Klaassen keen to stay and fight for his place

Friday, 18 May, 2018 49comments  |  Jump to most recent

Davy Klaassen's agent has told the Dutch media that far from looking for an exit this summer the midfielder wants the chance to impress Everton's new management.

The 25-year-old arrived from Ajax in a big-money transfer last summer but had trouble adapting to the Premier League in what was a struggling team under former Blues boss, Ronald Koeman.

He made just one start in the Europa League dead rubber in Nicosia against Apollon Limassol between the time Koeman was sacked and the end of the season and came very close to joining Napoli during the January transfer window.

That move collapsed due to an apparent disagreement over image rights and while murmurings that it could be revived have surfaced in recent weeks, it looks as though he would like to stay at Goodison Park after all following the departure of Sam Allardyce.

“Davy is not someone who gives up quickly. He wants to start the preseason at Everton,” said his agent Sà¸ren Lerby.

Klaassen's prospects with the Blues could be enhanced now that his countryman Marcel Brands has arrived as the club's new director of football. Brands will have watched plenty of the Holland international during his time with Ajax's rivals PSV.

 

Reader Comments (49)

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Pat Kelly
1 Posted 18/05/2018 at 19:16:23
Good news. We need players who want to play for Everton and prove themselves. He's had a tough time so far at the Club but still wants to stay. I hope he can show his true class and become a legend.
Si Pulford
2 Posted 18/05/2018 at 19:36:21
Fair play. Time to knuckle down then and prove it on the pitch. Many, mainly players from overseas don't click until the second season. Let's hope Davy is one of them.
Andrew Heffernan
3 Posted 18/05/2018 at 19:36:45
Respect Davy - Agree Pat. It will be interesting to see how he settles and develops with more game time and if we play more attacking football under a new manager with new signings.
Ray Smith
4 Posted 18/05/2018 at 19:38:18
The lad has never been given a chance!

Is that really the Everton way, no it's not.

Fair play to him for sticking with it. You never know he might just be the catalyst that we perceived when we signed him. IMO

Mark Tanton
5 Posted 18/05/2018 at 19:38:18
Clean slate for everyone now Davey boy. Look at Niasse - he's now going to be working for gaffer who signed him for Hull!
Paul Rimmer
6 Posted 18/05/2018 at 19:53:21
He struggled to adapt in that tough run of fixtures at the start of the season and was frozen out. With Rooney gone, I think he could become the scoring midfielder we lack. Playing alongside Gana would be helpful to him with Gylfi in front as he's a technically gifted player.
Andrew Ellams
7 Posted 18/05/2018 at 19:54:44
Of course this may not ultimately be his decision to make.
Bill Gienapp
8 Posted 18/05/2018 at 20:03:39
I really hope Klaassen stays. Given the general grousing over how many gutless malcontents are in the squad, he's the sort of player we should we embracing – heart, intelligence and a willing desire to fight for his place. Presumably he wasn't the captain of Ajax for nothing.

Of course, time may prove that he's simply not up to it in the Premier League, but I'd like to see him get the chance.

James Hopper
9 Posted 18/05/2018 at 20:06:21
Fair play! Great attitude to come out and say this and it should earn him another chance at the very least.
Anthony Hawkins
10 Posted 18/05/2018 at 20:08:57
If (when) Rooney leaves, there'll be more room and opportunity for those younger than Rooney to prove themselves. The whole squad has been miss managed and that's been very telling from Allardyce's comments.

He came in thinking he had a battle on his hands when all they needed was structuring and motivating. Instead they got a ‘go battle your hearts out'. Allardyce just chose those who would battle.

Gavin Johnson
11 Posted 18/05/2018 at 20:12:35
Echoing what others have said, I like Klaassen's attitude. It's quite refreshing in the modern game. I think he could thrive played in the right system.

That said, IMO, either him or Rooney has to make way for an attacking midfielder who has pace and can move the ball up the park. I hope it's Rooney who leaves.

Neil Lawson
12 Posted 18/05/2018 at 20:15:57
We have all bemoaned the complete lack of creativity in the team. Davy has those skills and it would be short-sighted to discard him without giving him a proper opportunity to prove his worth. His attitude does him great credit.

It's reasonable to assume that Brands knows him well as a player, and if he rates him, then he will surely get that chance.

Michael Lynch
13 Posted 18/05/2018 at 20:18:29
I like his attitude too, but to be honest he's done nothing on the few occasions he's been given a chance. Plus he's clearly not producing anything at all in training otherwise he'd have been given more chances.

The clue was there in the way he performed in the Europa League final against Man Utd – he disappeared against a Premier League team, and I think that's what the managers have seen this season at Finch Farm.

If he gets the opportunity to move away from the Premier League, he should grab it.

Lev Vellene
14 Posted 18/05/2018 at 20:20:48
Actually, Klaassen has been given chances. And he probably looked bad most of the time!

However, Everton have never used him as he should be used! I remember his (few) early games, he was getting the ball and passing it quickly! Mostly forwards. Where someone should be to receive it... But the rest of the team were too sluggish to move onto those passes!

So yes, give him a chance to function within a new setup!

Seb Niemand
15 Posted 18/05/2018 at 20:39:31
I don't know why, I have no empirical proof, but something in my gut tells me there is greatness in Klaassen. I'm glad he is showing a good attitude here and I really hope he gets the kind of run in a settled side that lets him show his obvious wares.
Rick Pattinson
16 Posted 18/05/2018 at 20:47:05
He best start showing some aggression and wanting the ball more. Every time I've watched him he's very lightweight and doesn't get involved. Man the fuck up and start kicking ass in the Premier League!
Derek Knox
17 Posted 18/05/2018 at 22:20:17
Michael Lynch @13, my sentiments entirely, on the few limited chances he has been given, it's as if the game is too fast for him.

I hope I'm wrong, and his attitude has to be admired, but that does not make up for any deficiencies in his game.

Jason Leung
18 Posted 18/05/2018 at 22:24:48
IMO, giving a game once every blue moon isn't giving a player a chance, he needs a decent run of games and then we can judge.
I, like many others on here, reckon there's greatness in him and in an attacking minded team, rather than hoofball like we saw under FS, he can become that attacking midfielder we have been wanting since arteta left.
Peter Mills
22 Posted 18/05/2018 at 22:34:58
It's very difficult to tell a player's attitude these days, Klaassen is very unlikely to match his contract elsewhere so could simply be looking to extend his stay and coin it.

However, the indications are that he is a decent character. And while he has struggled for pace and muscle, he has also shown a bit of vision with his passing. I wouldn't write him off just yet.

Mike Gaynes
23 Posted 18/05/2018 at 22:44:08
I'd say it's a Klaassey move on his part.

Look forward to getting his opportunity, and while I don't think he's nearly the player that Sigurdsson is, he may well become a contributor.

Philip Bunting
24 Posted 18/05/2018 at 22:49:41
Derek I posted the same thoughts in the build up to signing him. I was working out in Holland at the time and attended a few matches most notably Feyannord lifting the title on the final day in Rotterdam. What struck me that day was the speed of the game. Non exisstant, so slow and players standing off each other only getting the ball when a pass goes wayward. I said at the time he may well struggle and unfortunately it's come to pass. I think He is best suited to a slower style of play and think Italian football would be right up his street.
Gaute Lie
25 Posted 18/05/2018 at 22:54:51
Good news. But he was really bad in our last game. So he better up himself somehow.

It looks he lacks adrenalin and warrior instinct. Always afraid to run at opposite players when not in possesion and keeps away from duels.

I hope he comes through, but it depends on his character, I guess

Tom Bowers
26 Posted 18/05/2018 at 23:04:29
Adrenalin and warrior instinct !!!! I didn't see that in any of the regulars last season let alone people like Klassen.
David Barks
27 Posted 18/05/2018 at 23:08:02
To use the Dutch league style of play as being slow and stand offish as a reason to condemn Klaassen is ignoring the many player to come from Holland and thrive in England. Here be a red flash. Other than English players, most players around Europe spend time in multiple leagues playing multiple styles. Might want to look into that fact and think about why England hasn't won a damn thing in over 50 years.
Steavey Buckley
28 Posted 18/05/2018 at 23:12:19
I have no doubt, none of the Everton squad want to leave Everton. That's what is worrying me.
Don Alexander
29 Posted 18/05/2018 at 23:23:47
To me he looks ill-equipped to provide the pace, power and physical strength so lacking in our midfield players. That said, I think he's shown signs of a good football brain, severely hampered as he's been by being pretty much devoid of options to pass to when he gets possession. He reminds me a little of Martin Dobson, undoubtedly skillful but not a guy to be relied upon in the sort of muck-and-bullets battles our inept recruitment has reduced us to. I hope he can make the grade next season because sure as eggs are eggs we ain't going to recoup anything like what we paid for him if he has to go.
David Currie
30 Posted 18/05/2018 at 23:27:17
The stupid large contracts that we gave to players like Klassen, Schneiderlin, Mirallas and Sandro mean it will be difficult for them to walk away. They will never get contracts again like they got with us. Klassen was poor in the games that he played in and 3 managers did not rate him. Koeman has come out and said he may have made a mistake with him.
Don Alexander
31 Posted 18/05/2018 at 23:37:39
Steavey (#28), I agree with you. I've said on numerous occasions that our "old guard" seem to have realised from the moment they signed for us that it'd never get better for them than what they've got with us and are therefore unwilling to push on and improve themselves, to the cost of the club. They don't have the belief in themselves, rightly or wrongly. They therefore have no "leadership" credentials, Seamus conspicuously aside.

Too early for me to judge what last summer's signings are like regarding "character" but if they have it I agree they're unfortunately keeping it well hidden up to now. Hopefully a coach (Silva, if he comes) with the ability to physically explain to the poor dears the complexities of how they should best stand and/or move in a game situation might be the very thing they've been searching for as they troupe into Finch Farm every sodding week in their diamond-encrusted Porsches or whatever.

Ernie Baywood
32 Posted 18/05/2018 at 23:44:11
I thought his early performances weren't that bad. The best description of them would have been "slightly underwhelming". Looking back, that's not exactly horrendous considering he was a young man who had moved country to a new league.

That's a long way from how people think of him now, though. That's the impact of not having a manager who can guide people through these spells. Instead we now think of him as being nowhere near good enough based on his exclusion, manager press comments, and an occasional appearance out of nowhere.

Good on him for wanting to fight for his place.

Graham Williams
33 Posted 19/05/2018 at 00:44:48
Klassen played in the game against the Cypriot team, and I remember thinking he was my MoTM - although Lookman obviously ran him close as he scored the 2 goals. So I've always thought he hadn't had a fair crack of the whip on this site when he's been - fairly mercilessly - slagged off.
Having said that earlier in the season he hadn't impressed. He'd struck me as being on the slow side getting back to help out - which was the problem with our other number 10s as well - Siggy, Rooney definitely, Tom D and Barkley too. Which I'd also consider as the main problem for the team last season.
But I wouldn't give up on Davey - he deserves a decent run of games, perhaps with someone faster alongside him, and maybe with a bit more bite. Someone like . Tony Kay. Those were the days!
Teddy Bertin
34 Posted 19/05/2018 at 04:11:58
If this is true then it's a great lesson in fan power. The fans feel there has been an injustice and when the player makes it onto the pitch or walks around the club he feels like there is a wave of public opinion in his favour.

He feels like he can show Everton that his last season at Ajax wasn't a fluke but the start of a great career.

I sat in the stands when Stones and Barkley were literally called C**nts by certain fans for giving the ball away under Martinez. If the fans can be the 12th man then they can equally be like a man sent off and we saw that at home in Martinez's last season.

For whatever reason we feel threatened by players like Rooney, Stones and Barkley but after this season Davy falls into that great underdog category that we love so much. I hope he comes back and shows us how good he is but I equally hope that we get behind players like Keane and Tuson to show the players that are struggling that we get behind players if they show the right heart and qualities regardless of what manager they play under or where we finish in the league

Tony Abrahams
35 Posted 19/05/2018 at 06:11:54
I don't slag players Teddy, unless they are not trying, but this Michael Keane, has been dreadful.

I will reserve my judgement on Tosun, because trying to adapt to a new style of football, whilst nearly being isolated as much as Klassen, will not have been easy.

Onto Klassen, and it's all about physicality, because I don't think his touch, or understanding of the game is in question? He could maybe take another touch, rather than knocking most things off first time, but if he his to stay, then maybe we will see a much improved player next season? Hopefully surrounded by more mobility.

Salim Rehman
36 Posted 19/05/2018 at 07:58:39
Well done Klassen and respect for that. There is a player in their regards to him, play him in his natural position and lets take it from there.

All eyes on you now Davey boy show us what you did for Ajax.

Mark Rimmer
37 Posted 19/05/2018 at 08:18:19
The classic statement of a footballer who's more than happy picking up a fortune and giving nothing in return. Three managers didn't rate him, he knows he's out of his depth, if he realty wanted to play football he'd take the inevitable pay cut and move on. Can't blame the lad though, I'd be more than happy for Ajax to pay me millions to sit on my backside.
George Stuart
38 Posted 19/05/2018 at 08:33:33
Is it reasonable to wonder if there something wrong in the football universe if the Captain of Ajax cant even get a sniff of a place in Everton team ? Barcelona's team for that matter(A sniff remember).

The Dutch pace and stamina is much less than the Premiership. In fact all other examples of footie are less intense than the premiership. We want world class skills, with aggression at pace.
When it works its breathtaking but exhausting for the players.
Also trying it at world class tournaments means a more thoughtful approach will spank us every time.

Back to the Dutch, a good Aussie (I know) coach once told me that good coaches like to pull the ball back and then get routines moving forward because they have no control otherwise. Hours of practice, see. Thus they can run "plays" ! Awful isn't it. However it can work. Dutch coaches are very, well coachie. Had I been a good coach I would have liked to do that too. Nothing infuriates me more than a dead ball situation stuffed up because of inattention or poor execution. A poor (actually sometimes a bad) corner from a professional footballer being paid A$400,000 a week sends me incandescent.

The point . second season, he understands more what "You need more bottle and thrutch" means. He knows what to expect now. Now there's no one to blame but himself. Oh and strikers who cant move into place quick enough.

Justin Doone
39 Posted 19/05/2018 at 08:43:06
He's not good enough. Sell him for £15M or there abouts and cut iur losses.

If he was a great player I'd say build the team around him. He's isn't.

He may improve playing a different style but the lack of mobility and toughness can't be trained into him.

Tony Abrahams
40 Posted 19/05/2018 at 11:43:45
Especially if that poor corner, doesn't get enough height on it George, and is cleared away at the near post unchallenged because Everton, haven't put a player on the front post!

This has been happening since Roberto took over, and successive managers have done nothing much to change it. Who said too much money can make people lazy? That's definitely the case in football, but hopefully Brands, is going to be a lot more methodical than our last 3 international managers.

Frank Wade
41 Posted 19/05/2018 at 12:24:34
I'm glad he's staying. Hopefully Brands and the new manager can devise a better style of play. A style of play with constant off the ball movement in attack. In some of the early Europa games, Davy showed the vision for the quick first touch pass to the runner. A pass to Calvert-Lewin v Ruzumberok comes to mind, I know they were lower level.

When played with Sigurdsson and Rooney, he didn't have those running targets to hit. Actually, playing as a No 10 for Everton must be a soul-destroying experience. Very little forward movement. Too many players adopting a spectator's role.

I am sure he will be working on the physical side of the game. He has the vision. I hope he makes it.

John Hammond
42 Posted 19/05/2018 at 14:54:21
Doesn't seem to be the kind of player happy to pick up big wages and not even make the matchday squad nevermind the bench. You aren't made captain of a club with that kind of attitude. Deserves respect and a proper chance of proving himself with hopefully a more coherent set up than last season.

Don't forget he'd been at Ajax all his life and made the move to a new country and league. Not every player adapts immediately and it makes it even harder when the club is a bit of shitshow.

Maybe it doesn't work out but let's not just ship him out after one season.

Matthew Williams
43 Posted 19/05/2018 at 15:19:10
Good to hear.

Needs to be given game time to assess him properly, not just binned off as an expensive mistake.

All our players deserve a chance to shine.

Fran Mitchell
44 Posted 19/05/2018 at 17:51:49
The new Bergkamp? We can only hope.
Tony Everan
45 Posted 19/05/2018 at 18:13:53
This pre season will be massive for Davy Klaassen.

I am glad he wants to fight, I am hoping and willing him to prove himself and come good.

He needs to grab any opportunity with both hands because time and patience are rare commodities in the Premier League.

Graham Hodgson
46 Posted 20/05/2018 at 01:17:22
I don't think Davy has actually said anything about wanting to stay and fight for his place. The article says:

' “Davy is not someone who gives up quickly. He wants to start the preseason at Everton” said his agent Søren Lerby.'

So, I read that as Davy's agent wants him at Everton for the start of preseason only. That way he will be in the shop window before the season starts and after the World Cup is over. Hey, if he does want to stay then all well and good, but I just hear bullsh*t when I see quotes from agents.

Terry Underwood
47 Posted 21/05/2018 at 11:34:03
Nice to see someone willing to fight for his place and show how good he is. Good luck to the lad.
Peter Roberts
48 Posted 21/05/2018 at 18:23:43
Graham

That would be a valid conspiracy theory if the Dutch were actually at the World Cup...

Drew O'Neall
49 Posted 21/05/2018 at 19:33:45
He didn't want his image rights and nor did Napoli.
Ian Carter
50 Posted 21/05/2018 at 21:01:29
Hope he at least gets a chance to show what he's got. Seems to be a good player but the Premier League isn't for everyone. But he deserves a better chance to prove himself. Wasn't really afforded a good enough opportunity this season in my opinion.

Allardyce sure as hell didn't give him an opportunity, although he would've played him out of position if he had. But hopefully he gets a chance and then the club can make a decision on whether or not he's a piece worth keeping.

Graham Hodgson
51 Posted 21/05/2018 at 01:05:40
Peter @48.

I do realise that the Dutch are not at the World Cup. The point I was making was that it is unlikely there will be much transfer activity during the World Cup. Things will likely ramp up after the Cup has finished but before the season starts.

The other point I was suggesting related to Agents saying “xyx, etc”. If Davy came out and said something himself, then maybe I would believe the hype.

Karen Mason
52 Posted 22/05/2018 at 14:22:58
Agree with you, John at #42.

He captained a club with a great history and good standing in Holland. Not just a run of the mill player, but their captain. From the very little we did get to see of Davy, he does look like a nice pass and move kinda player, which I personally love to see. Disasterous season for him to join the club, and for the 2nd part of the season, when he may have been ready to step into Prem league, he had Allardyce to contend with.

I agree with most on here, that I would love to see him given a proper try, with a proper manager/coach. There is definitely something there, just hope he gets a chance to show us and we get the chance to see it. Would be a sad state of affairs to see him go, then see him light up elsewhere.


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