Everton in for Gibbs-White

We are now being linked with Gibbs-White from Wolves, a player they've sent out on loan continuously.

The mediocrity is killing me – he is absolute garbage.

That Gibbs-White looks okay to me, just not convinced an AM is what we need right now… not before a proper DCM/CM anyway.

Jeff Armstrong: "absolute garbage" — are you serious?

Jeff,

Gibbs-White is a pretty fine player. He was one of the best attacking central midfielders in The Championship last year. Think he could do well in the Premier League.

Though it would be strange to me to spend 㿀-25M on a player who probably excels behind a striker like Alli did at Spurs.

I haven't seen a lot of Gibbs-White, but Sheffield United want to keep him, the team that knocked Sheffield United out of the play-offs (Forest) want to sign him and he does seem to both score and also create goals. I think the fee would be a stumbling block, but he must be a player our new Director of Football knows very well?

It's silly season right now, though, and just like every summer, we do seem to be getting linked with a lot of players, even though everyone knows we are being badly hampered by FFP.

Jagielka, Cahill, Baines, and Lescott all came from The Championship. They turned out to be good signings.

Seems more like we are only making enquiries to Wolves instead of Wolves actively seeking a sale.

Why would Wolves be willing to sell a "Hot Prospect" to a rival in similar statute? Either: 1) he is not good enough to un-seat the likes of Reuben Neves and Moutinho in the First Team; or 2) he is looking for a new contract that Wolves deem as not reasonable.

Either way, he might turn out to be a Gbamin 2.0 and I don't want him under either one of the circumstances.

Seems an awful lot of money for a player Wolves loaned out last season. His fitness record and stats for the 2 seasons prior to the last one are not that clever either.

Hmm… I don't know too much about him I'll be honest.

We need some goals from midfield.

Look at the last 12 months, we've lost Richarlison, Sigurdsson and James, all had a goal or assist in them.

Even if Calvert-Lewin stays (up for debate), and even if he plays 35 games (even more up for debate), he's only scoring 13 or 14 goals tops.

We need two midfielders to be scoring 10 a-piece and at least another striker and maybe midfielder chipping in with at least 8/10 apiece.

Sign goals, Everton, goals win you games of football.

Sounds more like a Toothpaste for those old enough to remember, and a bit of trivia, it was the first-ever advert on ITV, or so I am led to believe.

Can't say I have watched this lad in any depth, but was aware of him, seems a lot, for a player who has basically played most in The Championship and a few games for Wolves. However, in this crazy world of inflated prices and salaries for players, who am I to question it?

I just want the very best for Everton with what funds are available, we have already sacrificed our best player. I would love to get Conor Gallagher; I think, as young as he is, and relatively inexperienced, he would make one hell of a difference to our set-up!

In Frank We (hopefully) Trust?

Attacks wins you games, defences win you Championships as someone said... other priorities first for me.

Have we not learned the lessons of the past, with guess signings who could be anything? We need proven quality with experience.

He looked like he was going to be the business when he broke onto the scene as a teenager but seems to have gone quiet since then.

㿅M seems a lot of money for somebody who hasn't made any sort of major 1st team impact.

Jim @ 3, you are right.

James and Sigurdsson contributed 14 goals and 19 assists in their final playing season with us. Richarlison contributed 13 goals and 6 assists in the same 20-21 season.

That is the challenge in terms of productivity - how do you make up for 27 goals and 25 assists? That level of contribution got us to mid-table in 20-21.

Townsend and Gray stepped up with 13 goals and 10 assists last season, but it looks like Townsend will be out for a good part of next season. He was increasingly relegated to the bench anyway.

Therefore, if you factor in Gray maintaining a similar level of contribution as last season – 6 goals and 6 assists – we need to find 21 goals and 19 assists after the sale of Richarlison just to aim for mid-table.

That could be seen in the struggle to carve out goals last season. With that productivity stripped out of the team, it will take a bigger effort to avoid dropping into the bottom 5 again next season. That's why I am okay to be patient to get the right signings in during the summer. We really can't afford to make mistakes.

I get your priority thing, Shaun, for where we are right now. But attacks win you leagues as much as a defence. Ask Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United et al.

You need to score goals to win games, which win you Championships. Without looking, I can only think of George Graham's Arsenal who bucked that trend.

I tend to avoid the gossip unless it's from a reputable source and I leave my brother and son to that.

I wonder how much of this, just like the link to the Chelsea striker, is down to lazy journalism because of the Lampard and DoF links to both clubs?

It is still all guess and speculation – and only one in-signing.

Everton – there are only 5 weeks to the new season. The clock is ticking!

Steve #8, if Dom stays healthy we can safely expect 15 of those missing goals to come from him. He dropped from 21 to 5 with all the injuries last season; if he doesn't get injured again, those goals will come back.

I would also expect Dele to pick up Townsend's missing goals. Even if he never returns to previous heights, he's got 5 or 6 in him.

But I'm with you on patience. It's going to be required, especially as we watch the teams around us (Brentford, Leeds et al) signing players we wish could have come to us.

Gibbs-White was pretty impressive for Sheffield United last season with 12 goals and 10 assists in 35 starts. Definitely one of the best central midfielders in the league.

He's exactly the sort of player we should be looking at. Between 20-24 and has proven himself over a full session in a comparable league.

However he plays ideally behind a striker, just like Dele Alli, and 㿅M is a lot for a younger player in a position we potentially already have filled. Plus he has had injury issues before last season.

When are we going to buy a DMC? Or is Lampard happy with Allan or Davies or Gbamin playing there?

In this current era more than any, the game is more about attack than defence.

Liverpool and Man City are the best defensive sides because most of the game they are on the front foot.

Even lesser clubs now realize that you have to produce some kind of attacking threat and get attacking players in the team, look at Brighton for a lesser example, West Ham under Moyes now even.

You need players that contribute.

For too long, we've just had two, sometimes three central midfielders that just sit in the centre circle and do next to nowt. It's a disgrace that Allan has never scored a single goal, he's a midfield player for heaven's sake.

Gomes hasn't scored a Premier League goal since February 2019, abysmal.

You need one excellent water carrier (Gareth Barry, Lee Carsley) and then you need athletism, box-to-box and a creative source capable of doing what the likes of Sigurdsson or on occasion Ross Barkley did.

If I see any Everton side with a two or three including Allan, Gomes, Davies or Doucoure all in that trio next season, then I'd be foolish to expect any different than last season.

Creativity Non Productivo.

㿅M seems a lot for a lad that was poor in the Premier League before his loan deal, and who is down the pecking order at Wolves. More of a Gareth Farrelly 2.0?

Not exactly clear why we would want him either, when Alli, Doucoure and Gordon can play a similar central attacking role.

We are in a bigger need for another central midfield player and defensive midfielder.

Defensive midfielder, left-winger and a right-back are non-negotiable. So unless we've got these identified and we're confident of getting them we shouldn't be looking at other players.

That said, he does look a good prospect… but it seems we can't afford to buy players we want – only players we need.

To me, it comes down to:

- how good they are

- where they fit into our formation

- how they complement the other players

- how much they cost

- whether there is better value elsewhere

Gibbs-White is a talented player. But he occupies a similar position to Alli and Iwobi, two players we've already invested heavily in.

What we're missing, as Ian says #14 are holding / defensive and maybe central midfielders.

In terms of the price, 㿅M is a big fee for us and takes a huge chunk out of likely transfer kitty. We could get comparable or even more established players for the same cost or cheaper from abroad.

He looked the business for Sheff Utd last season. He is young. The price seems reasonable also.

Consider Gordon – how much would our own fanbase value him? Would you consider 㿅M as 'too much' or would we see it as letting him go on the cheap?

They both have similar records in that they were promising youngsters who had their breakthrough season last season.

The lad can also play out wide, from what I saw. A midfielder with assists, goals, pace.

Mad though, innit? When we're linked with a young player with potential who was one of the best in the Championship last season, the reaction is 'we need guaranteed experience' ... 'he's not proven' ... 'he isn't a starter for them'.

When we're linked with experienced players, the reaction is 'too old' ... 'no sell-on value' .. 'have we not learned?'

I'd be very happy if we signed this lad.

Good summary, Jim. Attack is the best form of defence as the saying goes.

I don't think we can rely on Allan in there Sam. He's not a defensive midfielder. He instinctively goes looking for the ball and the legs aren't getting any younger. The mind is willing but the body won't do it all the time.

Harsh comments on the midfielders and goals. I don't recall Reid or Bracewell weighing in with too many. That was the forwards' and wide players' job predominantly.

Likewise, more recently, Paul Scholes wasn't renowned for his goalscoring prowess. Roy Keane was okay, especially with that characteristic late run into the box. Even that lot in recent years, it's been the Salad and Mane show (plus 1) that have bagged the goals.

Yes, a goal scoring midfielder is gold dust; Lampard and Gerard spring to mind. But so is a centre-back - remember Derek Mountfield's 14?

I think where we are now, we need to firstly shore things up in the centre of the park and then focus on how we can progress to playing on the front foot and supplying the forward players better. Then we can consider players in other positions contributing more to scoring goals. Man City are probably the best current example of that when you consider they didn't really play with a recognised centre-forward (despite Jesus's claims yesterday) and still won the Premier League.

We need a proper Number 6 or sweeper in there to plug the gap.

Extremely worrying times, as usual. A club selling its best striker would have found his replacement before even selling our prized asset.

But this is Everton – a club that is crying out for goalscorers but instead chases around after average midfielders. We need wingers with pace and goals, strikers with a proven track record for finding the net! And a creative midfielder to provide the chances.

Being blinkered by our fatal weakness means only one thing: another relegation battle. Something is so fundamentally wrong at the club that it can't be put right, certainly not this season.

Such a shame after the huge efforts made by our supporters to keep us in the Premier League last season. There's still some time, but no urgency to address our biggest weaknesses.

Typical Everton transfer window this. Pundits and media linking us to alleged interest in players from all over Europe and in all sorts of positions. What happens? Nothing.

I have absolutely no idea who the club is genuinely seeking to sign, but do know that we have been sadly lacking in central and defensive midfield areas for at least 2 seasons. How many games last season were we totally overrun in midfield, putting our already dodgy defence under even more pressure?

Get a grip, Everton. We all know the positions that need strengthening, just go and do it.

Easy to say, I know, and I don't blame the club for playing its cards close to its chest, but please don't leave it to the last day and then grab anything left on the shelf.

By the way, Mike @11, I wish I had your faith in Dele!

He's a young, hungry player on the up. A combined 23 goals and assists in 40 games tell the story that he is a proactive player and makes things happen. Whether that can be transferred to the tougher Premier League is what the judgement call is.

In general, and especially where significant fees are involved, I'd rather us be taking gambles on a young up-and-coming player than an experienced Top 6 squad player. It may not always work out but I think it's a better business model as well as giving us more potential to have a breakout season if things click. The goal scoring, creating midfielder is Frank's forte, he will demand one, his own man. If Frank and Kevin Thelwell think this player is worth the gamble, go for it.

The DCM role arguably continues to be a bigger priority. The young Chelsea midfielder,r Ethan Ampadu, has gone under the radar with regards to any speculation. He has been on successive loans getting valuable game time and I think he is a player who will make giant strides on the back of this in the next season or two. I am wondering if Frank will be enquiring about him. I think he is a player we should have a close look at.

Danny @18,

Scholes scored 107 goals for Man Utd – roughly one every 5 games, and similar for England. Really good for a midfielder.

If he was any good, he would be replacing 35-year-old Moutinho in the Wolves team who has just signed a 1-year extension.

Just paper talk anyway but no thanks!

Clive, he didn't take penalties either. If you take away all Gerrard's penalties, Scholes scored more.

We couldn't afford 㿀M for Winks so we're in the free agent or loan business only. And Eriksen has gone to Man Utd. Lampard is going to struggle to get any quality in.

I just spoke to a Blades fan and he couldn't speak highly enough of Gibbs-White, said he was head and shoulders above anyone in the Sheffield United team and would be a bargain.

Joe, 24,

I think he was really a striker who converted to midfield, wasn't he?

Pat - huge difference between “couldn't afford” and “would never pay that amount”. I would like to think it's the latter with respect to Winks.

Mike @11,

We'd better take good care of Calvert-Lewin then as our season's success or failure seems to rest on him staying fit and on-form. We don't have an alternative now that Richarlison has been sold.

I hope Dele Alli steps up with 5 or 6 goals next season. But, then I remember his performances over the last 3 years. We all hope that Calvert-Lewin stays good and Dele comes good, but it is less of a football strategy than a matter of faith, to be honest.

We will sign players this summer, but they should be based on age, potential, low transfer fees and resale value. I wouldn't pay over 㿀 million for anyone (and certainly not 㿊 million for Broja).

Sean #23,

I think the reason he hasn't replaced Moutinho is because he's a different sort of player. It's not about the quality.

It's the same reason I'm not saying we need him because we already have Iwobi and Alli. What we need is someone more like Neves.

'We already have Alli and Iwobi' really? Alli has yet to prove himself to be anything but past-it, and Iwobi, for all his endeavour and his change of fortunes, is far from the attacking midfielder we need.

Iwobi will continue to be used as either a wing-back, or a 'chaser'.

A midfielder who can link midfield and attack, has pace, goals and assists who is young and hungry to prove himself.

But people don't want him because????? Iwobi?

He's the sort of player we should be going for.

Fran, in an ideal world I'd agree with you.

However, since Alli and Iwobi are going nowhere and we're paying them high wages, we might as well try to squeeze as much out of them as we can.

There are literally hundreds of good players available. But we have to focus on priorities especially since our transfer budget might be tiny this year.

If we've any money left after solving problems in central / defensive midfield, possibly buying a new right sided wing / forward and maybe even a replacement for Calvert-Lewin, then we can consider lower priorities.

I am not convinced by Frank Lampard's previous transfer signings, whether they were on loan or when he bought Dele Alli. So I am not convinced he will get the right players for the right price.

His desire to buy Harry Winks for silly money sent all the wrong signals to Everton fans, who the majority were against, because he did not create anything or score any goals.

Although Tarkowski, the ex-Burnley player, was an obvious good purchase, because he was free and had been a good defender in a Burnley side who usually struggled, but he helped keep the goal tally against down.

People sometimes forget the previous season, I know I've done so myself in years gone by.

We forget just how ineffective these players are, things like imagining Iwobi or Dele Alli to begin showing form that just hasn't been there in years now.

I don't hold any faith in Iwobi scoring or creating things, I don't hold much hope in Alli ever playing that 20th game for us either.

Jim, the same is true about pretty much every player other than Pickford, Calvert-Lewin, Gordon and Mykolenko. Maybe Gray.

It's not just Alli and Iwobi. Most of our players are very patchy at best. We can't replace all of them.

Personally I'd rather focus on the central / defensive midfield where Allan, Doucouré, Gomes and Davies are generally awful.

Robert – exactly. Our midfield is truly woeful. As a team, we were forced to go long from Pickford or hope a winger or wingback could get down the sides as our ability to play out through midfield was limited.

Delph did it once or twice but his fitness was so low after his numerous injuries.

Gomes is slow and always prone to giving away possession or free-kicks. Allan looks like a boxer who has had one big fight too many, runs in treacle. Davies is very average, and Doucoure is just a large athlete with not an ounce of football intelligence.

The squad is average but the midfield is possibly the worst in the Premier League.

So are we in the cast-offs/rejects market once again?

I'll stick up for Iwobi – after Frank took charge, he was fantastic, and I'm sure would have been one of the first names on the sheet. The jury is still out on Dele Alli, but he certainly showed glimpses of what he can do.

As Frank says, he only came to the club 1 day before the end of the transfer window, so the decisions he made were just – "Who do I know who could do a good job here?" So I don't believe in criticizing the players who came in during that transfer window too much.

This window is entirely different in that he has had 5 months to asses who he has at the club, including younger players, and a new Director of Football to work with. The downside is he has also lost one of his leading scorers.

My own opinion is you win or lose from the midfield and this is the strength of the team – or, in our case last season, the weakness.

Depending on what formations he uses, one of the positions we need in midfield is a provider with vision; that is, a player that can bring the ball out from the defense and open up the opposition, plus helping the forwards.

We don't seem to have the money for many players so what we have should be spent on our weakness last season, and I think it was midfield. The defense has been strengthened and, like it or not, we have enough youth and experience in this area.

Left wing may be a problem in replacing Richarlison, but this may be an opportunity for Dobbin or another youngster to step up,

We have a number of players for the midfield, but I don't believe any of them are a provider to the forwards like a Zinchenko or a player with his skill-set and midfield ability. We have defensive midfielders, and the interesting thing may be how Gbamin has progressed after being given a reasonable run with another team.

Money is tight so spend what we have wisely this time to get what we need, not to buy a player for another position because he is cheap.

Looks like it, Colin, plenty of names but no action as yet.

Nothing wrong with cast-offs. Henry, Bergkamp and Vieira were cast-offs.

Gibbs-White? He sounds like a tube of toothpaste!

I agree with Bill Gall that our main concentration of resources has to be spent beefing the midfield up with a top quality defensive midfielder and a midfield general.

We haven't seen the potential of Dobbins, Simms, Broadhead nor Onyango developed yet so we may save some money there but with the advent of 5 subs we definitely need quality reinforcements.

I like this player. Very energetic, never stops moving and has quality too. Perfect profile. Hope there's some truth in the link.

Whatever happened to Zinchenko?

Isn't Gordon nailed on for left wing? Think we need a right not left winger. Need 2 proper CDMs as they're called these days. Should be looking at Grillitch from Hoffenheim on a free, maybe a cheeky 2 year deal on a free for someone older like Vecino or spend on Zinchenko. Get Dennis from Watford to cover wide and CF. Think Davies can improve under Frank but please get rid of Gomes, Allan if possible. Hawk Godfrey, great speed but dangerously useless at centre half, to raise £20-30mill?

Also would be great if Warrington, Onyango, Dobbin, Simms and Price pushed on and started warranting at least some bench time

I think Anthony Gordon is a modern wide player but not a traditional winger. I can actually see him as a decent Number 10 as he matures and grows as a player. I don't want to make direct comparisons or place expectation on his slight shoulders, but in some ways, parallels to Sheedy?

There's my daily Sheedy dose!!

I have high hopes for Warrington, Mike. But we need to introduce him gradually as he won't be ready yet. But he is a great footballer from what I've seen.

Bill (45), as you and a few more fans are stressing centre midfield is the one position where it is vital that new signings are made, we are woeful in that area which is the engine of the team.

Price and Warrington are players who could do a good job there but not at present although they could learn from the bench and a few minutes on the field if the occasion arises when we are comfortable ahead with twenty minutes to go.

As others have said, a defensive midfielder should be the priority. Someone who can win the ball, protect the back 4 but also move the ball quickly and efficiently through the lines. This player is not expected to get goals and assists necessarily but will be vital to the good functioning of the team.

Most of our transfer links so far seem to have focussed entirely on Premier League players who are nearly always overpriced but there are some decent less glamorous options in Europe. Names like Nicolas Dominguez, Santi Comesana, Anton Stach, Jean Onana, Szymon Zurkowski, Santiago Ascacibar, Salih Ozscan, Kephren Thuram, Lucien Agoume are mostly unglamourous players who would not cost the earth but could do a good job for us in the middle.

Robert @ 36,

I've never seen him play to be fair, I just really had my heart set on Conor Gallagher being one of the much needed midfielders.

Sam # 56. Exactly - embrace the unglamorous! Lee Carsley and Joe Parkinson were as unglamorous as they come but they would walk into the current First XI - protect the defence, free up the full backs and allow attackers to stay higher up the pitch. Unglamorous might be just what we need.

More generally, I do agree that Gibbs-White looks a cracking young player. In different circumstances he might be a great signing. But there are plenty of fish in the sea.

Yes Robert. I see Southampton are about to sign Joe Aribo for £6m from Rangers; not necessarily a top class player or one in a position we need but a really good value purchase, a well rounded midfielder who I expect could do well and end up being worth twice or even three times as much in 2 seasons time.

It's been a while since we have managed to consistently find good value in the market but we need to, and it is definitely out there!

I can't think of many in recent times Sam. But there are a couple.

Idrisse Gueye? Bought for 6 or 7M, sold for 30?

John Stones. £3m outlay for a £50m return?

I guess you could say we made a modest profit on Lucas Digne. About £5m??

Aside from that, again, a modest fee of £15m for academy product Ross Barkley. And £12m for Jack Rodwell?

Aside from that we have generally been a cost centre rather than a profit making one.

I think Gordon could be a tremendous player this season.
The potential was there last season in a very inconsistent team.

his style reminds me of Luca Modric.

Doucoure if he stay fit could also be a big asset. His goal against Saints early last season shows he can finish.

There are talented players in the squad but it remains to be seen what Lampard can get out of them on a consistent high level this coming season.

Any class addition to the midfield would be welcome.

Think it's becoming really hard to decide what players we actually need.

Firstly it's not really clear what system Frank prefers, albeit most believe this is 3/5 at the back. He also certainly approved of two attacking midfielders (VDB and Alli) who were likely both first choice players in the last window, so my assumption is that he'd prefer a 3/5 in front of that back 3/5, with one midfielder sitting and doing a quarterback role, and then 2 getting forward to support the 2 in attack.

Secondly, I think the 5 sub rule is going to substantially change the game too. The already very high pressing intensity is going to really go through the roof (something that really scares the shit out of me with the current squad), so we're going to have to be able to copy that AND have players comfortable passing round the opposition press, or at least individually 'skipping around' it. Either that, or it's good old fashioned 'hoof it' football. Again, no real idea yet about which Frank favours.

At this point in time, my personal view would be that the "hoof it" idea is the safest bet. It's not as "Crazy Gang" negative as it once was the Red Shite regularly play very long diagonal balls from one full back to the opposite winger, with their own full back joining the reciever to double up on a potentiallly exposed defender or two. Copying that pattern might need a departure from the back 3/5 though, but with someone like Broja next to Dom those long balls could be aimed centrally, and those two can hold it up and wait for the cavalry (wing backs and 2 x AMs) to get up and join a fast attack.

I think Gibbs-White would fit well in that system, as would Iwobi and Alli. Connor Gallagher would be a potential GOD in it. However, I am not entirely sure that Gordon and Gray do, as their best work is out wide. Gordon for me is a 'must' on the teamsheet, so a big question on whether he could convert fully to a CM/AM. He works hard enough for it, but defensively he is still lacking a bit. Putting him in a middle 3 could be suicide.

So, maybe it's a 5-4-1 Frank is heading towards, with Gordon and Gray wide, and two CM/AM's in the middle? However, to me, this system would feel like we'd leave ourselves exposed massively to the "man in the hole" between our two lines. Alongside teams pressing us into panic, this "man in the hole" has also been our biggest weakness in recent years. Maybe one of the 3 CBs (Godfrey) could step out of defence a little and cover that gap, but I think there was another thread on here that did a good job of killing the idea of CB's being DCMs.

All-in-All I am confused. I don't know enough about Frank's plans to know if a player is going to fit it or not. I think we are going to need to have a real leap of faith and just hope he knows what he's doing! Whoever he signs, as long as I know it is his or KT's (not an Iranian agent, or a 'Bill special') then we need to support it .

My only caveat is that if we want to have options, then DCM is the major, gaping hole. Would love to think a Onyango / Gbamin / Warrington could fill it, but that'd be a gamble too far right now.

Sky Sports claiming Newcastle and Everton “in talks” regarding Anthony Gordon. What exactly “in talks” constitutes is any body's guess.
I'm beginning to regret bothering with my season ticket. Not sure if my nerves will stand another relegation battle.

if Gordon goes, and these rumours don't seem to be going away, we could be looking at. a fire sale. I mean, redundancies at FF? Duncan obv off the wage bill cos we don't want to pay the money. It looks like no-one wants to give Moshiri his money back, but he still does have the option if he knows he's leaving, of just selling the good players. if he sold, dcl, gordon and Pickford, that plus Richi is £200m coming back into the club. It could be just Usmanov saying 'I want my money' He's. a pariah anyway, what does he care.

@45 Bill

Give up any hope of Gbamin becoming a feature of the Everton first team.

He has absolutely no hope of a career at everton. Physically he's finished.

No doubt toon will start by low balling us or maybe even pay over the odds. This board should resign on masse and someone tell me what sharpy actually does. Just hope we have a plan b if moshiri sanctions it. If not I can see Frank walking away or especially Ashley Cole. Maybe even Thelwell.

Kevin #64. The redundancies at Finch Farm rumour has been refuted on Twitter by a couple of reliable sources. Apparently it started as a column filler in the super soaraway S*n!

Ray, in the media speculation-building kit, "In talks" is the next one on the list following linked.

No need for possible concern until "Agreed terms" or "Reached agreement".

Will, you've missed out the the ‘mooted' and ‘imminent' stages

Thought Lampard was going to have a good look at everyone this preseason before deciding on departures
Seems Hearts want Simms on a permanent deal and been quoted 500,000
Seems they are ok with it but Simms wages is a stumbling block
Seems awful cheap to me but it is Everton I suppose

I can't see Gordon wanting to go, so it maybe yet another essential sale to balance the books and free up finances to recruit other targets.

We could sell Davies, Holgate, Rondon, Gomes, Gbamin. None of these would a have a big impact on the squad, and would enable Lampard to aim for some of his target players.

John
it's interesting. Dominic King also put in his article yesterday about 'good people losing their jobs from restructuring', but the article is still up but these lines have been pulled. Sounds like Everton have reacted to this very strongly. I don' think King would have put it in without checking, but I also think he doesn't want to piss off the club.

If true, this will be a test of the club's nerve Ray and their commitment to the Manager and coaching staff. If they want to back the manager and the manager wants to keep the player, then dismiss it out of hand. Nothing to see here, move on.

The worry is that I can see Eddie Howe being interested in Gordon and Newcastle has the money to throw into the pig's trough that feeds our boardroom.

The positive is that I don't see Anthony wanting this move.

Back to the worry. Do these young players actually have a say these days once a club and an agent has decided? They are commodities. Assets that can be sold at profit like property.

Brian said earlier, until we get a take over, we are in danger of being a club within a club.

A manager and coaching staff of winners supported by a regime that has overseen 30 years of decline and near catastrophic failure. Tectonic plates rubbing against each other in friction waiting for an Everton Earthquake to happen. If we don't replace the latter soon, we could end up losing the manager, his staff and being left with the regime. Again. More of the same. Again.

Never mind your nerves Ray. I don't think my marriage will see another season like the last one out. It wasn't just my running away to watch Everton, it was the waking up in the night pacing around the house rambling and re-watching match clips.

Long summer ahead again. Just let it be 6th August please good Lord.

Tony, yes!

There is debate on the exact list order but the elements are well known :) Sometimes one or two are skipped to ramp shit up a bit.

A sign that the Barcodes are not in the big six, is that there will be no reports saying they want to "Take" Gordon. This is a crass power word reserved for the Sky Darlings.

I know we are in what might be called, flux - but I'd be more than surprised if there was anything in this.

Gary@62, I think you're right about the difficulty of fitting Gordon and Gray into a 352/532 system. Personally I'd prefer us in a 433 but if Frank is determined to go 3 CBs then I wonder if Gordon could make a good wing back? He has the work rate and energy for it and it's a good way to isolate him for a 1vs1 situation out wide which is where he excels. When Spurs were being linked to him I wonder if this is what Conte had in mind? I remember at Chelsea he turned Victor Moses into a very effective attacking wing back.

Danny, many would be interested, his potential is very clear and he has rare natural abilities. More than one manager of other teams mentioned him in post match interviews last season.

It's obvious Lampard would never want to lose him, and I doubt Gordon would want to go anywhere at this stage. The asset angle you mention - well that's up in the air but I think things would have to get very desperate or ruthless. The club is well aware of the fallout such a move would cause within the fanbase.

Sam, have to say, Conte worked a miracle with Moses. What a player he was in that period.

Tom Lawrence is a far better player all-round imho and he's worked with Frank in the past and thrived too.

A far better option!

I haven't seen Anthony Gordon in the park when walking the dog for a few weeks now, but I'll try and catch him soon. I doubt very much he will want to leave though, and why Newcastle, FFS. An irrelevant club, who despite now having a few quid, will win nothing anytime soon.

Gray and Gordon would fit into the 5-2-2-1 formation that Wolves used (sort of aka 3-4-3 but, to me, describes the positions of the players better). Essentially they would occupy the half-space between each wing and Number 10, as per Neto, Podence etc. Not unlike what Chelsea do with Mount and Pulisic (or whoever).

Personally I think we generally look awful with a back 3 or 5 because our crap central midfield gets overrun and our centre-backs are not mobile enough or good enough on the ball.

So 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 suits us a lot better.

The rumours are (from the Bobble who's usually bang on) that Dele Alli has come back into training looking in great shape ("smashed the fitness tests" apparently).

If that's true, then it may lessen the need for another goalscoring AMC like Gibbs-White.

We are now 6/4 to sign Broja with permanent intentions at around 㿊M. If Dele is motivated and we can land Broja and Zinchenko, we could really make it without too much pain after dealing Richarlison.

Dale, both the Mirror and the Mail have us behind Newcastle and West Ham in the Broja race. Maybe the bookies know better.

We need someone ASAP. I'll be very upset if I travel to Minnesota and see Gomes and Davies “play”.

Mike, I'm going with Tony Everan since he's a fucking blue. ;) (other thread on Gordon)

Dale (82) - I think 㿊 million for a player who has huge potential but was ultimately a bit hit and miss for Southampton (a Premier League goal every 300+ minutes) is a big risk. But he's only 20, is physically quick and strong, and I suspect he is going to improve dramatically over the next couple of seasons.

But in spite of my slight reticence, if we can officially offload Moise Kean and bring in Armand Broja – and not be out of pocket on the deal – then that improves our squad dramatically; Kean lacks the necessary attributes to contribute positively to this football club, but Broja could be fantastic.

Andrew 86, good shout that but isn't Kean on loan for another season before Juve have to buy him? I can't see him going anywhere permanently for another season if that's the case, and I think Juve want to renege on the deal anyway.

Jeff (87) - As I understand it Juventus can officially complete the signing of Moise Kean prior to the end of the agreed two-year loan period, but are only likely to do so if they in turn have lined up an immediate sale for the player. Seemingly they are looking into this option, probably because they are well aware of Kean's limitations and don't want to be lumbered with an asset that will most likely depreciate even further in 12 months time.

Have we ever had a more underwhelming and overhyped signing than Moise Kean?

Apparently we've bid 㿀M today for Gibbs-White, Wolves holding out for 㿅M.

There's not much in it so it looks like a deal will be struck.

A genuine question. Is Broja that much better than Ellis Simms?

I would much sooner spend everything we've got on a top-quality midfield general.

Gibbs-White may have lots of potential but so did Tom Davies.