not saying we shouldnt go for another keeper just not Hart.

For the sort of money we are talking about I would much sooner go for Butland, Forster or a top European keeper.

There has to be an up and coning DeGea somewhere. Let Steve Walsh do his homework while Stekenburg keeps the shop safe for now.

On another note, if we do get Kone, Ghezzal then we lose almost half the team after Christmas for African Cup? Do we have enough in reserve to cover this and also any potential injuries? Anyone know what is happening with Tarashaj as he has looked good.

I know all goalkeepers make avoidable mistakes but the operative words in my post were 'too many'. If Tim Howard had been as limp wristed for Everton as Hart was in the Euros for England we'd have been lining up to lynch him. Last season he made a lot of mistakes for City too.

On the subject of Tim Howard, as bad as he was at the end, he too made many a match winning or point saving save as well but we don't want him back do we?

Why do people have to question his attitude? It's the way of the work, folks. Well win some, well lose some!

I think Signor Buffon knows a bit more about goalkeeping, than the rest of us do !!

Also, it may be a sign of Buffon's all-round class and humility, that he didn't include himself in that top 3 !

After that, the likes of Ghezzal and Brozovic would add something different & improve our squad!

In Koeman we trust!

My main objection to Hart coming is that I think strikers are more urgently required than a position that IMO is already in safe hands, including Robles as back up.

Re the Kone situation, as much as I have little sympathy for Moyes, the player is acting and sounding like a 'little shit', imagine if the situation was reversed and he played for us?

Perhaps I'm being a bit naive in expecting anything better from the so called stars of the Premier league these days.

You mean: Sunderland refused to sell their player, who only recently signed a long-term contract to play for them.

Since Moneybags Moshiri got involved some Everton fans are sounding like spoilt Redshite.

Is his dandruff coming back?

It's obviously an attempt from the Sunderland board to make them appear as the good guys.

We sadly lost our chance on Butland a few years ago.

Kone - personally I don't like players forcing moves in this twattish manner, but as people have pointed out - this is modern football.

Whatever happened to that Gabbidon tweet of someone amazing coming our way?

An absolute nightmare at corners and free-kicks – just the same scenario as the last few years.

Cilissen, Butland... or what about Tom Heaton or Wayne Hennessy? Please not Joe Hart. NSNO

Williams and Jags for me ? Although not the tallest pairing !

Interesting competition for places- can't see Kone, Williams coming in to play second fiddle or the club captain or Argentina international wanting to be on the bench!

No further comment necessary!

However, Moyes insists he has no intention of selling the defender due to the difficulty of finding a replacement before the transfer window closes on August 31.

"Kone will stay," Moyes said. "The offer's been rejected by me, yes. I've had that offer for a while now and I could have invested the money two weeks ago but doing that is very difficult."

The ashen Ginger One getting above himself ... replacement huh ? how about Jagielka ? it's a win-win for all parties including Jagielka as I don't imagine Koeman would give him a long term contract and we install Williams as skipper, a real, vocal leader with no illusions about his ability to distribute the ball / take raking free kicks.

Practice what you preach, carrot top. Let him come to a bigger club!