Silva: 'We have to really improve our squad'

If Mina is completed tomorrow, that means he will have signed Richarlison in attack, Digne for LB and Mina for CB. That’s honestly a good start and radically different from last Summer’s disorganized transfers.

I have no doubt we’ll still be busy up until the window, with both players leaving and 2-3 more coming in. We did need to reduce the squad and reduce the wage bill. It was important to the business side as well as the locker room. But the focus is very clearly on adding quality instead of just numbers. I don’t think we’ll see any Martina like signings under this management, thank God.

Tosun is good but we don't have anything else. Niasse tries but is not good enough and DCL is very average to me. Sandro needs a new start elsewhere.

If we bring in Mina later today and make another signing or two before Thurs, it will have to be our best window since Martinez's first summer at the club. M&M have had a difficult window bearing in mind they have had to sell and release players as well as signing them. You can also see they are trying to get a balanced squad with 2 decent players in every position. I also don't see us buying rubbish like Martina under their watch.

IMO, as well as Vlasic and Martina we also need to try and offload Besic and Niasse if we can bring a striker in as a replacement. Tosun is our only quality stiker at this point.

Richarlison, Walcott, Tosun and Sigurdsson are our attackers. That much is clear. Maybe Calvert-Lewin will look better filling in for Tosun with those players surrounding him, but I'm not convinced by him. If we need to we can play Walcott through the middle.

I just don't think we need to upset the squad up top because I don't think we'll actually get a top quality player. We'd just be adding numbers and that's exactly what I don't want to do. But if something falls in our lap that is real quality then that is different. Right now though, central midfield after central defense is what I want. And it's that quality central midfielder that I could see being a loan move.

Totally agree with both your comments, I've mentioned several times on here over the pre-season and showed news articles with quotes from Brands that our clubs main focus was reducing the squad size and wage bill before making any additions, hence the late start in getting new players in.

I think Silva himself is a little worried and probably thought more deals would of been done by this late stage. But it just shows how poorly executed the previous transfer strategy was run and how difficult a task it has been to get players off the books.

I hope your right on 2-3 more signings after Mina (fingers crossed that this goes through quickly). I personally think we might only get one more after Mina, due to how late in the window it is and that I think the club were hoping to have gotten more players out by this stage.

If I had to choose what position, it would have to be a pacey box to box midfielder to replace Shneiderlin and just have one defensive midfielder. As I think we are in a better position with options up front than we are in central midfield.

I'd like to give Tosun a full season, plus I like Niasse as a sub as he offers something different.

Ajay, don't feel too bad for Holgate. He has Achilles' tendinitis. It'll be a setback for his early season, but definitely NOT for his career.

Added to Zouma, buy or loan Loftus Cheek and we will have a decent squad that should only need tweaking in the next couple of windows. While I'd like us to get an improvement on Niasse, that might be something we can do next window.

We need a ball carrying central midfielder (still don’t think Sigurdsson has the tools in his armour to be what we are crying out for).

We need a striker, how many clubs aiming to challenge the top 6 would be going with Tosun, Niasse and DCL as their options?

We need 4 signings before Thursday but I’m nowhere near convinced we’ll get that many.

I just hope I’m not watching a starting team on Saturday week including Keane, Jagielka, Davies and Schneiderlin, all pedestrian one paced plodders.

Keane, Mina, and Holgate are all young and we should get a relatively experienced CB to work with them.

Add about £10-15 million on that and I think you'd be close, he still has 5 years on his contract and his current valuation is £15 million.

Pickfords current valuation is £35 million, and when the Chelsea rumours started, fans said they wouldn't sell for a penny less than £75 million.

I like him though and if we are interested in another CB, i'd definitely go for him over the others being linked with us.

I'd definitely steer clear of Vida, Victor @17, after 2 dreadful years of getting players past their peak, the club has to be smarter.

It looks like we’re signing two centre backs if possible. I’d love Lascelles and I think Loftus-Cheek would be a great signing for midfield. If we only signed those two I’d be pretty happy. Anyone else would be a bonus.

Silva seems to have fallen into the trap of telling selling clubs that we’re desperate, whilst telling his current players he doesn’t believe in them. Not the way to go about things in my opinion.

He didn't put up the fab four on the market until last week. We knew they were struggling at the end of last season.

Two central defensers and one quality creative pacey midfielder is what is needed now. Replace Keane, Jagielka and Davies or Geuye and put them on the bench.

Get Schneiderlin, Sandro and Besic off the wage bill and you are on your way to being respected by the fans.

Wouldn’t be too disappointed with Lindelof or Smalling to be honest, both are better than our other options. As much as I’d love Laschelles, I just can’t see another major big money purchase this summer. Hopefully I’m wrong though as I think he would be a brilliant addition, we desperately need some aggression in our defending, been lacking for years. They’ve all been far too nice!! I don’t mean dirty players, just those who love defending and hate conceding.

I guess Drinkwater on loan wouldn’t be too bad either but I’d dearly love Dembele for a season or 2, he’d make a huge difference and worth the huge wages in trying to get to where we want to get to.

As for a striker, always tough as they seem hard to find. Could do worse than Welbeck, not a huge goal threat but managers have always liked him as he follows instructions and understands the pressing game.

I understand we want to bring in your players. But with 3 young CBs (assume Mina signs), we need an experienced CB to work with them. If we go with three CBs in some situations, I certainly don't want 3 CBs under 25 to play together.

Between them Richarlison, Walcott and Sigurdsson will provide him with the chances he needs. They will also score a few themselves.

Defence is where our problems lie - the signing of Mina should go a long way to solving that, however a loan deal for Drinkwater would be the icing on the cake for me.

Worse still, we let two senior CB's go. I can understand Williams but without a replacement already in place Funes Mori should never have been allowed to leave.

The blame lies squarely with Brands and Silva. If we haven't recruited a first choice CB by the time we kick off against wolves then they have put our club in jeopardy.

The peak age for a CB is 27, after that he is in decline.

You googled that, and that was an article from 2014. Their is a much later article in 2017, which goes in to great detail explaining peak ages for all positions. The games changing so fast these days.

You say you can't have just kids without experience, we haven't Coleman's nearly 30 and Digne is 25, that's plenty of experience in the back 4. Plus if they can't get rid of Jagielka before window shuts, he'll still be there to help them in training.

All transfers can be a gamble but Mina more so for most of us having only seen him play at the World Cup, reminds me of the redshite signing Phill Babb on the back of a couple of good performances for Ireland during the World Cup in the States.

He's shockingly slow over short distances and clumsy too by all accounts.

He'll fit right in at Everton.

We'd never be able to market a anti-ageing skin cream would we.

My opinion on key positions changes from striker to defence to midfield. We haven’t replaced Barkley or Lukaku in what they offer, although we might find Richarlison could play a central role linking midfield to attack if his passing is good.

Well, that's what he is going to have to do anyway.

It would be nice if we could get 3 or 4 goals each game, but if you are conceding at the same time, it is a waste of time.

Sorting the defence is key in this window, if you don't concede many, you become difficult to beat, if you concede none and score one in the same game, it is success and 3 points.

Like many have said, Silva has inherited a crock of the brown stuff, and it will take several 'window's to achieve what he envisages is best for Everton.

Personally, although he was not my preferred choice, I think he is doing okay, pre-season just highlighted how big a task he has to rectify his predecessors' mistakes, this can't be achieved by signing just one or two players.

I admire him for giving the fringe and younger players a fair crack of the whip, but sadly few, if any, have taken that opportunity to claim a squad or first team slot.

I was sorry to see Barkley leave, and apparently mobster troubles/threats was a contributory factor.

But he had a full game on Sunday and achieved 2 out of 10 with a performance described by the Guardian pundit as 'irrelevant in a midfield mush'.

We are not the only side with problems it seems, and I don't believe Barkley is part of the solution.

It has always pissed me off that we let Duffy go, I'm Irish so maybe I have a soft spot but that guy has more pace than a lot of CB's and would literally put his neck on the line for a result (which very few of our current group would) and he loved the club, absolutely loved being at Everton. He could have been a club captain, takes no shit but gives plenty.

Duffy downed tools at Everton. He was a young player then and fell out with Smith and Knox. We gave him ample time to prove himself in an Everton shirt but never made the grade. The fact a top side have never been in for him is testament to the fact that he wasn't good enough.

Duffy is 26 years old, born in 1992. Meaning, with what you're saying, he fell out with the management at just 8/9/10 years of age.

Kids these days, no respect for nothing.

If we get a defender, which I am sure we will, it can be considered a positive window.

Silva and Brands have gone about business correctly, analysing the players we have and correcting key flaws.

Centre midfield also needs to be assessed, but not so urgently.

We all know that challenging the top 6 is not a target for this season. Our principal target is to build.a team and a style of play that makes evertonians enjoy saturdays once again. Once that is done, focus on getting 7th and Euro football next season, then maybe a cup run.

Hopefully over the next 3 years we can seriously compete with the top clubs.

Over this year and the next couple we will see Jagielka gone, probably Baines gone. I’d imagine Schneiderlin will leave over that time. Meanwhile the plan is clearly to bring in quality players in those positions, not just numbers. So it’s going to be about reshaping the squad window after window, not in a single shot. That will allow the team to form a bond and for new players added in the future to more easily geo with the rest of the team.

Just because we were awful at the back without him last season, le's not make Funes Mori out to be some kind of saviour. He was dreadful. (Talk about short memories.)

Callum Chambers could do us, possibly, but Alfie Mawson is about to undergo surgery on his knee so he would not have helped us in our current predicament.

It's Holgate's injury which has shown us again the unfortunate deficiencies of our Captain as well as those of Keane.

As for Ben Gibson... really?

I think if Siggy doesn’t play (injury/rest/suspension) we will play Dowell or perhaps Lookman centrally (he played inside forward for Leipzig I gather?).

I’ve said on another thread I’d like Zouma, quick, strong, premier league proven.

Steve 21 - I'm sure we can find someone else to take penalties in Rooney's absence. Also thankfully, none of gueye, schneids or Davies are in the side for goals. I think our current front 4 (if fit) will cause a lot of teams problems. Its the other end of the pitch that concerns me!

The disappointing thing is Tom Davies shocking drop in form over the last 12 months. He always looks as if he[' been out all night too with bags that make him look 30 years older.

I agree with David Barks at 7. Striker is not a priority. If we don't address the CB issue after the lessons we should have learned with the Lukaku saga last season then Moshiri should be held to account massively. The flanks are well covered so a midfielder who can actually play with the ball at his feet would be more than welcome

Personally, any of Richarlison, Walcott and Lookman can play as central attacker if need be, and could offer a really dynamic attack in doing so.

Also, those writing off Calvert-Lewin are being unfair I feel. The lad is young and has mainly been played out wide, heck he even played at right-back. But he is tall, strong, has pace, reasonable first touch if he can improve his finishing then there is a very decent striker there. So there is no need for us to go and spend £30+million on a striker just yet.

In a years time Henry should be with us also.

The moment is about addressing clear weaknesses, and shipping out clear dead wood.

Hooefully, the new management will help improve the likes of Davies, Holgate, Lookman, Calvert-Lewin, Baningime, Dowell and Joe Williams and save us the need to buy players. In a year, they will know more about these lads and whether they have what it takes or not.

Man Utd friends think Jones is the better defender, further cementing proof of their turd for brain comments.

I'm no more impressed with Mina than any of the injury prone Man Utd lot. So why not Vida. He's exactly the kind of defender I don't want and looks like a red, so maybe he's exactly who we should get just to mix it up. Not that he'd come.

Can't remember the name but try the French ex-Arsenal and Barca lad. I think he's still top class even if he is 32+.

As for bringing back Duffy, we have Pennington. Very similar but sadly not good enough.

We should have kept Funes Mori but I'm not sure the man on the exit door talks to the man on the entrance. It's like giving my bus ticket away on the to work. It makes the journey harder and mitre expensive than it needs be.

Hopefully Galloway is given a chance or there's a rabbit about to be pulled out of a hat. Hopefully the rabbit's name isn't Desperate Dan.

Duffy was a decent defender but he lacked the pace required to hold down a place at Goodison Park. He has improved immensely through his positioning and rarely finds himself exposed by the speed merchants these days.

I think Silva has taken a long look at what we have up top and now knows Tosun and Niasse are nowhere near good enough. Let's hope Calvert-Lewin builds on his potential and becomes more relaxed in front of goal.

The other gaping hole is someone with some passing skills and eneregy in midfield. We simply cannot start Gana with either Schneiderlin or Davies. It doesn't work. We also need to find a role that works for Siggy, although I just don't see how he fits into the system Silva seems to be pursuing. In fact I've never really understood why we bought him, it was bizarre to so desperately chase a player you then struggle to find a position for.

You always need a good striker but that is also the hardest to find, so I think we'll have to stick with what we have and hope Tosun benefits from better service, that Richarlison and Walcott chip in a decent share of goals, and that Silva works on getting a better return from set pieces, especially if we do get Mina.

This would be good business and I think put us in touch of a top 6 shot. For me Schneiderlin has to go along with Bolasie. I am hoping Joe Williams if and when fit can deputies for Gana. It has been rumoured that Silva is a fan.

If I was Everton, I would be more than happy to give both the player and the club the impression that this is not the be all and end all, and we'll walk away if we feel our time is wasted. I'd have no problem in using the press to communicate that.

Barca are in a bit of a hole with this. Mina is basically unusable for them given their recent non EU signings. I imagine the player would prefer CL football but Barca will not want to be left with only Lyon to negotiate with. We need to flush out Lyon's bid, basically tell them if no deal by Wednesday, it's off. And mean it.

Of course our position is not so strong either, unless we have secretly lined up a couple of other CB's but the idea of poker is not to show your hand.

There is no doubt that the defence has been a cause for concern for some time, hopefully part of it will now be replaced, with the potential new signings.

I think with this in place, we will improve dramatically, and increase the confidence of the rest of the team.

As regards the other issues, if Lookman wants to go, let him with a big price tag. He doesn't want to stay and despite me being a fan of his, he seems to be quite immature. The rest we are trying to off load should just go. Get rid, drop the wage bill and put it down to experience.

I don't think we will break top four this year, but I think top six is realistic. There needs to be a lot of faith at the club, Silva, Moshiri and Brands arent passengers, their reputations are all at stake. Its a long-term project, but if it comes off, happy days.

On a bitter and twisted note, I would just like for once to rub the red shites noses in it. Our time is coming.

Have we signed him back already as the ball playing midfielder we are supposedly short of?

"Everton midfielder James McCarthy has delivered a positive injury update on Instagram as he looks to overcome the horrific double leg-break suffered back in January - just under a fortnight before the Toffees' Premier League opener.

The 27-year-old suffered the abysmal injury during a tangle with West Bromwich Albion striker Salomon Rondon during a 1-1 draw with the Midlands outfit, coming off just after the hour mark.
It was another slice of bad luck for the Republic of Ireland international, who is prone to injury and managed just three Premier League appearances before the West Brom clash due to hamstring and knee problems.

However, with less than two weeks until Everton's opener against newly-promoted Wolverhampton Wanderers on August 11, McCarthy has told fans that he is back out on the grass as he ups his recovery ahead of the 2018-19 season.

McCarthy has managed just 19 appearances for Everton over the last two seasons and will certainly have much to prove to new manager Marco Silva in a bid to win back his place in the Toffees side."

Much as I love the guy playing for us and his total commitment and great attitude, I fear another Whiteside, who also played too many games too young in the same style

Have you seen how leaky Utds defence has been? de Gea and the midfield have been helping them out - not that utd have much of a midfield.

I don’t get why everyone seems to accept certain players because ‘they’re better than what we currently have’. Did you see our performances last season? They were dreadful! It’s at times were pretty dire too. Just because a player is a little bit better doesn’t mean they should be our benchmark when our line is way lower than it should be.

Let’s hope MB can do some magic. But credit in off loading, the dead wood.

The very first yardstick is are they better than waht we have, and Lindelof is. In his first EPL season he did OK, 5 clean sheets, 14 goals conceded in 17 games in a United side that was struggling, not least because Pogba could never be bothered to track back so midfield was often wide open. That's not a bad- take a look at Keane's figures!

Could we get better? Maybe, who do you have in mind? Keep to people we have a half decent chance of actually attracting.

Regardless if the fault lies with Barca, Mina or a combination of both we have been desperate for central defenders since last season.

Silva must have been aware of our situation since at least leaving Watford.

We should have moved on to other targets ages ago and consigned Mina to others as soon as we saw an issue.

Leaving this crucial position until a couple of days before the opening game is beyond belief.

The assumptions are that:-

1) we were tardy from the off in not pursuing targets earlier,
2) we are concentrating all our efforts on only one option - i.e. Mina

None of us know these suppositions to be fact.

Brands and his team (because he will not be working alone) may be pursuing half a dozen different leads for any of the positions we are trying to fill.

It may only be the very high profile ones that are considered newsworthy, or are being spoken about to the press by third parties.

Nowadays, with so many instant media sources available it is extremely difficult to conduct any business "under the radar".

But, that doesn't mean it doesn't happen or that we may not be surprised by the announcement at Finch Farm that we have signed Mr X........ who's name has not previously been mentioned in connection with the club.

So who the fuck is gonna score us the goals this season...?

However we are now a few days from kick off and not filled in a position we have known about for almost a year.

I would suggest that whoever, if indeed anyone, comes in now he will spend absolutely no time with the squad prior to kick off.

Personally I am all for going after our apparent number one target, however, there comes a time when we have to say enough is enough and move on. Somehow I do not think a couple of days prior to the end of the transfer window is acceptable to anyone.

https://www.teamtalk.com/news/exclusive-bolasie-in-demand-as-everton-deliver-winger-hurtful-news

You're assuming Macca is going to come back 100%, and that's never an assumption with that injury. Vaughan never made it all the way back. It took Oviedo two full years. Same with Barkley. Coleman to me doesn't look close to his peak yet.

Love your rose-colored glasses, but no.

Everton have become like most other teams in world football, existing only to make mercenaries and agents rich without having to produce any results.

If I had a time machine, I'd go back and strangle Bill Kenwright at birth, the fool responsible for ruining one of football's great clubs and turning it into a laughing stock.

Silva, we’ve given you exactly what you asked for. Sadly there’s not much time to prepare for Wolves, but there’s no European games so we’ve a game a week, giving you time to get the team prepared as we go.

Do your thing Marco and make us proud.