Niasse secures Cardiff loan move

If he's sold, then we may generate funds for a purchase

If he's kept, then he's an option to play and possibly score for us

But a loan deal??? Other than wages paid for us, I can't see how this helps.

Even if there's a loan fee paid, does that offset the reduction in the fee over the lifetime of his contract?

Scratching my head... how does this help us in any material way?

I think we need to trust Brands.

I see we are linked with Dzeko the last few days. I would have him all day long for a quick fix.

I am with Kase #1 on struggling trying to understand the logic in this one.

We loan him out, the club we loan him to pay his wages. We get someone decent in for the same wages, there's your logic.

We get someone decent in and have to pay him 㿲k a week, then you're getting a decent player for 㿀k a week outlay. Not hard to understand.

If they are paying a million or two loan fee and covering his wages, then I can see that makes sense.

I wonder if this means Batshuayi coming this way? His loan move to Monaco has stalled today as apparently Chelsea prefer a permanent option.

We should get the best non-cup-tied striker that we can in.

Clearly, there's no buyers on a permanent basis. I have to assume we'd cut the cord for just about any reasonable amount.

The wages are now off the books for the next few months, and Oumar is officially in the shop window and has motivation to increase his valuation to get a good move.

Niasse is now 4th choice behind Calvert-Lewin, Tosun, and Richarlison. He's not going to play in the next 5-6 months. A loan is perfectly understandable and a smart move for all involved.

Someone who wants to come. Someone we're going to have to pay over the odds because the time of the year. Or someone over the hill on his last pay day. A lot of clubs are panicking for a goal scorer at the moment, lad.

Is there ever a better time to give Calvert-Lewin a run? Are there 17 games left? if so, tell the lad that he is going to start every game and it is his chance. What the fuck are we waiting for? If he isn't deserving of a proper run, then get shut.

I think Brands will have someone coming in that fits the bill, mate.

As soon as we start getting on a player, everyone seems to pile on. Not that he's had a sniff, same along with Tosun. Confidence with both of them slipped along with Walcott.

He wasn't even making the bench so I wouldn't expect us to sign any replacement. Good luck to him and Cardiff. I'm sure he will score goals.

We can only guess how it would have panned out if he had been given a decent run, instead of Tosun and Calvert-Lewin, 'cause he's been giving goals in return when given a chance. He would've put in few more.

Well, he gets his chance at Cardiff, I'll be happy to see him score some and more.

Good luck to him and to Cardiff (I live in Wales) – currently our only Premier League team.

At the end of the day when all is said and done we need to start weeding out the mediocre players from the squad if we want to really progress ourselves as a club to be taken seriously.

To be taken serious as a club going places we need to record better results and better results will only come from gradually signing better players.

How do Lookman, Bernard and Sigurdsson, our clever players who can thread those cute reverse passes into the box, find him?

Niasse suits a Cardiff. Let him chase the back four. Hoof the ball long and let him cause havoc. Niasse is better when he's on his own, because he plays like he's on his own and it must be infuriating to play with him.

Sorry, Niasse, but if we're not better than you, we should be, we have to aim to be, and so you must go. All the best. Keep fighting and smiling and I wish you lots of luck and success – just not against the blues.

What could happen?

1. Batshuayi could be an okay option for the reported 㾾M. There's definitely talent there. Young and pacey are great as well to add.

2. Gueye to PSG? I love Gana but if someone is willing to pay in excess of 㿊M I think Brands will think long and hard. He is 29 and probably won't get much better or have a higher value ever. (Honestly I think they should offer him along with 㿀M for Cavani but I doubt he would come. Although you never know. Rumours are Neymar & Mbappe don't like him. Watching their Champions League games it does seem there is something weird going on. I know it's too much to hope for.)

3. Roma perhaps interested in Schneiderlin and they perhaps have Dzeko on the transfer block? I would send 㿀M with Schneiderlin to get him for sure.

Either I just want them to have a striker not named Richardson. He should be on the left. Anyone saying otherwise is just hasn't been watching our beloved team shit the bed on the weekly basis. I watch from BC Canada sometime at 4:30 am and it's painful at times. even against Bournemouth, we could have easily lost after the first half.

I will say, though, I actually have faith in Brands. I think he was a great hire.

Go Toffees Go!

Oh yes. Imagine if the shite blew the league by losing to Cardiff. Only goal in the 97th minute by Niasse, who was marginally offside but the goal stood.

I'm not sure if this is a good idea. for me it would be preferable to move on Tosun instead. Yes, Niasse is not Champions League quality and has a horrible first touch, but he is fast, doesn't stop, puts pressure on, and for a defender is absolutely annoying. And he can score goals (knees, shins whatever still count).

Silva needs to adapt his formation to the players that are in the squad. Playing the single “point” striker with wingers doesn't work for us. That position is extremely hard to fill, they need to be good in the air, great first touch, fast, strong, be able to hold the ball up and also be able to lead into space. We don't have that, why do we choose to play too it?

I'm not suggesting we play hoof ball, but I'd like to see us at least try something different. Similar to how Man U lined up against Tottenham, two wide players up front, with a fast, skilful player that likes to get stuck in sitting behind them.

Wide left Richarlison, wide right Lookman (Calvert-Lewin, Walcott and Niasse as options off the bench). Bernard central behind them (or Lookman as the other option) both shown they like to nip in and be annoying, both are creative, good control and like to take on people.

Compact midfield trio of Sigurdsson playing the Pogba role (not saying he is Pogba, but he has a great eye for a pass and does cover a lot of ground).

Gueye and Gomes as the other two (Davies, Baningime, McCarthy, Schneiderlin as back up) give them specific direction of hold the space, and always be there for the second ball.

Digne, Mina/Keane/Zouma, Kenny for the back four. Not playing the wing back role, defend first and keep a strong stable base.

Win the ball, find either Gomes or Sigurdsson, and/or release the front three quickly. Play to our strengths of fast mobile, annoying forwards/wingers (as we don't have a striker) and hit on the counter.

Most of the goals that I have seen us score (besides set pieces) are from quick counters with forwards moving at speed onto passes. Whoever we play as the single striker just gets monstered each game. Play a formation and tactic for the players of the squad.

These type of players are worthless. Everton must have more big-money spends loaned out than any other club. Tosun another addition to the list.

Martinez, Koeman and Allardyce really wasted a lot of money.

Henceforth, the pie in the sky of us paying some money along with Gueye... so that is not even an issue. All it would cost is Cavani.

French commentator Julien Laurens, always a reliable source on PSG, is on ESPN today reporting that the club is very confident of landing Gueye for about €35 million. They need his particular skill set desperately.

Steven Bencz, I like your fantasies but there is no way in the world that Dzeko or Cavani would ever come to us. No way.

As for Gueye, based on the last set of accounts if we get offered €35M for a 29-year-old, we are taking it. Look how much money we have generated (and blown) in fees these last few seasons.

The big problem with selling him is, who the hell stops the opposition? We have become quite poor without the ball. If anything we need another holding player in the club, not to be selling our best one.

If Gueye goes, I think we will finish bottom half.

Brands is a smart man.. always said it'll be a 'one in, one out' policy this month... Schneiderlin out next please.

Loans to Turkey.
Loans to Rotherham.
Loans to Marine...

Loans to any entity that will put a tenner a week towards our back catalogue of badly judged half-baked fuckwit buys.

Say all you want about what's happened in the past but I believe we are finally moving away from the amateurish ways we've conducted business with Brands there and I couldn't see the justification or logic in selling Gana in this window without an immediate upgrade being brought in.

He would be a monster in the Royal Blue Number 9 jersey.

Gueye is a key member of the current side, no doubt about it. But, over the longer term of the next few years, he would be discarded anyway. You only need to analysis Silva's teams when they play attacking football, ie, Sporting – William Carvalho, Olympiacos – Esteban Ciambiasso. He likes players deep who are on the ball as soon as we win it and can move the ball quickly up the pitch.

Everton are not doing that, not unless Gomes is sat very deep and then Gueye makes us a man down because he is too deep. Silva wants someone else doing what Gomes does and Gomes further up the pitch, breaking, and looking for the ball.

So the key skills are holding position, because the team now has one less defensive player, tackling, and long passing. It's a completely different skillset. No young Gueye, more like a young Esteban Cambiasso or a William Carvalho type.

The reason I am so certain of this is three things. As I said, how he played in the past. At Sporting and Olympiacos he had superior sides more often than not. And when he has such a side he sets up in a 4-3-3. This is with one Defensive Midfielder, not two. He reserves two, usually, for when he thinks he does not have a superior side.

Next is his comments on tactics. 4-3-3 he said, when he first came. He talked about playing with either one or two defensive midfielders. Then he identified Schneiderlin (remember this is day one, before any pre-season training) as his Number 6. He talked about the skillset he perceived Schneiderlin to have. He is describing the player he wants to have.

The problem Silva has with his shape is that Gueye and Sigurdsson do not fit into his 4-3-3. Gueye cannot pass, and Sigurdsson is better behind the striker. Sigurdsson alongside Gomes, with a Fernandinho type sat in behind them would be interesting to see though, and I know Sigurdsson has the engine, it's just a question of discipline as to whether he could play as one of two Number 8s. I think it's possible.

Expect the formation shift next season, or if Gueye leaves now and we can bring someone in.

Our wage bill is ridiculous. Remember Ashley Williams earns anywhere from 㿲,000 to 𧴜,000 per week. 𧴜,000 per week is over ٣,000,000 a season. We have a lot of players on this money.

Bolasie too. Who wants to give Everton 㿀M for Bolasie and pay him ٣M a season? Do you not see the problem here? How on earth can we shift the dead wood?

And why sign more aging players like Diego Costa, who we'd give a long-term deal to, like 5 years, and end up paying him 㾶M a season when he's 35 and finished. Only give him a 3-year deal you say, no thanks says Costa, I'll join a Champions League club who will pay more.

They don't talk about weekly salary, Everton will say to Costa we will pay you 㿞m but you need to stay for 5 years. That's the only way we'd sign someone of his level. But he's only at that level for a limited time now. How limited no one knows.

I worry that Costa has a tendency to put weight on. I forsee him being heavier as he ages, and he's past 30 already. Cavani is 31 and already earns 㾶M a year and would want a lot more than that to come to a non-champions league club. Do we really want to be paying a 36-year-old Cavani 㾻m a year?

I can only find brief 3-4 minute clips. The whole show would be compulsive viewing.

Storm in a tea cup for me. As he revealed, he and his staff looked at all 51 Derby games from last season - four hours work on each. A bloke watching them train for half an hour through binoculars half a mile away wouldn't make any difference to what he already knew about them.

I really hope he doesn't walk away from Leeds, or they get points deducted. It would be fun seeing him in the Premier League next season.

Marcelo Bielsa – Full Transcript: All 3,000 words from Leeds manager's 70-minute press conference

Good luck, mate.

Paul has provided a link to the full transcript of his press conference. Well worth having a read through to get an indication of the amount of data that the technical teams at professional football clubs produce.

Unsurprisingly much of this information is produced as "statistics". Even using the word gets a number of posters excited on ToffeeWeb!

As I have said on another thread: it's the science of football.

Not the best player ever but came across as a very decent lad... and there's plenty you can't say that about. Good luck to him.

Niasse
Sigurdsson
Schneiderlin
Bolasie
Tosun
Klaassen
Keane
Williams

At least the likes of Sandro, Walcott and Martina didn't cost an absolute fortune.

I like Brands and I think he has the knowledge and influence to get some good players to the club.

But I would like to see us explore the lower leagues in England for talent. No doubt for me that talent exists there, and there is much better value.

Mix that with proven quality signings and youngsters coming through and we have a recipe for success.

Buying players for massive money who've had steady Premier League or continental careers and are the wrong side of 25 is not where we need to be.

Walcott cost us 㿂.5M and we're paying him 𧴦,000 a week to be afraid to score goals. That's an absolute fortune to me.

A bit harsh on Keane and it doesn't add up you saying “at least Walcott didn't cost an absolute fortune” he was only ٢ million cheaper than Keane.

Keane for me has been the most consistent performer along with Digne this season and he's a player that at 26 is coming into his best years as a central defender.

If you also know the story, Tommy, Keane had a woeful injury last season which the lad kept quiet about (maybe stupidly) and played through pain and infection which could have led to serious problems.

Sigurdsson was overpriced, yes, but again, take him out of our midfield and what have we got in terms of goals and creativity?

The rest of the list you have, I do agree with.

Thanks for flagging that up.

Bookmarked so I can study it at leisure when I get a free moment.

I suppose with the loans you can set a higher wage than the one you happen to be paying him, and turn some sort of short-term profit.

Here we are. Typical of the blues that surround me on a match day. Let's all dig Walcott out. Yes he isn't doing brilliantly for the club.

But for what we paid he was absolutely worth a shot. This is a player with heaps of Champions League and international experience. Who was at a decent age and coming from a top club. So comparatively, not a fortune.

㿅M for Keane was a fortune. Largely untested at the highest level and one decent season in the top flight with Burnley.

㿣M for Sigurdsson. As well as he is playing this season, he wouldn't make the starting XI of a top 4 club. He'd failed at Spurs when given a chance at a top club. We paid that money when no other club was remotely interested in challenging us for the signature of this player.

Man City got money and they went in for players with ambition. They failed to secure Kaka, Buffon, Terry or Casillas so they went to the next level down which was the most coveted emerging stars at big, but not massive clubs. In came Silva from Valencia, Aguero from Atletico, Dzeko from Wolfsburg, De Jong, Boateng etc.

Jonjoe Kenny RB (at 20 years old)
Ashley Williams CB (utter shite)
Cocu Martina LB (Southampton 4th choice right-back playing left-back for us)

Get over yourselves, Keane has been much improved and is one of the last players who we need to replace.

Maarten Stekelenburg
Morgan Schneiderlin
Cenk Tosun
Oumar Niasse
Ashley Williams
Yannick Bolaise
Kevin Mirallas
Sandro Ramirez
Cuco Martinez
Muhammed Besic
Shani Tarashaj

Thats 11 players to get rid still and need to buy Gomes if we can and replace Kurt Zouma as Chelsea are not willing to sell. So much work to be done!

Hopefully both Kenny had Keane have a bright future at the club.

Tommy, harsh on Keane. I think he's vastly improved this season. Makes the odd mistake but more than makes up for it by his overall performance. Plus, what do you get for 㿅M these days?

I also thought his first full season, and Koeman's, was the one with the locker stuff and that he ended up at Hull on loan for the second half of it where he was coached by Silva. That gets us to the summer of 2017 after which he returns to Everton, and then chaos follows while Silva takes the Watford job and us, him and Niasse have our fates weirdly interlinked.

Ironically he feels like a relatively new face in an Everton shirt but is probably one of the longest-serving players in the squad now and has played (or not so much) under 5 different coaches!

In transfer fees paid, that's about 𧴦M spent on dross and about another 𧴜M on wages. Years of poor management has allowed wasteful spending.

Just read the Bielsa link you kindly flagged up.

What a man! He is an original.

I just love his honesty.

He's a pretty decent manager, too.

Just stop putting price to indicate how good a player is. Is Chelsea's goalkeeper any better than ours or Man Utd's just because he cost more?

I know it's a scary thought when you look at the list, very poor management as you say.

Ashley Williams's contract ends in the summer so that's one off the list!

Sigurdsson was 㿙 million, not 㿣 million. And Leicester City offered 㿔 million, so to say "No other club was remotely interested in challenging us for the signature of this player" — simply isn't true.

No other club was interested at the price being demanded by Swansea. Other than Everton FC. Fact

John @75,

I'm getting at Walcott being made a scapegoat. How about supporting him? The fee we paid for him made perfect sense and I'd be astounded if anybody thought otherwise at the time in the world of football. The fact it hasn't quite worked out doesn't mean he wasn't worth his value at the time of the transfer.

Well, least that's good news; only 10 to go.

The hope is to develop their game so becoming more of a team player and work on the technical and tactical side of their game to improve the team.

Sadly they have not been able to improve or add much to the team from an attacking or defensive point. Partly they may not suit the manager's tactics and partly they have been unable to adapt.

Moses for a time at Chelsea is one of the few similarly pacey players that found a manager and a role he could adapt too. Zaha at Palace took a few years but finally learnt, improved and adapted. I had hoped Bolasie could follow these examples but he was already older and suffered a terrible injury not long after joining.

We never bought them to get our money back on them but I think if we could sell them at half price all parties could then happily move on. So tell Cardiff we will only sell for ٥/8M and move on.

Also, your logic re: Walcott is easily applicable to others on your list. 㾸-million for Ashley Williams – a battle-tested Premier League defender who captained both Swansea and Wales – as a short-term replacement for John Stones had plenty of logic behind it at the time. And Schneiderlin was superb for Southampton, in addition to playing for France at the 2014 World Cup – most fans fully endorsed his signing and he was excellent upon arrival. It wasn't until the following season that his form inexplicably went off a cliff.

And stressing that Keane was a "major gamble" only matters if he's failed to deliver, which he most certainly has not this season. We also paid "silly money" for a keeper who'd just been relegated and an attacker who scored five goals for Watford last year – would you say those were indefensible moves?

Totally unacceptable by the die-hard fans especially the season ticket holders. Has Moshiri invested all his money in getting the new stadium?

Silva should not expect or keep demanding additional funds. He needs to manage and coach the current squad.

I actually think there will be some movement probably loans in and out which may appease some but we have some very good players that need to step up, Silva too. I'd prefer to get the ball forward quicker for a start.

It's called a reverse premium in the world I work in. These ruinous transfers will take literally years to wash through. Groan!

Cardiff – 2nd in the Championship last season replaces 19th placed Stoke.

Currently 7 points less than Stoke in the same fixtures. They are going down with Fulham and Huddersfield.

Dzeko all day, please.

Cardiff will be giving us ٟ.5M and maybe a loan fee. They will also be showcasing the lad's talents, making it easier to sell him.

I would also like to see Schneiderlin and Tosun moved on too, before the window shuts, as they must be a major drain on the wage bill, which is further exacerbated by neither of them playing (thankfully) or producing anything.

I do wish Oumar Niasse all the best, as he has proved to be a true character, and has stood out to be a decent human being despite being treated abysmally by previous managers. Maybe a change of surroundings will bring out more in him, although I could never see him being good enough for Everton.

Don't get me wrong, I know nothing about him. But 2 + 2 is still 4... isn't it?

He's undoubtedly earned good money at the club, but his pride as both a professional footballer and a man was completely undermined by Koeman. He kept going. Listen, this man has made a career for himself at the top level with very little natural ability.

Others of more talent, take note. Guts, hard work and belief will get you a long way in football.

Youth teams and prospects live only upon a reputation created for them by others ‘who know the game'.

I remember a ‘know it all' at Liverpool Football Club. He worked there circa 2006 and stated that, if Paul Anderson didn't play for England, he'd eat his hat. He didn't. And his career has fizzled into nothing.

Young players, step up. You have talent or you wouldn't be on the books of the top clubs. Go out and grab the opportunity.

Ryan Ledson is a prime example of this. What a set he must have. Backed himself and went and made a career for himself whilst others rot into their mid 20s at the club.

It's all upstairs. Well, 75% of it is...

"Others of more talent, take note. Guts, hard work and belief will get you a long way in football."

Tommy, we don't agree on much, but I definitely agree with that!

He'll be back at FF in a short while but wish him the best at Cardiff - better he does the easier it will be to sell him.

I'd put my money on us still paying some, like we do on pretty much all the senior loans we have out. We were the ones desperate to get rid of him so I'd imagine we're still paying something. E.g. Real Sociedad are certainly not paying Sandro £100k/week.

IMO it benefits Cardiff more than it benefits us as he's never going to come back as our main or back up striker.

From that I conclude we must be trying to bring someone in but we have to get rid of a few more first, hopefully the unplayed senior squad players - one on a permanent deal would be preferable.

I've been listening recently to a set of apps Casts produced over the last few years by Graham Hunter.

Personally, I don't think Hunter isn't that likeable. But he is a very talented journalist.

He's interviewed some massive stars for this pod cast, some great players. And I do mean great.

The one theme with all of these great players is their hard work and determination to be the best.

Plenty of talent for sure. But David Bentley had plenty of talent.

I look at our squad and hope there are some in there with this mentality. I think Richarlison has it.

It may mean that by fulfilling their potential means a move to a bigger club than ours. But we should enjoy that part of their journey that they spend with Everton and try and capitalise on it with success

He might not be highly skilled but we have made far worse buys than him. He always gives his all and does get his share of goals.

We need to push the boat out on a new striker, there's no point in bringing in a 㾻m level player we already have those!

Smile Oumar! I know you will. Go get 'em.

Calvert-Lewin is my favourite choice, with Lookman starting to shine.

Homegrown talent must be the way forward.

I don't know if you followed us the two times it was nearly us but, my God, you would not wish that on your worst enemy.

Huddersfield, and I know this from friends, are a proper club, a really good club with decent, special supporters. Should they send for the fat man?

Huddersfield appointed David Wagner from Dortmund U23s. His replacement went to Norwich and the guy who replaced him is now set to be the new manager. Jan Skeeter. No real experience at all. Dortmund U23s play 4th tiger football.

As for Fulham, not me. I don't have a soft spot for any southern side. I hope they all go down.

He's so not in the class of recent buys, I'm almost insulted to be even linked with him.

How stupid or desperate must we be??

I was not around for the near-drop. 2007-2008 was my "first" season.

The thought of the drop strikes literal fear into my heart. I'd be a wreck if we were fighting relegation. I can't fathom that, and for those Blues that have gone through it and have come out the other side, I've the ultimate respect for. And that's probably just about every poster on TW by the way.

Fulham? The owner, Shad Khan, owns the local NFL franchise - the Jacksonville Jaguars. I'm not a Jaguar fan, but like to see them do well for the locals. He's by all accounts here locally, a cool guy. I like how Fulham are linked to my area through Khan, and I like their approach this past summer of trying to buy footballers and play some good stuff.

I also love Craven Cottage at Christmas. It's gorgeous.

I can't get on board with, "all southern teams should go down" but I do understand the sentiment. I don't live there, ergo, I respect the "north-south divide", but just have no dog in that fight.

We have a bit of a north-south divide here in the States. The North here are the elitist dicks, the southerners down-to-earth fine folk. I understand it's the opposite over there in Blighty. ;0)

Is Batshuayi the man?, I'd like to be proved wrong, but I don't think he is . Particularly as he seems to have constant reservations about moving up here. [said to prefer relegation candidates Monaco this time]. I think this lad has not got the character be a consistent premier league success.

Mr Brands may surprise us all with a leftfield choice as a centre forward, I hope he's right.

Go get them, Oumar!

"I don't know if you followed us the two times it was nearly us but, my God, you would not wish that on your worst enemy."

Trust me mate, I would certainly wish that on my worst enemy. Nothing would give me greater pleasure than seeing the RS relegated.