Palace fail to get deal done for Kone

It's not always easy shipping players out.

That said, we really need a striker.

Appreciate we don't have a whole lot to play for, but we need more than Valencia and Mirallas as backup.

This is exciting me more than any incoming players, could be 6/7 if Jags goes in the window.

Smacks of a good summer shopping plan with wages off the books for FFP.

McGeady clinging on like a Barnacle!

Jags is another one who is probably surplus to requirements but pointless shipping him out might as well keep hold of him even if he not getting any game time, been a great servant to the club.

Good luck Arouna. Ciao.

Time we stopped filling our squad with such ordinary players and started recruiting single-minded winners.

Obviously waiting til summer to get the quality we need.

🙈 Sorry.

Is McAleny or Duffus anywhere near shouldering responsibility if unthinkable injuries should occur after the January deadline? Anyone I've missed?

Get rid of Jags and Lennon eh?

Such short memories.

A plethora of midfielders and defenders with only 1 striker proves Everton will have another difficult season, what's left of it anyway. I think Koeman has a rather generous view of Everton if he thinks he can get to and stay in the top 6 without back-up strikers. He thinks so much of Valencia that he was transacted on loan and as for his game-time, probably 180 minutes at the most through the entire duration he's been here.

Perhaps it comes down to commercial intent, ie, ship off a load of expensive players off the books and play nice bonuses for the commercial shareholders. 'Jobs for the boys'. Business as usual boys, with the illusion that there's been a good transfer window.

Fans on here are saying out with the old, but where is the new? This boardroom is rapidly recouping the money spent on Schneiderlin and Lookman.We have got quite a lot off the payroll and sold Oviedo and Gibson for ٥ million. Kone will bring in some more plus his wages will be ended. We are already loaning out the kids and Kenwright was seen outside The Grapes with a ukulele :)

Sad to see Oviedo go, nice fella who gave his all.

Can we really expect a couple of big signings? It feels like we're being prepped for it.

Lennon has been shite since he got a perm contract. Put the effort in when on loan then got his pension top up. Never rated him and doubt he'll survive the Koeman axe this summer.

Jags has been a great servant but is now 4th choice if we're being honest. It'll be better for him to move onto somewhere he gets regular games. Must be galling for him to have gone from captain and regular starter to struggling to make the bench. Mind we need a replacement CB if he goes, if Koeman wants to carry on playing 3 CBs.

And that was AFTER he signed his contract... which was in September 2015.

You're the one with the short memory, mate.

As for Kone, well, if there are offers for him, just sell him, although I appreciate he's nearing the end of his contract and isn't worth much.

Let's face it we need a clear out of all the driftwood; similar to Donald Trump, big Ron laid out his plans and he's keeping to his word. Things are happening, although like in the States, there's always a minority who are never happy.

Ask yourself if we moved him on what team would buy him, my guess would be that no club in the top 8 would go near him, not even as a squad player.

Lennon is quick and does work extremely hard when he's on the pitch, but I believe he's not at the level is like us to expect from Everton players going forward.

I like Koeman's words when talking about the goalkeeper situation: "It's difficult and hard to take for Maarten but that's football, that's business, and sometimes you need to wait for your opportunity to come back." But that means that Joel is starting on Wednesday.

I forgot about Lennon, only a matter of time.

He's always tried hard when he's in the side, and that long term injury seems to be well behind him, so I wouldn't be happy to lose him right now, unless another striker was brought as replacement... Valencia doesn't seem to be up to the task.

Anyway what would you do? Hang on to all these fringe players when we have potentially better youngsters coming through from our best in a generation crop of kids? No this is all good.

I agree we need cover for Lukaku, but Koeman obviously thinks Valencia is a better short term bet than Kone. But he's only short term. Even after Valencia came on and changed the game recently Koeman still said it didn't mean he'd be permanent. It will have to wait until the summer.

I'd take Lukaku off and leave Valencia on for his superior pressing game up front.

Perfect example was the derby day against the shite where we lost Macca and then Valencia came off. We then had no industry in our pressing game and we lost. If we had of taken off Lukaku instead, I think we would have at least gotten a draw.

You guys forget Valencia's work rate is phenomenal, while not much of a goal threat, his defense and support play is remarkable.

However, it thoroughly pisses me off when some of our more fact-challenged members here – and Denis (#40) is by no means the only one – smear a relentlessly hardworking and frequently effective player with this odious shite about getting lazy once he got his contract.

It's a damnable and obvious lie, and a man who has honored his Everton shirt every minute he's worn it deserves better.

£80,000 a week and a guaranteed game every week (irrespective of form) = "Slave performance".

So moved was I by Romelu's plight, I asked him his preferred path toward becoming a 'freedman'.

Trouble is, in Lukaku's mind, 'manumission' meant Mourinho must have had second thoughts about him and has now decided he's the perfect guy to spearhead his attack, whilst 'emancipation' meant City are definitely interested but are probably just biding their time.

Anyway, after ripping both my arms off, he's currently pegging it across a cotton field with a pack of blood thirsty hounds hot on his heels and an angry mob bemoaning the fact the "lazy bastard" doesn't bomb about like that more often.

Gets the wages off. Probably 㿞k a week so not insubstantial.

That is insulting and Palace should be told to offer a nominal fee of say ٟ-2m and Kone can go with the club's blessing.

It's important the club lets the players in the squad know there'll be no deals done whilst players are in contract which don't suit the club first and rolling over and letting Palace tickle our belly is hardly the way to go about this.

What Everton player has ever thought, "Fuck it, I'm injured, dead fucking wood, that'll wind them up on ToffeeWeb"?

Read more at http://www.croydonadvertiser.co.uk/Everton-striker-joins-crystal-palace-on-short-term-contract/story-30101447-detail/story.html#L1PkLvL7cCRWdM7e.99

That is a very interesting comment. And, after all its EFC who pursued the player in question. I am pretty sure a player doesn't lose form (become deadwood) by his own volition.

Nothing would please me better than to see Niasse continue at Hull with a hat-trick plus against Man Utd and continue to be prolific throughout the rest of the season.

I like that we can all welcome him back with a big family hug, from a big family club. I for sure would be more than willing to forgive and forget, after all. His past misgivings at Everton does not mean he is a bad person, or any other former Everton player, who tried and failed for that matter.

We understand a move for Everton striker Arouna Kone is OFF!

Come on, who's the first lemon to wish him good luck?

Seeing as the club didn't bring in an experienced forward, I'm glad that Kone remains with the club until the end of the season; we may need him.

Kone is the only recognised backup for Lukaku and, whilst he remains an Everton player, I will gladly be the first 'lemon' to wish him good luck.

A skilled player whose knee blew up, so did us little good. To me, the only thing "dodgy" about him is that he was in and out right from Day 1 his first pre-season. Remember the "It's because of Ramadan" excuse? I always wondered how bad that knee was when Martinez brought him along.

The answer has to be money, even if he was only offered a short term deal to prove himself. Why go to Palace on a much reduced wage, when Everton are paying for your new indoor pool and rear extension?

Of course I empathise with the lad with his injuries, but he has made himself a multi-millionaire on the back of it and I have little sympathy for someone who has made that choice. I'd wager he won't even feature on the bench, particularly now we are relatively safe and have no cup distractions.

That would still be the case if Lukaku was out injured until the end of the season, Lookman, Mirallas, Calvert-Lewin or one of the other kids would be chosen ahead of him.

Remember, he chose that over potentially getting regular football in the smoke. I really can't wait the slam the door behind him come July.

Of course he is entitled to stay – not his fault his knee went and when he plays he tries and does sometimes score. He looked decent at Wigan but injury has taken a lot out of him.

He has always proved a very useful player when he's been on the pitch for us and particularly last season he offered quite a goal threat to go with the exceptional work-rate.

As for getting this supposed top quality "backup" striker?

I think we all need to realise that the only way a top class striker is coming to Everton is to actually replace Lukaku NOT to play second fiddle as backup to him.

The best bet for a useful backup striker, someone to do the dirty work for Rom would be a guy like Shane Long or Charlie Austin, affordable and Koeman knows them already from Southampton.

As for turning down regular football, who says that he would have ousted Benteke or Remy who are already there?

I don't rate him, but I can see his point of view.

He could fill a place on the bench if Lookman or Valencia aren't there or God forbid Lukaku gets injured (nightmare scenario).

To be fair again to Kone, he's never been good enough and he's past what he had now at 33 but at times last season particularly early on he did look half decent.

The bad injury and father time limited his opportunities, but he has had Lukaku to displace since Lukaku was signed which was never going to happen.

He is taking up valuable car parking space at Finch Farm. Time to put him and a couple of others on the Deadwood stage and make room for some new dead wood.

I hope the summer brings an increase in transfer market – but please without any involvement at all from the master chairman; surely Walsh can do better, regardless of parties involved!!

Kone is a very intelligent centre-forward in terms of his hold up play and movement and at the time we signed him would have been a marked improvement on what we had (nothing).

If he had avoided the injury he would have been a good example to Lukaku who despite getting on the end of plenty, still doesn't have the wherewithal to play as a lone target man.