What’s Left on the Shelf?

We are being linked with Beto a lot at the moment but I see you didn’t mention him. Do you think it is just paper talk/click bait? If not, what do you think of him?

I would be happy to see him get his chance

I can envisage Gray leaving simply because he offers a goal threat along with a touch of class. If he was more consistent he would not be with us. I will be surprised if either Iwobi or Keane depart. Neither would command a big transfer fee. We don’t have, and cannot afford, ready made replacements.

The obvious priority at this stage must be to bring in a striker. A dilemma for our decision makers is whether or not to risk recruiting a player from abroad with no experience of playing in this country. Most imports usually require a settling in period. Can we afford that?

I’d like Thelwell to be backed to get Gnonto and Iheanacho, ( who I think could well be a perfect fit for us to challellege, rotate and back up Calvert-Lewin).

Then tell Manchester United no sale for Onana or Branthwaite.

We played well on Saturday just need to put a chance or two away, also very unlucky to get Keane’s goal ruled out. Reactions can be overblown sometimes, but I think we are headed in the right direction. I don’t think we are too far as from being a decent side, which has scope for improvement too.

Maguire would be fine if he were on 60K/week.

It's pretty clear we overpay massively, the likes Davies can't even get a new job despite being a free signing. And who in their right mind would pay the wages of our Invisible Trio of Gomes, Gbamin and Dele, let alone a transfer fee?

Gray is our most saleable asset, not because he is much good, but because his wages are affordable. We got him for a decent rate. Who would pay double his wages for Maupay for example? We'd have to pay someone to take him off our wage bill. Same with Holgate. If he leaves, we'll be paying part of his wages.

I personally wouldn't like to lose Gray, but as you say, if we get decent money for him given the initial outlay, as long as we replace him (there lies the question), it would be good business. Maybe we already have with the lad from Leeds on loan.

To the title of your article, I've been saying this for years. It even hit Ancelotti. We've generally maintained 12 - 14 decent players who, on their day, can compete. But once the injuries kick in and you scratch the surface, there is not a lot left in the pantry.

A lot of young players. But you ideally don't want young players constantly thrown into the cauldron of a struggling team. I know Hansen called it wrong when he said you can't win anything with kids, but I've only ever seen United do that under Ferguson. I'm sure the older generation will cite the Busby Babes.

We've got what we've got. Maybe something will come in. Meanwhile, we have to face a wounded Villa. Closest crocodile to the canoe and all that!

Good piece and I enjoyed reading that.

Gift Orban scored the quickest hat trick in the Champions League qualifier history. He will stay if they make the group, but if they get knocked out I'd expect Spurs to buy him to replace Kane. Another Nigerian. 5ft-10in.

Missed the boat on both, but both would have had real potential to deliver multiple goals and increase on transfer fee.

I don't see interest in Doucouré from Man Utd etc, I'd also like to see Dele get a few more games,

Failing that (we are good at that after all!) I like Vazquez at Cincinnati, USA international of Mexican heritage. Big, bustling unit with a lot of potential, 24 years old I believe. You previously got me looking at Habibou Diallo from Strasbourg too, I quite like the look of him.

Gift Orban looks a fantastic prospect but I think he has Spurs written all over him, besides he perhaps doesn't have the height of the profile we are likely looking for?

Assuming we have some money after an almost zero net spend and Spurs buy a couple of players, who'd take Richy back on a knocked down fee? I would. The grass isn't always greener pal, ask peanuts! His versatility (along with Danjuma's) might mean we wouldn't have to get a winger in as well? Okay, I'm dreaming but he has the national team to think of.

Apparently Monaco have bid €21M for Sulemana and, now Spurs have the Kane money, they're in for Gnonto so, if we are still in for another winger, I think things will have to move fast or we could lose out on both.

Striker-wise I'd love Beto or Dia. Relatively unknown to the Premier League but out of the others I’d probably go for Daka simply because of his record before Leicester. There's a player there somewhere. Adams has a worse goal record than Maupay and Inneacho just doesn’t do it for me personally.

Ekitike would be the dream but top teams are interested in him and I just think we're too low down the pecking order.

Centre-back is really interesting for me. We do need a quality one in but I think, with the two other attacking options needed in first, I don't see us getting one over the line.

He's hardly in the world's elite, in fact the only thing he has done of note in the footballing world is help get the team he now refuses to play for relegated.

There has to be a more professional option out there somewhere that we can look to get, after getting that much needed striker first.

I think, besides not having had great success in securing talent, especially in the recent past, this window is especially difficult for two reasons. Money! I don't know how much financial backing Thelwell and Dyche have got have. Hopefully, more than I fear! Then there might be a problem attracting players, because of our last two seasons finishing places.

If we could get one more player: a forward who can score goals fairly regularly, I think I'd be optimistic at the end of this window.

Mind you, the players we've brought in seem to be a good calibre (and apart from Young, who looks a good fit for us,young!) If we can keep Branthwaite, then I wouldn't mind if Keane stays as a sub. Only seen on youtube but Danjuma and Harrison, both look handy in front of goal.

If we want players in who are going to cost us and we have to sell, then. Is Iwobi staying or going? If we have to sell to bring quality in, I would support the club selling Iwobi and Onana. Doesn't Gueye's contract finish in the Summer? If so, all we need is find someone like a Peter Reid who would do just nicely!

Demarai Gray looks like he's for sale (think he's done really well for us and I wish him good fortune wherever he goes.) then that's more funds for the club. If Gbamin and Gomes go, that's a fair wedge of wages off our books. And if Iwobi wants to go, it would help our funds if we sell him now. Same with Doucouré. Both done reasonably well for us, but one appears to want to go and the other is sellable (hopefully).

Depending on who we can sell it might allow us to buy for the midfield, and also right full-back, along with them because it doesn't look to me that Patterson is quite ready for the first team yet.

Whatever happens, the players we've brought in so far look decent and I'm fairly optimistic about the season ahead.

I would just hope that the gods smile on Dele (and us) and help him get back his zest for football... with us.

If Gray does go then I'd rather us get the Southampton lad over Gnonto and possibly try to offload Holgate as part of any deal.

From what I've seen of Gnonto, he has little end product and could well be yet another ineffective winger for us (how many do we get like that: McGeady, Lookman, Alexandersson, Vlasic…) ?

I think we also need another centre-half to replace Coady unless Dyche starts giving Branthwaite some game time. Relying on either or both of Keane and Holgate fills me with dread. I thought we'd seen the back of both of those about 3 seasons back.

If we do fail with Gnonto and Sulemana, there are still lots of other options. It might even be that Danjuma is pencilled in as the Gray replacement – they do play very similar positions after all.

Alternatively, the club might think that Cannon (who plenty on here rate very highly), Maupay (if we can't sell him) and Chermiti offer the back-up to Calvert-Lewin with Danjuma as an option.

In which case, the more pressing signing becomes centre-back. I think Maguire on loan with heavily subsidised wages would be an excellent signing.

Everton and Maupay deserve the grief they are getting. To produce finishing like that against Fulham, having only scored once after so many starts and knowing he had to improve, is not good enough. I am sure a lot of work was put into trying to improve his finishing by Dyche.

Speculative recovery updates on Calvert-Lewin confirm for me that he should be only considered back-up. He is never going to be a saviour centre-forward because he never was one. That's the source of his problems.

Some say delivery to the forwards is the problem but I think it is more runs providing availability for a pass in the final third. Everton have too many players who are not anticipating chances. They are not prepared when they get them, or aware enough to square the ball.

Everton need a centre-back with a head on him, who is available to play, to organise the defence to cut out the headless chicken defending that resulted in the Fulham goal.

There does seem to be an obsession with wingers, probably because that is where the value is in the squad.

In terms of wingers, if Gnonto and Sulemana don't happen, I think we can just about cope. When fit, we'd have Danjuma, Harrison, McNeil and Iwobi but either of the two mentioned would mean we're well stocked and in a good position and allow a Danjuma or Gnonto for example to be used as an emergency forward.

Centre-back is an interesting one. Maguire has been rubbished by a lot of better sources and considering he's rejected West Ham, I don't see a world where Utd just loan him out whilst paying most of his wages. Chalobah looks a good player but, by all accounts, is a back-three centre-back. There's plenty of good options out there though.

If by the end of the window we manage to bring in Young, Danjuma, Chermiti, Harrison, Gnonto and Beto, Dia or Daka, I'd say it's been an excellent window and overall cost-effective if we can also ship out Gray, Gomes, Gbamin, Holgate and Maupay. Our overall squad would look something like this:

GK: Pickford, Virginia.
FB: Coleman, Patterson, Young, Mykolenko
CB: Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Keane, Godfrey
CM: Gana, Onana, Garner, Doucouré, Alli, (Iwobi)
Wing: McNeil, Danjuma, Harrison, Gnonto, (Iwobi)

Forwards: Calvert- Lewin, Chermiti, Beto or Daka or Dia

Overall that's 23 players in total and other spaces going to youngsters like Dobbin, Onyango, Cannon depending on who's loaned out for experience. That leaves the only real concern being a centre-back but we were never going to solve every position in one window and it gives us rotation in the squad which would hopefully help our injury issues.

You must spend a lot of time preparing these welcome threads and I really appreciate them.

He's the player we've never truly replaced for me after all these years. A winger who never really scored many but linked up with everyone around him superbly.

Our best football of the 2000s was played with him in the team for me personally. His ability to make Baines attack effectively and knowing when to release the ball was superb.

A big flaw of our attacking play bar the obvious lack of goals is the composure past the halfway line. A lot of running and power but Pienaar was never quick but his football brain was second to none for me.

Regards further signings, we could do worse than Brandon Williams from Man Utd as cover at full-back.I think he is primarily right-footed but have seen him play left-back for United. He's only young and United have said he is free to leave, so he may be a relatively cheap option.

Certainly worth a look but I'd be concerned with a fee above £15-20 million I think. Saying that, I'd certainly take him if Beto can't be obtained.

In fact McTominay and Williams in a straight swap for Onana, two good players for one that might become one.

I never thought "comfortably mid-table" would be my aim for Everton going into any season but after recent scares, I'd bite yer hand off for guaranteed 12th.
And then Top 4 next season. 🤣

Does anyone see any of the new additions being played in a more traditional midfielder role as opposed to the winger position that they all seem to be billed?

I haven't seen others' interest and he is good for a rebound in form as soon as he gets some games. Option to buy if not expensive.

Nice to be proved wrong but I cannot see us buying another wing / forward (eg Gnonto) and another striker (eg Beto or whoever). It will surely just be one or the other.

We might, however, be able to bring in both if one is free (eg Diego Costa) or on loan (eg Broja). Indeed, Diego Costa is not such a terrible possibility for free. He had some good moments for Wolves last season and is probably a better than spending money on someone as average as Che Adams, say. And it gives Chermiti a bit of experience / support to learn from as he beds in. If I was him, though, I'd be trying to line up a big last payday in Saudi rather than a hard slog through another season at the wrong end of the Premier League.

Onana should be worth £50m or more in the current market. We need that money to pay for up to 4 new players or more - especially since Harrison and Danjuma are only loans, and Gray, Gomes, Iwobi, Doucoure and Gueye all leave for free next summer.

The Man Utd player I would want if we were to do an exchange would be Mejbri (and with only a year left on his contract he would probably command about £8m). There are lots of players of the mediocre standard of McTominay and Williams available at very low cost.

Personally speaking I don't know why we are faffing about with players like Beto that would not come here when we could just go and get Piroe who I am sure would be very motivated to come here.

He may not be CL quality but we just need someone who can stick the ball in the net.

I certainly do not want Che Adams or Ihenacho and we seem to be wasting time and resource chasing Gnonto instead of addressing the most important position i.e. A stand in for DCL.

Robert - Another well-taken chance for you to scratch your recruitment itch, but haven't the last three or four years shown that Ethan Ampadu is on a big downward curve? He may have been highly-touted on in articles of 4+ years ago, but trusting my own eyes I'd say he's way off what we need and has definitely gone backwards.

Andrew has you say “ you think” he will prove himself to be one of the leading all round midfield players in the game.

Well Andrew I read your posts so I realise you know your football so I have to say I hope you are correct and would love Onana to become that player with us.

You are correct in that I don’t rate the lad on what I have seen of him in an Everton shirt, see his potential but also see mostly what he doesn’t do.

If you think McTominay is a rushed panic driven short term thinking transfer then I think you are the one who is seriously off target with your thinking, a lad who has proved himself over two or three years in United first team, a player who can come in and improve Everton’s midfield defensively and going forward scoring a few goals as well providing strength in both penalty area defending and attacking not to mention Williams who proved his worth with United and on loan.

Mike not having a go but you watch Everton and Onana on television, the camera follows the ball it doesn’t show you who goes missing most of the time, and definitely Onana does quite a lot of that.

There's loads of midfielders of that standard available at much lower cost.

Williams is a very, very limited player indeed - and he's out of contract June 2024 so would only be worth about £2.5m and be destined for a career on our bench, covering Patterson and Mykolenko.

As for Ampadu, Andrew, it's hard to say whether he's gone backwards. Still only 22, he's managed plenty of games in Serie A albeit for two lesser clubs, and he's also played lots of games for Wales. He's obviously not going to be a big Champions League star which might be what you're getting at. But for £7m I think he'd have been a very good signing for us, covering the CB and and defensive midfield positions and perhaps nailing down a long term first team spot. Better value than the £7m we paid for Gueye last summer anyway, who I think has been poor and will leave for free next summer.

Williams would be worth £2.5M you say, well I’d rather him than the left back we bought for a lot more than two years ago.

We didn’t pay £7M for Gueye last season. Where do you get your facts from??

Given we are in rebuild and will be moving others next summer Onana is a reliable player who will gain field presence this year. Any other additions up front make it that much more likely that his value increases substantially. It’s just too early to cash in if we don’t have the forwards set.

Because he's one of our biggest outlays, rightly or wrongly, a bit more is expected. Creativity, goals incisive bursts from midfield would be nice but are completely absent from his game so at times it looks like the game passes him by.

BUT, surrounded by players who DO have those traits he could be a valuable team asset.

Unfortunately reality dictates it is unlikely to happen here.

Onana is a player we should be making on, not giving him away for basically what we paid for him when he 12-24 months Premier league experienced and AGED JUST 22.

Giving away players like Richarlison needs to stop.

Obviously this is just my opinion and I am sure many disagree with me and thats what you would expect on a forum like this. But I would just ask for his supporters who he has many tell me 1 game where he has been MOM.

Most foreign players take 12 months to settle in. I would be offloading a lot more of our players before looking in his direction.

I am not his greatest fan but believe he has the potential to be very good for us.

I'm not sure about the value of chips really but can talk about footballers ability a little bit, too much some would say.

By the way, Robert, I noticed at (37) you say you thought Everton would have brought Brandon Williams in by now to cover both full-back positions but at (50) describe him as a very, very limited player indeed… Strange that you thought such a limited player would be bought for any reason.

He's something of a one-off; very tall and physically imposing, but with a very good touch, who can pass well off both feet, will drive forward impressively with and without the ball, and seems to have pretty good vision. I actually think his potential is huge, and with the right guidance, and in right system, he could be world-class.

Robert (50) - Chelsea had high hopes for Ampadu when they signed him as a 16-year-old, but he's not really excelled in club football after a series of loan transfers. He was in the Sheffield United team that got relegated from the Premier League in 2020/21, the Venezia team that got relegated from Serie A in 2021/22, and then the Spezia team that got relegated from Serie A in 2022/23! I think he'll break that run with Leeds this season, but if he'd ended up here then I'd be hugely suspicious that the Everton board are actively trying to do whatever they can to get us relegated. But in all seriousness Ampadu was hyped up in a bunch of articles about hot young prospects and he's fallen a long way short - in a similar vein to those other young Chelsea prospects like Lewis Baker, Izzy Brown, Charlie Musonda and Kasey Palmer, all of whom have failed to kick on.

On top of that was the total instability at the club during his first 5 months, all whilst trying to acclimatise and improve his game. Early on he came in for some serious rough stuff, took some bad tackles, and I never heard the lad moan or whinge off with a knock, he was robust and resilient, back for the fight. It showed an impressive mentality.

I am seeing the same as Andrew – he's stepping it up a notch. Far from the finished article, but showing signs of composure, drive and creativity to compliment his natural physical attributes.

I am looking forward to watching him develop this season. The criticism is very fair that he needs to be more influential; I think, as this season progresses, he will really start to show it.

* Awaits Robert Tressell and Sam Hoare player analysis *

Fair enough, let's see how he progresses but being honest for such a big strong young lad he really needs to do a lot more of the attributes you both describe, I notice them as well when he briefly shows them.

It could be an interesting couple of weeks. Gnonto seems like a genuine target but I'm curious to see who the striker we bring in will be.

No doubt there will be some more leftfield links like Bakayoko who looks a very exciting young player who's replaced Madueke with ease. Definite talent and has Zaha like qualities but some question marks over his movement and defensive work.

Broja loan would seem a good option but we've been burnt there before. I feel if Dia was a serious option we'd have bid while his release clause was valid. I'm not sold on Piroe and neither Daka or Iheanacho would seem the right fit physically.

I wonder if there might be a surprise option we've not considered. We don't want another Maupay situation of bringing in a striker just for the sake of it who doesn't fit the manager's system.

Lukaku, Ziyech and Hudson-Odoi have been training with the kids, without squad numbers, and told to find new clubs. Ziyech to Saudi, Hudson-Odoi to Fulham.

Lukaku has burnt his bridges with Inter. Juve kicked out of Europe are unlikely to take him on. Juve want cash plus Lukaku for Vlahovic. So it looks like Lukaku is running out of options.

He doesn't want Saudi, so it's leaving him Spurs, Roma as possible destinations. Hugely unlikely Lukaku would come back to Goodison.

There is a lot more chance of Richarlison returning and Spurs spunking a wad of cash on 3 attacking players to replace him and Kane. It has not worked out for our lad there and they don't appreciate his qualities.

Come home, Richy.

Well maybe in a short-term emergency, but a complete waste of Garner's and Branthwaite's true talents in the long run.

As for Godfrey, I personally have no idea what his best position is. Central defender? No chance. Full-back? Positional play a disaster. Where else can you play him? Maybe couldn't do worse than Maupay but that's not saying much!

For me, he is one I'd be looking for offers for. I get that Brandon Williams is not flavour of the month on this thread, but am I being too picky highlighting the need for full-back cover with the number of versatile defenders we seem to have?

Next to lowest number of goals scored in the Premier League last season. I wonder what we need to do to remedy that? Can't think…

He would be an interesting signing for us, I always felt like there was more to come from him, but he never really fully got going at Leicester.

We just don't play that kind of football under Sean Dyche (or any manager for a while for that matter).

IMO, Ekitike would be similar but maybe offers more in mobility and dribbling but still not that big fella who we can aim for. Beto is that player as well as being fast and powerful, I pray we go all out for him.

I could only honestly say he's bossed one game since he's been here and that was Dyche's first match against Arsenal.

There's been the odd cameo in others, but 'quality', 'class' 'brilliant' etc are not words I'd associate with Onana.

Actually, I wonder whether Spurs would be open to loaning Davinson Sanchez to us. I think his pace and strength might be a good option for us, and he could definitely do with a change of scene to rediscover his mojo.

The total lack of any director's structure has led to criminal managerial appointments, a scouting system missing in action that plays second fiddle to almost every other league team and is yet to notice the continent of South America, scandalous "negotiating" skills that has led to overpaying for and to players, players constantly unfit or injured or both, a club with the communication and publicity appeal of a deaf mute that appeals only to ever diminishing diehards and a fanbase that, more and more, seems not to notice and falls for the Premier League illusion of fairness and glamour.

My mind boggles as to why a single Everton supporter would tolerate the situation for a single minute never mind let the club degenerate into the mess it is in and has been in for two decades yet carry on as if everything is normal.

I personally don't believe we have great cover at full backs and agree that using the likes of Godfrey, Branthwaite and Garner there isn't ideal. My point is that the club seems to have concluded we've got enough, at least given our meagre budget, and therefore won't spend any more money on that position (after bringing in Young on a free) when other areas are much more pressing.

That's probably right too, because if we've only got, say, £15m to spend on a striker - there's no point spending £2.5m on Williams and being left unable to buy, say, Piroe (of whoever else we might be after) because we're £2.5m short.

As to Williams, I think he's a wholehearted lad who may yet develop - but he is very limited at the moment. I thought we might buy him (pre Young) because he was cheap and versatile (covers RB and LB) and NW based, not because he was good. I'm not even convinced he's as good as JJK who many on here (probably unfairly) thought was absolutely appalling.

To be honest, he wouldn't have topped my list earlier in the summer. But as we now approach the 2nd game of the season with no new striker brought in, we're getting a bit desperate.

He'd be an option off the bench as a minimum.

Danny #86, we have several Scottish (or Scotland-based) TWers who are unanimously opposed to us considering Morelos. Apparently he has gotten fat and lazy, and correspondingly unproductive. Which is why Rangers dumped him the cold.

Not just for two decades, probably for most of my 50 plus years of Evertonianism.

I question your point on diminishing support. I don't see that around me. I know very loyal supporters who won't go whilst a certain individual remains and I respect that. Then I see young supporters with the same passion I had as a youngster, only I don't know how they do it. It was easy for me. But they do it. To be amongst them is a privilege and joy.

I talk to people of my age group with similar expectation. I meet with wise older Evertonians who can tell me a thing or two about being relegated and calm my enthusiasm. We're not getting relegated by the way.

My brother and son grew up in the Moyes era. They are as passionate as me, maybe in a more sensible way, but it's not diminishing at all. My brother went to the Bournemouth match last season and was an absolute wreck on the day it meant that much to him. He's trying to attend Sheffield United away and the Doncaster League fixture if we can sort out this new ticketing platform.

They are both reflective of a very scarred yet still very passionate support base. Meanwhile, I think we're going to qualify for Europe and win the League Cup every season. They often just look at me in confusion.

I guess the challenge for Everton is how we expand that support base whilst retaining our roots. Those roots are deeply ingrained and won't go away.

It's in the blood.