Deadline Day another bust for weakened Everton

That's the golden rule I've conditioned myself to in regards to deadline days. The less you check your phone the easier the day is (easier said than done I know).

But my prediction is cornet on loan and a Cb on loan from the continent.

Iwobi, cannon leave today but gray leaves in a week or two towards the end of the Saudi window.

Hope they don't waste anymore time pursuing gnonto all over again.

https://www.sportbible.com/football/football-weird-funny-never-forget-the-greatest-moment-in-transfer-deadline-day-history-20210201

Best signing we made in years that.

But come on mate, Phillips on loan from City before we're done today. It's good to dream big.

Let's assume Iwobi, Gray and Cannon leave. We have the cover on the right wing with Harrison, Danjuma and and Dobbin. It may not be ideal, but Doucoure, Onana and Garner can cover the center of the pitch. And as old as Coleman and Young are, even if Mykolenko and Patterson aren't world class, the four of them will have to do, along with Godfrey in an emergency. We'll keep Keane as center back cover and pray that we're never down more than once CB at a time.

But Gana to me seems the weakest link. Maybe Garner can take his place, but that negates his creativity. I had not heard before the idea of Phillips, but makes sense if he can't get into the City squad. That would be huge.

Cornet on loan feels like the most realistic option. All-in-all, that wouldn't be a bad window. Beto almost feels like two signings given our recent paucity of striking options.

Phillips seems perfectly content on his fat wage doing nothing at City. Pep has also criticized his weight gain. I'm not sure he's someone ready to battle.

Lol he could fill that big hole in midfield

Dyche, has already dampened down expectations, explaining that just because a club receives money by selling players - who usually want to leave for a good reason - but if we don't get in anymore players, there must be major concerns that we have left ourselves short once again

If we can pull off one of the deals for Gnonto, Sulemana, Cornet or Bakayoko then it would be a decent day, however I still think we are short at centre back, the mere prospect of Keane or Godfrey getting game time fills me with dread so let's pray Tarkowski and Branthwaite stay injury free.

As for selling Cannon, it's a good move because if he does come good who knows in four years it could be we re-sign him from a Championship club but he may never be top flight material.

Iwobi clearly needs finalising today so we can grab some cash instead of losing him for nothing next May.

I highly doubt we will bring in anyone else in today.

I'd love Kalvin Phillips but it will tough unless talks are at an already advanced stage. Remember, our fax machine is dodgy.

If Fulham are paying anywhere near the reported figures (like others I suspect it's more like £15M) then we have to bite their hand off and wish Iwobi well. He has been a good servant of the club and I think it's best for all parties despite his creative output last year.

SD doesn't seem to know what to do with him and basically told the press he wants out. Thelwell seems capable of doing deals in the best interest of the club, imagine that? What he has achieved in this window has been excellent, credit where it's due. People expecting us to sign the likes of Phillips will no doubt disagree with that last sentence.

I think we will get takers on Gomes and Gbamin, heavily subsidised loans no doubt. Our only hope for Alli is a Saudi club or someone in the MLS to make him their marquee signing. I imagine we would have to give him away to get him off the books.

It's going to be a busy day I think, Cannon likely to go also on a perm, I am disappointed about that but again the reported figure makes it of interest if we can get some decent and savvy clauses in the deal. 25% sell on fee and a lowball repurchase price? Other clubs do it and we hold the aces on this one for a change.

If we have any money to spend (and if the above actually happens) I'd like to see an attacking midfielder, the fella Flemming from Millwall a good shout Robert. I can't see us spending big on a winger with Dobbin, Harrison, McNeil and Danjuma in the squad. Wharton plays deeper but looks a real prospect, he could be nurtured and ready to stake a club when Gueye and Doucs are out in Jan.

If it's to be a CB, then Elvedi is really a good option at the reported price. There are many others but we need to ship either one of Keane or Godfrey if we are to get him in. What on earth happened to Godfrey??? It's going to be an interesting day. I will tell myself not to look whilst simultaneously looking every 10 minutes for updates. It's already been a good window, slow but good. I think there will be ins and outs today.

It would be ace if we could also get rid of Gomes and Jean Paul today. As James said, we are wasting millions in wages on those two. Ali as well.

1. Defender
2.Tough tackling Midfielder
3. Winger (Preferably non-African)

Next summer our target should be defence by replacing Keane, Godfrey and Myko with good quality and hungry defenders

I would like to see a few more outs as highlighted by others, and try to sign or loan a defender, a midfielder and a forward. Strengthen through the spine of the team. Gray, iwobi, Cannon, Maupay and Alli. May be a surprise like Godfrey (who has been average at best for us) going, would raise some funds.

Sell Iwobi for £20m+ (much as we'll miss him)

Sell cannon for £9m plus 25%sell on

Sell Gray for £12m

Buy Sulemana/Gnonto/TresorRW for £25m

Loan Phillips or buy a younger CM like Wharton or Agoume

Loan/buy CB cover like Chalobah/Dier/Maguire etc (and maybe loan out Godfrey who needs game time)

If the window shut right now I think it would have been a pretty good one. Been a while since I could say that. Let's see what could be added today.

One final thought, I am not sure that we have the backup goalkeeper covered. It seemed strange that Pickford got the nod for the Doncaster game, so maybe a surprise loan move to come in ?

Alex Iwobi 2022-23 ranked at Everton.

Minutes played - 98.6%

Assists - 1st

xAG - 1st

Key Passes - 1st

Passes into Final 3rd - 1st

Passes into Penalty Box - 1st

Progressive Passes - 1st

Progressive Carries - 2nd

Attempted Dribbles - 1st

Tackles - 3rd

Ball Recoveries - 2nd

He's by far our most creative player. Doucoure is not a number 10 and needs to be moved to the 8 role.

This should be our top priority.

As for selling Cannon. We just signed Chermiti and he is probably the same level as Cannon. Why we didn't save that money and give Cannon a chance is baffling. I'd only loan him out and then see which is better next year him or Chermiti.

One final thing selling all our homegrown players is a mistake. Should we happen to qualify for Europe again we need homegrown players for squad rules this actually makes Cannon more valuable to us than Chermiti

Iwobi would need replacing as, although he is a bit of a marmite player, he brings energy and hard running to the side.

Apparently, the October hearing is about unpaid taxes on BMD loans and not dodgy transfers or cooked books.

Iwobi along with McNeil with the new forwards could give us more. Garner in a central role alongside Gueye.

I'm not getting too fussed about the transfer window.

We play Sheffield United tomorrow and there might be a backlog because of today's train strike.

Link

Selling Cannon seems like another risky ploy. Loaning him out and seeing how he and Chermiti develop is better option.

Gray and Gomes seem to be halfway out of the door. Gbamim never really got through it.

So maybe better to see how the new additions settle in as well as the returning injured players before spending more at this point.

Also a centre-back is needed, Godfrey needs to rebuild his career and get a loan somewhere at least until the new year. He's not going to get his game back sitting on the bench.

A midfielder is needed, they must have factored in the Afcon tournament and how that will affect us. Kalvin Philips on loan would be a coup, Adam Wharton a young talent route.

It's a bit late in the day but a loan for a more experienced right back is necessary. Patterson is exposed at the moment and looks like, he needs a full seasons game time at Championship level to develop his all round game.

We really need Gomes and Gbamin moved on at the best subsidised rates we can. Surprised Gomes can't find a Saudi club, it would suit his game and he did well in France last year.

Interesting player, would be an upgrade I think on Mykolenko who cost £18M. Though maybe not as good defensively.

There are gaps across the back line and midfield plus unclear how Beto fits within the striker role. By his own narrative about promising effort rather than goals, he comes across more as a forward who sits behind the striker.

My guess would be some desperate loan deal for the likes of Cornet or Ings. One with a long-standing calf injury, and the other a Liverpool reject, old, injury-prone, and who's had more clubs than Tiger Woods.

But either would be better than Maupay! Ings has been known to score the odd goal or two all be it in the past!

Outgoings seem more likely, but not the ones we most want gone, eg, Gomes, Gbamin etc.

I don't know what the DOF and recruitment team at Everton do, just read through ToffeeWeb and the criteria are clear:

Premier League Proven
A proven track record over several seasons
20 goal a man
A diamond no one has heard of
Creative, but never loses the ball
Dogged and imaginative
Cheap
Low wages
Young but with years and years of experience at the top level.
Good disciplinary record
Have an ugly side to his game
Be ambitious
Not a mercenary who just wants what's best for himself.

Above all else this 20-goal-a-season Premier League proven player must see moving to bottom-of-the-league Everton as a step up.

Iwobi will offer Fulham valuable competition for places in attacking areas, with left-wing his favoured position. Source: Evening Standard

I expect there will be but don't expect them to blow your socks off.

Why do Chelsea need Cole Palmer? Are they trying to start a league where they can field every team in it?

GK - David De Gea ( needs no introduction ). Valued at £13m.

RB - Reggie Cannon USA Int. Age 25. PL 33 games. £4m
CB - Sergio Ramos ( you may know him ). Age 37. PL 45 games £4.5m
CB - Axel Tuanzebe Age 25. PL 5 games. on loan at Stoke. £4m
LB - Yairo Moreno Age 28, PL 34 games. £4m.

DM - Nampalys Mendy Age 31. PL 24 games. £2.5m
CM - Roberto Pereyra Age 31 PL 36 games. 5 goals 9 assists. £6m. *
AM - Jesse Lingard Age 30 PL 20 games. 2 goals 2 assist. £8m

RF - Tanguy Coulibaly Age 22 PL 16 games 4 goals. £2.5m
CF - Alfredo Morelos Age 27 PL 45 games 12 goals 7 assists. £6m
LF - Eden Hazard Age 32 PL 10 games 1 goal 2 assists. £5m.

* My Pick and a mate of Betos. Played together last season.

Patterson needs games to get better so let him make his mistakes and try to limit them by having older heads play next to him. Young is better than Vinagre (and Mykolenko).

Need to get Iwobi out purely for financial reasons given cost and wages. Gray less so, I am okay if he stays or goes given he didn't cost much. Cash in bank or extra squad depth.

Branthwaite replaces Mina and Davies is no real loss.

When most people are fit we'll be an okay team hopefully able to get to 12th to 14th without any finger gnashing later in the season.

Badly need a result this Saturday as we then have 3 tough looking games after. However, I cannot imagine we'll finish below Luton and Sheffield Utd so not all doom and gloom. Very early days, table doesn't mean anything. Had we had a striker, we could already be on 6 points rather than 0..

Also, we are back in for Gnonto.

Iwobi's medical happening now…

We want Harrison Reed from Fulham

Gnonto back in talks.

No mention of a centre-back which is worrying.

He would be an exciting signing, but I feel we need a centre-back and midfielder as more of a priority now we have Danjuma, Harrison and Beto, also Calvert-Lewin back.

How the striker situation went on for so long is beyond comprehension, I expect the usual bullshit from the club.

"We pinpointed our targets but unfortunately blah blah blah..."
Meanwhile, at Kenwright Towers.

This is Everton. Expect the worst.

Don't expect much, good advice and I loved that phrase “Spend the money judiciously” – it took me back to one of my favourite films “The Maltese Falcon” with Sydney Greenstreet.

We seem to be using the transfer market a lot more wisely than in the past with Thelwell doing the business instead of the genius Kenwright.

So that's it, Bill, don't expect much but maybe pleasantly surprised.

Positive noises about this move now.

I see Leicester papers are claiming Leicester have got Cannon. Maybe we could loan Maupay to Preston North End.

Sam, I'm already tipsy.

Gbamin going to Cadiz

You can't judge the transfer window until it's closed.

Unless it's to bash Kenwright.

Iwobi makes me think of the annoying bluebottle that comes in the open window over summer when you're sitting reading. It's neither achieving anything, nor dangerous, but you know you'll have to deal with it at some point.

He seems a really nice guy, but for £34 million and a monthly wage he has been uninspiring mediocrity, and EFC can do much better.

Hopefully he does well at Fulham.

All those fans saying that x player will be missed because of certain statistical criteria, it doesn't matter a jot, if the player wants more cash, he'll choose to leave. Of course, Everton could have prevented a move, but that would have meant losing a decent fee to help with recruitment.

It doesn't matter if it's a pound down and the rest over a few years, it's money incoming, that wouldn't have been there without selling the player this year.

£20M for Iwobi. £7.5M for Cannon. Unkown amount for Gbamin. Sell on % for Nkonkou. A few quid for Gray. We are rolling in it.

Correction: £22M for Iwobi. Thank you Marco.

Harrison Reed now being linked. Good player.

We can't get our hopes up though as we're still Everton, we will somehow end up with a one-legged Cornet and Michael Keane on a new 6-year deal.

Oh my eyes, what is this madness….take the money and leg it — Now!!!

Only to see corks popping everywhere…

“Chelsea sign Cole Palmer for £42.5M from Chelsea on 7-year deal”

Loooooool!!!

Whether we need him this season or not is pretty irrelevant, it's a deal that makes sense for the player and for us. Not sure if it makes sense for Fulham, but that's their problem.

If we've really turned down Keane for £15M that would be ridiculous. Like turning down £15M for Maupay.

Then again, he's an ex-Burnley man so will be a Dyche fav.

Martinez was as near as damn it a miracle worker that year with Barry and McCarthy to come and the development of Stones and reinvention of Oviedo and Barkley.

If only Moshiri and Usmanov had turned up by the end of that first year to replace the porous Moyes defence in toto.

Keane is a fantastic leader and an immense wall at the back. I think he's probably the best defender we've had since we last won the title. We'd be in a sorry state if we lost him, can't believe he's not playing for a Champions League club tbh.

£15M would be an absolute bargain. He's worth at least 5 times that!

It's not that he's an absolutely terrible player, he clearly has some ability, but we paid way over the top for a player that had had a few good appearances in a good Arsenal team. At that money, we needed someone who could genuinely carry the team.

Yes, he has also been a victim of the instability at the club during the same period, new managers, new DOFs etc and he seems like a nice bloke but he's been a flop alongside many other flops. We wish him all the best and hopefully use the money for more incisive signings!

It's not his fault that we paid money for him or signed him, or that every manager that's been at Goodison during his time have chosen him to play.

Believe me when I say that we've had far worse defenders than him in the team over the years.

That basically means it's a done deal, Fabrizio is never usually wrong.

Bonkers world we live in.

Klaassen is a good player, just not suited to the pace and speed of the Premier League

You could also make an argument for Coleman's rejuvenation as well.

I posted something similar on another thread, if only they'd backed Martinez when he wanted to sign Van Dijk, we'd be in a very different place today.

Could be happening.

Life and transfer dealings are sometimes grey.

How we get by without anyone even resembling a Number 10 remains to be seen. If Harrison Reed is, indeed, available and fancies the move, he would be a very shrewd signing. He links play in the final third very effectively.

He might do well at a club trying to gain promotion to the top tier, very similar to Simms in that way.

We are still apprehensive after that dreadful first-half performance against Doncaster but at least two new guys showed they can score.

Dyche needs to get them playing as a tighter unit and stop some of the awful passing out of their own half which always seems to put them under pressure.

Whilst I don't like to see too much of the 'long-ball' tactic, perhaps the height of Beto might be of use if they can get the ball to him early and he can hold it up.

With a few new attackers, just maybe we can pose more of a threat in the opposition half going forward.

There is an option to go in for Nico Elvedi from BMG who is at the right age (26) is an international, and has played at one of the better clubs in the Bundesliga.

He is an accomplished player, who is looking for a new challenge and can play both sides of the CB positions, and at RB.

BMG are allowing him to go for approx £4.3m (circa €5m) and there seems little other interest in him.

Seeing as though we are crying out for backup at both CB and RB, why don't we go in for him; either staggered payments or loan to buy with an upfront loan payment?

Seems a no brainer to me, and kills two birds with one Stones (If you excuse the pun)

@Sam Hoare, Rob Tressall, any one else; any thoughts on this? (NE, and below)

My last thought, if we did get him, the only other burning need would be to get a genuine RW like André Palminha (Prt), his main position is RW, (but a lot like Diogo Dalot) he is multi positional in that he can play RM, and RB, and he can play off both feet? Not to mention he's rapid!

What does our Scouting and recruitment team do all year (every year)? Don't forget that these are the same people who said Haaland would never make it when we had him early doors... Ot that VVD wasn't worth the money!?

We need a centre-half and a central midfield player. We look weak at fullback, too.

With our injury record, the more 'reliable' bodies, the better.

Alan Stubbs has described Everton chairman Bill Kenwright as a "bad smell" while slamming the transfer strategy at his former club.

The central defender, who played 191 times for the club across two spells, hasn't held back in his assessment of the Toffees as they sit bottom of the Premier League table having narrowly avoided relegation in each of the last two seasons.

Everton, who are set to move into their new Bramley-Moore Dock stadium next year, have also had a disappointing transfer window with only three notable permanent arrivals.

Stubbs told William Hill and Footy Accumulators' podcast: "Our chairman is like a bad smell that doesn't want to go away.

"He's hanging on, but this club needs a fresh start, a fresh output. We need new finance and new ideas because we, as a club, are stale. There's a lack of information from the boardroom to the director of football about how this club is going."

He added: "For me, what's going down in the background is affecting what we are seeing on the pitch.

"There is too much noise in the background – the chief executive went, the finance officer left, and Graeme Sharp, unfortunately, left, who was probably just guilty by association and shouldn't have probably gone."

He added when asked about the transfer strategy at Goodison Park: "Their recruitment has been nothing short of diabolical; they have spent close to £600 million on bang-average players.

“Everton are in a worse state now than they were before they even spent a penny – surely that's impossible to do?

"You could bring in anyone off the street and they would probably do a better job than what the recruitment has done at the club.

"Some people may be wondering why Everton are in the position that we are at the moment. They need to look in the mirror and take responsibility. No one has taken responsibility; it's all been a blame game."
Source: Daily Star

Keane, Keeley, Krøldrup, maybe we shouldn't buy centre-backs beginning with K.

Cheeky bid for Maguire on loan would be good.

Not bothered about Iwobi leaving. Every player we sell from the current crop of dross is a bonus. Surprised we can get a fee for any of them.

I still have nightmares about Williams, Alcaraz and Funes Mori! To name but three.

Dobbin was very poor on Wednesday. We won't have any homegrown players as starters. Sign of the times, I suppose.

Premier League so far today.

11.45 BST Clement Lenglet [Barcelona - Aston Villa] Loan

10:30 Matheus Nunes [Wolves - Manchester City] £55m

10:00 Nuno Tavares [Arsenal - Nottingham Forest] Loan

10:00 Tommy Doyle [Manchester City - Wolves] Loan

09:30 Cole Palmer [Manchester City - Chelsea] £40m

09:00 Altay Bayindir [Fenerbahce - Manchester United] £4.3m

The money - yes.
Enough time to spend it - not sure.
In-house replacement - nope, don't see anyone.
Anxious for any creativity within the squad - yep, loads.

Next 11 hours may make this feel better, or a lot worse.

The 2023-24 Europa League group stage draw has been completed -

Full groups featuring British clubs:

Group A: West Ham, Olympiakos, Freiburg, TSC Backa Topola

Group B: Ajax, Marseille, Brighton, AEK Athens

Group C: Rangers, Real Betis, Sparta Prague, Aris Limassol

Group E: Mordor FC, LASK, Union SG, Toulouse

another tough one for the Mordor XI.

Mordor have turned down £150m for Salah. Are we about to see the first £200m transfer.

Come on Salah go on strike, You know it makes sense !!

Gueye has tried his best but his best attributes are harrying and winning the ball back. We need a proper sitter.

£150m + £1.5m per week for a 31 y/o Salad. Wow. Both he and FSG would be crazy to turn that down. The thing for me though is that he's a Klopp player and will do next to fuck all going elsewhere - same as Mane, Cortinaho etc etc. Before Bingo struggle cuddled him in the changies he couldn't get near the Chelsea side. Did ok at Roma, and then spent fist season back in the PL and broke records - out of feckin nowhere - but that's just cos they're the jammiest bastards known to man and have spent 60 years having 20 goal a season strikers unlike every other team in world football.
Astonishing sums of money being offered.

Ansu Fati to Brighton. Jeezus 😮

Absolute fuck all use to anyone.

I've never seen a biggest waste of money in the club's history than this cunt.

Bit harsh, don't you think?

Roberto showed what could be done with courage and innovation but in this day and age it's not enough, cold hard cash is king and he didn't have it.

During the Martinez era, the Echo reckoned he brought in 24 players, only 3 of which officially exceeded the £10M threshold.

Untold millions later we are nowhere near his record points total, the 2 cup semis and some scintillating football. Yet on Everton forums (not day-to-day blues on the street, I might add) there exists a rewrite of history claiming Moyes left him a marvellous defence to negate his achievements.

That defence collapsed under pressure every time – even though they were in an 11 set up to defend.

The bizarre thing is a lack of money excused every failure of Moyes during his decade but it seemed that line of reasoning became null and void under Roberto.

It's true fans get the club they deserve.

I think it was more a case of the club telling Gbamin, or more likely his agent, that he was not wanted and should try to find another club.

Just don't sign Tanganga – he's crap and injury-prone.

Another centre-back whose contract is up next summer is Tosin Adarabioyo of Fulham. Age 24. Played 73 games over past 2 seasons – no injuries. Silva brought him in from Man City Academy.

Moyes did not need many excuses (except towards the end maybe) as we actually played some good football, achieved good league placings, had European football regularly and it was all achieved with little money relative to the competition.

Martinez had 1 good season. The season after was a disaster.

What is that gumph you finish with? Football fans get the club they deserve? Give me one example...

Are you saying our loveable neighbours have had success because of their fans, and Man Utd and currently City?

Bollox... Why come on here goading fellow Blues? It's your attitude you should be checking – not others!

Unless we can get in someone last-minute, eg, Cornet, I think we might be done for this window. I hope not.

He was no Bally, Anthony.

Any money we get for Iwobi and Gray is good as they'd be 2 more needing replacing next summer with zero money coming in if they run down their deals.

I guess the “plan” is the revenue keeps us solvent this season. We somehow keep our few decent players fit all season and avoid relegation. Then next summer it might be easier to find new investors as the new stadium will be all but complete.

Pleased about Iwobi. Six league goals in 4 seasons and a succession of managers not knowing his best position sums it up. One of the worst of the current dross.

Less the £5,600,000 he is valued in the books at 1 July 2023.

Question for Paul the Esk: Presume any other guaranteed fee above £1m - does it count for FFP when the deal is done or when the money is received?

Get Gnonted. I don't want him anyway based on his propensity to strike.

I doubt we could give him away, so might as well let him go out on loan. It does include an option to buy, but no doubt Brentford won't take up that option in 12 months time.

I guess I'm getting greedy after Iwobi. Never thought we'd recoup most of our money on him.

His pace and energy will be badly missed and although he's had a good few seasons, and very few injuries we should be able to find a better replacement.

Gray I'm happy to keep.

Benjamin, I'd love a Martinez disaster season, 2 semi-finals.

We should pass on that one.

Anyone know any Arsenal fans. Kompany made him Captain for Anderlecht and he has tried to buy him but the deal collapsed.

I would be an incredibly nice guy if I had to run around for two hours a day, eat food cooked by a top chef and take home tens of thousands of pounds every week, and spend my evenings thumbing through catalogues of desirable things whilst talking shit to my friends.

I think Iwobi will do well at Fulham, as they have players that can pass the ball to each other then move into space, something we have t seen much of for a while.

Gnonto does not excite me at all, yet another relegated player who seems to have an attitude problem (by refusing to play etc). Doesn't have good stats.

Fingers crossed our injured players come back soon and we sneak a win tomorrow, let's see what happens by the end of today but I doubt we will get anyone decent in. Beto looked good against the worst team in the league, hope he continues to look good.

Wind your neck in.

If you didn't grasp the excuse fest that consumed the Moyes era you weren't paying attention.

Regarding the RS it could be argued their impatience with any hint of failure HAS contributed to their long-term success can you honestly see them having a "Moyes - Kenwright" duopoly for 10 years? They're all for getting FSG out despite their trophy haul.

Stop being silly.

Trying to catch up here.

Cannon and Maupay I'm fine with. Certainly happy to see Maupay move on. I wish him well, I don't mean that with any negativity. It just never worked out for him here and he's not a finisher.

Iwobi is a weird one. Probably good business, but a part of me sees him as the only player who can play a defense-splitting pass in the entire squad. I'll also always love the guy for that goal against Newcastle – which proved to be gigantic in our staying up. Best of luck to him.

This Gnonto dude I'm completely uninterested. I don't understand why we'd spend money we don't have for this guy.

This squad is being molded into the Dyche image. We need to stick with Dyche now. It's kind of like we're all in at this point.

He's been 100% invisible while we looked to trade him. Surely we have to find a way to move him on?

He's maddening to me. But leaving my personal opinion out of it, I do not see him in the squad at all under Dyche. So we simply have to figure our a way to move him on?

FC Zürich PL 74 G 12 Assts 10 - aged 17/18.
Leeds United PL 31 G 5 Assts 4 - aged 18/19.

Full Italy International. 12 games 1 goal.

He's played, 3 games this season - 262 minutes. Scored 1 goal.

Just got a feeling we'll end up with Cornet on loan and the 40 odd million we make today will disappear alongside the Gordon money. We should have money to spend. The wages have been reduced by a huge amount and we've spent 6 mil this year in the Danjuma loan fee and the first instalment of Chermiti.

Great business to loan out Maupay, and it will be a miracle if Everton can offload for good Gbamin and Gomes.

I hope Maupay gets his loan move back to Brentford. He needs a reset, and hopefully if and when we get players back from injury he'd only ever be an option off the bench.

Cannot see Gnonto signing. Too much noise, too little money in our pocket. And £30+ million is the sort of last-minute panic-buying that has seen us spend beyond our means for too long.

But hey, for some he was a complete failure. All I know is my wife thought Moyes was great because I never was worried about relegation for about 8-9 seasons and we could enjoy the spring.

Hopefully Evertons fortunes can turn for the better, starting tomorrow in Sheffield.

UTFTs!

Much more interesting. Looking forward to Beto terrorising the Utd defenders tomorrow. No disrespect to them but glad he gets to step up from Doncaster to Sheffield Utd as his first league game and not away to Arsenal/Man City etc.

Excited about tomorrow, the rest of the squad should have a bounce in their step as well.

Only slight concern is that he'll presumably have to play the whole 90mins as a crocked DCL is the only other striker we'll have if Maupay, Cannon and Simms all gone...

Royle - 1995/96 Knocked out by Feyenoord

Moyes - 2005/06 Knocked out twice in same season Villareal and Dynamo Bucharest

Moyes - 2007/08 Knocked out by Fiorentina

Moyes - 2008/09 Knocked out by Standard Liege

Moyes - 2009/10 knocked out by Sporting Lisbon

Martinez - 2014/15 Knocked out by Dynamo Kiev

Koeman - 2017/18 Knocked out in Group stage

Phil#235. It was £38.5m not Euros.

And I know it's hard to stay away from such an enlightening site.

That goes some way to explaining why I'm not a gambler then.

I still think he'll find some way to haunt us though.

Class that mate.

I think Cornet is 99% certain to stay at West Ham…he can be a bit flakey apparently.

I think the fact that the Maupay deal is going through, means someone else is coming through our in door. Gnonto would be the big news and seen as EFC going after a player and not taking no for an answer. Maybe Leeds have already agreed a deal but want to quietly bring in someone to replace him and not get held to ransom. Who knows but something in my water, tells me there are a few twists and turns to go yet.

A forward department of Beto, a fit DCL, Chermitti, Dnajuma and Gnonto would be a real upgrade on what went before, just a few weeks ago. An unfit DCL, Maupay, Simms and Cannon.

There are reports of a Gnonto bid last night, but today only selling.

Balancing the books for Beto and another net profit when everyone else is spending maybe.

- part of what you say is right, and he works hard.

Equally I have rarely seen so many sitters missed from 2 or 3 yards out - he tends to strike it quite well, but either straight at the keeper or anywhere but the goal...

Hope it works out

De Beek just isn't up to the rigours of English warfare.

European leagues where one game in 5 is competitive suits him, plus do we really want another ex Utd, injury prone potato?

Coady & Mina with Young & Branthwaite
Begovic with Virginia
Davies with Gomes
Iwobi with Harrison
Gray with Danjuma
Simms & Maupay with Beto & Chermiti

Assuming no more ins and outs other than the ones set out in your post, are we stronger or weaker?

Marginally?

Is this the end result if Iwobe ends up out the door?

I think so? I'm totally fine with this window and would, in fact, call it a success by any metric considering our financial limitations.

That's 4 more than we can afford to pay. 😜

The way this club is run is a joke! Even the Peter Johnson dark age years (who was a self-confessed 🔴💩) were better than this. 🤬

That's utterly stupid on Forest's part. Just absolutely dumb.

What the fuck you need THIRTY-FIVE players for? Not in Europe, so why? That's three full teams plus 2 for good measure.

I hope they go down. That kind of fiscal irresponsibility needs to be punished. Everton at least bought expensive dudes and overpaid, but surely we weren't over 26-27 players at any given point? Thirty five players???

Insanity and just idiotic. I want them to drop like a rock now and get relegated.

Don't worry there's still time to a shift a few more

I think the Gnonto “money” went to Beto (albeit delayed payment) and it was countingent on the Gray/Cannon money which evolved into the Iwobi/Cannon money. Interesting to see if we reintegrate Gray into the squad or try and get a few more quid out of Saudi.

Also brought in a young forward for the future and promoted one from the academy.

The players gone were too expensive to re-sign or not good enough anyway. Our first team is significantly better than before the window, just unfortunate we have a couple injured but thankfully none seriously.

Imo it's already been a very good window and selling Iwobi for £20m plus is a bonus, as well as shifting out Maupay.

Things looking up.

McNeil 7 goals and 3 assists last season. I think we took Fulham's pants down at that price.

just 1 cornetto sell him to me a right great deal for EFCeeee.

“Just to give an idea of the cost of borrowing, the cost of our financial performance, if we are using the whole of the Rights & Media facility of £200m that's costing £65.7k in interest each day. £150m is £49.3k a day.”

The shocking way they club has been run means £65.7k each DAY possibly to service the debt. Any incoming money may well be going into making the balance sheet look more healthy prior to any takeover. They may feel the squad we have got now is good enough for 17th or higher.

So the order of the day is ; Sell players keep the money and throw some phantom bids in below the asking price to placate the mob.

I hope I'm wrong because I was quite excited about the Gnonto signing. But still on the whole with Beto coming in we've done the main business that we needed to do. Ie if we'd signed Beto at lunchtime today instead of Tuesday everyone would be a lot happier! (But we'd probably be out of the Carabau Cup)

Whilst I'm in this spiral of doom, what sort of concrete was used to build the main stand in the 1970s, given so many public buildings used RAAC?

Rays of sunshine, Barry, as we raise BMD and raze Goodison.

They can still bring players in on loan, including an home based player, the squad will still be very small when all the injured players are fit, I think we are taking a big gamble with this squad.

Three hours and nine minutes left.

The next one to moan stinks, okay!

What are you on about we've spent a lot on central midfielders this summer. At least 10 million on the last amortized installments due on Gomes/Gbamin combined. Money well spent……

Someone pays for me to come oversees to your fair town of Liverpool. It'll cost the ticket and a jug of poitin.

In the wee hours, I drink the poitin, set explosives around Goodison, blow the Ol' Lady up, and hop a plane back to the States.

Good times. Desperately needed money saved.

Note - if anyone is reading this public comment and believes I'm even remotely serious, please try to get outside more often and for the love of God co-mingle with other humans. It'll do ya some good.

I really liked the lad, and saw more than just potential in him, wouldn't it just be Everton, to have not given a proper chance to these young lads and they go on to prove a steal to the buying Club !

Don't understand the Gray situation. He is as capable as a lot of the players we have been linked with.

I've got an image of Bill walking down a dimly lit corridor right now, housecoat, slippers, teasing out a tuneless whistle to keep himself company. Stops at a door marked Fax Room and pulls out a big bunch of keys, finds the right one opens up. The faded beige beast is in the middle of the room, gets plugged in whirrs, vibrates, faint smell of burning, and bursts into life. Then flashes, no paper, no paper.

“Keviiin, we're out of fax paper again “

And a handball / PK not called on Prowse to boot!

How does VAR look at that and not award a pen? VAR is a mess. It's SO inconsistent in England it's laughable. VAR works fantastically in just about every other league in the world sans England.

Watched a bit of the Dortmund game tonight and VAR got involved, a great delay while the guys in the box dithered until eventually they called offside prior to the penalty incident, Dortmund were about to re-start until the officials stopped them from doing so, another few minutes and they overturned the VAR decision and Hoffenheim were awarded the penalty which they converted to make it two-two.

It's not just an English mess by the looks of it. Although we do have some of the least able officials in the world.

That's awful. Like, really bad.

I think the toughest VAR calls are the ones that involve an offside in the run up to a play. You often get conflicting situations - PKs undone by offside prior, et al.

I haven't heard of many German VAR gaffs, and when watching MLS (yes, I know... but I love our league) it's executed really well usually.

Something has to be done about it. I like the concept - get the calls right and don't let teams get robbed. But work needs to be done with it. And the EPL has had like 5-6 calls this season already where I'm like, "Whaaaaa????" Infuriating.

I'm quite sure there's VAR decisions all over the world that are crap. But I'm telling you, it appears to me the EPL just butchers it so, so often. I dunno...

"The faded beige beast is in the middle of the room, gets plugged in whirrs, vibrates, faint smell of burning, and bursts into life"

Is that a review of Yermas Dildo?

Fully fit we should be ok, marginally weaker at the back than last season but stronger at the front. Feels like our future might hinge on "fully fit" though, there's not a lot of room for injuries to key players. And we all know our luck on that score. Hoping for a late surprise or 2 incoming.

Exemplifies our past folly that we are all hoping we don't have to utilize two center backs who cost a combined 50 million which in todays money is more like 100 million. Meanwhile the guy we got on a free and a kid from Carlisle are holding things together for us. Hopefully 60 grand and old man Ashley can also stay fit so we don't call upon our slightly less expensive but equally inept young full backs. We may have to get back the team doctor from the Smith era with his pot of glue, a long term disability waivers for anyone he patches up in the physio room.

Sky saying Yermas Dildo has pulled out.

No need to make the club seem more shambolic that it actually is.

Iwobi worked tremendously hard for Everton last season but with Danjuma coming in alongside Garner and MacNeil I suppose game time might have been limited this season. Just a guess.

Anyway we have to get by with what we have right now and at least they appear to have strengthened the offense somewhat but now the defence needs to get it together. We shall see.

If Pickford gets injured or loses form we're left with Jao Virginia. Who???

Consensus on this forum is that the 38 yr old and 35yr old full backs aren't up to it and very few of us have faith in Myko or Patterson so I'd tell the opposition to attack down the flanks

Except….Tarks has started the season poorly, Godfrey was good about 2 seasons ago and has been crap since. Keane: we all know about his regular lapses and Branthwaite is very inexperienced - we desperately needed a dominant centre back in the mould of Mina. So the soft centre is a good place to attack too.

Centre midfield lacks depth, lacks creativity and lacks goals. Aside from that they compete well. And given we're selling our best playmaker across last 3 seasons AND not replacing him then who provides the defence splitting passes?

The flanks may be our strongest area with McNeill, Harrison, Danjuma and the inexperienced and naive Dobbins. But there may be some potential there.

Beto looks good but if he gets injured we can't rely on DCL and Chermiti is unproven. We actually could have done with Daka on loan. Why didn't we secure that? And why are we selling Cannon without a replacement and why not just loan him?

I have a bad feeling about this season. The usual sh1t show at Goodison continues

BBC describing him as "the fox in the box"...

Also pertinent with Iwobi is the fact he's injured and in Jan he will be gone for a month. So with a month gone and potentially two months absent/injured to come it's an especially wise deal

Clock struck the hour and I don't see any official word he's a Fulham player?

Iwobe will do really well at Fulham. He'll play centrally is my guess. He wasn't a wide player, and he was deployed there time and again by us due to where the pieces of the chess board had to be set up.

I wish the kid well, but I'm concerned because that 22 million is a damn good price and Lord knows Everton need it, so I'm hoping to see confirmation soon.

I wouldn't blame Thelwell for Gomes etc. imagine trying to sell a litter of cats if they had mange, tabbies, flea infested and blind with one leg. Nobody is going to buy them so you can go off and replace them with a nice Tabby cat. They're like lepers. Even Jesus would say “Transfer thy self Gomes/Gbamin.”

Loaned to Southampton last week

Gomes will have to take Tom Davies's role on the bench.

We have brought in £30m today, so a decision might be made that Dele will be integrated into the team, If he's turned a corner. There may be caveats there that if we pay Spurs the £10m Dele agrees to sign a reduced wage contract next summer. Who knows?

I'm very disappointed that no one has come in. All the noises this week suggested we would bring in at least one more attacking player. Maybe we haven't gone in for a Gnonto alternative, because Gray's move has fallen through and there are plans to use him now?

With what's happened today, I think we should maybe keep Gray now, unless the fee is at least £15m from the Saudi's next week.

What a club.

Gomes? Hopefully we find the Arteta money early January

I don't think bringing in Bambi on ice has had much affect on our ability to purchase other players - he probably cost circa £3m this window, albeit there will be more to pay in the coming years. I do however, believe it has been not that great a window overall.

We have sold Richarlison, replaced by Beto a year later.

Sold Gordon, replaced by on loan Harrison.

Released Mina and Coady, allowed Holgate to go on loan, replaced by returned from loan Branthwaite and free transfer Ashley Young.

Iwobi if the deal goes through, replaced by Danjuma.

Simms and Davies sold / released, let's say that they have been replaced by Chermiti.

Maupay and Cannon if they are officially let go, no replacements,

We'll have to hope that the 'lost boys' such as Gomes et al can be integrated back into the squad and become useful replacements when needed.

It might be able to be rectified in Jan, but will we be allowed to spend money if we get punished at the October hearing?!

Let go of 2 strikers and

Sell our most creative player across the last 2-3 seasons

Everton that

When the reality is we should have walked away from it about 5 weeks ago if we'd had any sense.

There were better deals like Sinisterra or Bakayoko, Sulemana out there that would have made much more sense anyway.

A lot like last summer when instead of splashing crazy money on Onana and Maupay we should have just offered Blackburn 18 million for Ben Brereton Diaz and he would have been a more than adequate stand-in for our centre forward.

Dyche in an interview with the Echo in which he said the following:

"The biggest challenge is that our situation has changed financially and the market has gotten higher, and I think we are all aware of that," the Everton boss admitted.

"I have said for years, maybe seven or eight years, that nobody cares for the reality of the market. I think I said a couple of weeks ago we could all sit in a room 10 years ago and, if we had a list of players and debated it, we would come out with similar prize guides. Now it is irrelevant, and we would probably go, 'Who knows?'

"If someone says they want this much, it is down to whether someone wants to pay it or not. So that has made it even tougher, with the numbers going well north.

"The last six months to a year, there has been a real jump in terms of where the numbers have gone to. Unfortunately, our pot has got smaller as the pots around the country have got bigger. That is just the reality and life at the current time."

Dyche is no stranger to having to work under tight financial constraints after spending nearly a decade in charge of Burnley. However, the 52-year-old admits the difference in expectations from the supporters of both clubs is something he had to adapt to when becoming Everton boss.

"The difference there was that everybody sort of knew this is where the club is at," Dyche explained.

"It was made pretty clear, but this situation is pretty different. It is Everton Football Club. It has got a different feel.

"They have put a lot of money into this place, and then there is time when it has had to slow down, and now it is where it is.

"In a way, yes, because you learn you are not going to get your first draft picks, or very rarely, and you are going to have to work at a different number level, literal numbers for your signings and your wages, than other people are going to have to work with.

"There was probably a bit more of a tolerant period, though, because everyone understood where it is. Everton is different. I said it last night: Evertonians, as much as they support us, when you are on the pitch, they don't bother about whether you have got money, no money, injuries, no injuries; they are just like you didn't win or you did win.

"So that is what is key to Evertonians, and I have learned that. That is what being at a bigger club is like, as you know, and that is no disrespect to Burnley, a fantastic club, but this is a bigger concern, and so therefore the heat comes on much quicker regardless of the facts.

"The facts here just don't count, whereas at Burnley they did, and I think people went, 'Okay, I sort of know where we are at.' At Everton, it is a different animal, and I have become well adjusted to that, and I had to."

Total fees Everton received for those players - £0

How much time was wasted on Gnonto ? Lots of speculation from the media, he's not been signed so we'll never know.
If the lad from Blackburn was the answer, there would've been movement from many clubs. He's still there which speaks volumes.

Unfortunately as you say, we the paying customers are told absolutely nothing of any importance and are reliant on other fans such as Paul the Esk et al to decipher the financial status of the club. Dyche should, now that he has given the club's side of things, rally the fans and ask them to support him and his team, and that he and his staff will in return stretch every sinew to perform well and earn valuable points.

Whatever happens, the future owners, if there are to be any, will need a very large war-chest to rebuild this squad into something resembling a competitive Premier League team that will be fit to grace the final days of Goodison and if it goes ahead, the opening days at the new place.

Alan Myers for all of his 'Evertonian' credentials is I'm afraid just another of the clubs lackies who tweets whatever information suits the suits at the club.

Everton aren't in a good financial position and have needed to adjust in the market and not spend as much. Fans of this big club simply want results and a return to some degree of “Blue normalcy”.

What's not to like?

Everton fans are inpatient and want the Club to live up to their motto. They also appreciate down to earth straight-forwardness from my seat over the last 16 years.

I just don't see how Dyche's words aren't anything but accurate and true?

We as fans are being hit both ways, no glory for us as the past mistakes were made, and a bleak future because the bean-counters are doing what most do in these situations, over-compensating to claw back their losses.

At least we'll be able to watch in better surroundings in a couple of years time, but what we'll be watching may not be what we want to see. That's of course, if we can steer clear of relegation and administration, before then.

I don't think he's said anything we didn't already realise and quite some time before Dyche even arrived at the club. I don't understand why he compares Burnley to Everton in the way that he has?

All fans expect or at least hope that their team will win, all fans are aggrieved and annoyed when their team fails to win, no fans at any club think about balance sheets and transfer fees when they are watching their club, playing a game of football.

Fans may, and very often do make allowances for the financial status of their respective clubs, Evertonians did so for nearly 20 years prior to the arrival of Moshiri, but they did that because the managers, particularly Moyes seemed to understand that as long as the players gave their all, that's the least the fans would accept along with the inevitable ups and downs due to those financial restrictions.

Any manager of any club should know that he is responsible for putting out a team that will compete and hopefully win, there's no difference in the basic demands of Evertonians to any other club's supporters regardless of particular financial constraints.

Evertonians have even lowered their expectations to such an extent that SEVENTEENTH is seen as the new seventh.

10 players leave saving approximately £30m per year in wages with 5 coming in ( inc loans ) costing roughly half that.

So £15m a year better off, but squad slimmer than for a long time and leaves us open to an injury crisis..

All above calculations assuming Demarai Gray is staying.

I'm glad we have got rid of a lot of the players who have gone, but I disagree with selling Cannon, and I can't believe we haven't bought in at least one player with a bit of craft, which tells me it's mostly been all about balancing the books.

The lying accountant and the egotistical fraud. The removal of these pair of lying incompetent frauds along with the silent partner, has got to be the most important thing now, especially if the club are not going to be the owners of Bramley Moore. We should definitely be making Kopite style noise about this more than anything else right now.

"So that is what is key to Evertonians, and I have learned that. That is what being at a bigger club is like, as you know, and that is no disrespect to Burnley, a fantastic club, but this is a bigger concern, and so therefore the heat comes on much quicker regardless of the facts.

"The facts here just don't count, whereas at Burnley they did, and I think people went, 'Okay, I sort of know where we are at.' At Everton, it is a different animal, and I have become well adjusted to that, and I had to."

If Dyche did say this, I'm genuinely surprised and really disappointed. Once again we the fans are being thrown under the bus by the club. We are thick, facts don't count, we are aggressive, we are delusional, are expectations are way too high, for the circumstances the club finds it self in - all of this comes from the club and now it seems the manager. The way he mentions Evertonians is as though we are an appendage attached to the club and a hindrance to boot, literally. The Evertonian's attitude to the clubs financial situation is a real negative. they need to be more realistic. Just like Moshiri, with his, "that's an expected loss" quote.

Just so you know where we are coming from Mr Dyche - we have accepted seeing 17th as a success, this season. We now travel in hope, ( in our 1000s by the way ), to away games, more than in expectation, hence are genuine surprise and excitement at the Brighton away result last season.Yes, we will criticise when we lose and we will praise when we win. If we see lack of effort as at Villa Park / Doncaster 1st half we will call it out. We now approach each season not wondering who we will be up against for a European place but trying to judge if there are 3 worse teams than us. We have put up with an owner and a chairman for far too long, that are totally out of their depth and have turned a once great football institution into a laughing stock. That's not your fault, I know but to come out with the party line - unbelievable. I thought you were better than that.

Finally, if it wasn't for the Evertonians and the way they have got behind the team during these last 2 relegation battles, we would be in administration and likely fighting to avoid relegation from the Championship or more frighteningly, as dead as a Norwegian Blue, or am I being delusional ? am I expecting to much ? am I just a passionate Evertonian who has been supporting the club for 63 years and not a, here today gone tomorrow - with millions in my pocket - manager for hire.

Think back to when we appointed him. It was timed so that he wasn't tainted by the transfer window (selling Gordon, not signing the promised striker) which could have been absolutely disastrous. It was timed to say 'look, we ran out of time'. It should have been absolutely disastrous but for some good fortune on the run in.

He's their smoke screen. He's got broad enough shoulders to take what's coming in exchange for his 30 pieces of silver.

I don't rate him, I think he's completely wrong for this club, and I absolutely consider him to be complicit in the board's dealings.

No long term plan. We just put all our efforts into defending the current malaise.

And then he has the nerve to call us delusional for hoping for progress.

Honestly, I don't hope for better under this leadership.

The fickleness on some fronts towards players is staggering - we're now even getting history rewritten by some on Maupay as a forward who would be a useful asset… seriously? This surely can't be the same guy who was roundly slagged off every single match??!!!

I genuinely don't know about Cannon, maybe that'll come back to bite us in the future and maybe it won't, but it's not like he was a regular starter - so it's hardly weakening the team right now and getting a return on a few academy players isn't terrible business - we have also got 2 in the starting squad now with Branthwaite and Dobbin and a few others will be given a chance.

I have mixed feelings about Iwobi going, although again he was a figure of ridicule for many here and the same voices decrying his departure are also keen to point out the lack of any resale value from other players - you really can't have it both ways!!
Given the cash recouped and wages saved I think the outs have been good business, I also think the ins look very smart. Beto, Danjuma and Harrison are genuinely great ‘team upgrade' deals, I think Young is fine cover and Chermiti will hopefully prove himself as better than any of our current youngsters.
Branthwaite and Dobbin given first team chances mean there's 6-7 effective new faces vs last year against 6 who are going out that we're in contention.
I do think we could do with 1-2 more (another winger and defensive cover) and I also do think the club were genuinely pushing to get this. Gray's position will be interesting to watch, if he is recalled and reintegrated then that would help soothe some worries, I don't know if Cornet is any better tbh, although obv he does have Dyche history.

Ultimately the first team is stronger than the one that ended last year, and with McNeil and DCL added back in and Coleman returning we do I think have at least 2 players for each position. Yes it's a small squad and we could do with 2 more additions, but that surely means chances for the youth prospects and maybe there's even a free agent deal still to be done?

Given the ffp conditions, I think this window was a success and it shows a team operating more shrewdly in the markets vs the haphazard approach of the last 5 years. For me this is the beginning of a new project and unlike those with previous managers it needs patience.
Moyes had a tight squad and limited budgets, and turned that into top 7-8 finishes regularly, I see a lot of parallels here and I genuinely believe Dyche could do the same - I certainly think we'll be fine this season and that we're in a false position right now, given the chances we had and the bad decisions it should be 6 points on the board now. We're going to win today and push on.

in summary, I'm not over the moon with the final dealings, but I think it was a positive step and the approach feels far more encouraging and sensible than what we had in the recent past. Coyb!!!!

Haven't got a genuine centre forward? We still got beat.

Have been left very short for the beginning of another new season? We still got beat.

I have realised that Evertonians just want to win says our manager, but sometimes people should look at the bigger picture, like how he his working for a club, who's years of mismanagement, have led to major dysfunction, and as much as we get behind the team, the issues run very, very deep at Everton football club.

That's how I read it anyway, but maybe it's because I'm very anti Moshiri, and have hated Bill Kenwright since he lied about the kings dock.

Only a united fanbase on match day (that's for you Michael K) will get Everton through the next few months. Let's unite to get these bastards who are destroying Everton out of our football club, right now

We're currently under investigation for possible financial errors of judgement so I assume can't be seen to be going on too much of a heavy spending spree, so attempting to save some money with some transfer sales and other releases of players was useful. Imagine there might be some more exits to Saudia Arabia, even if just a loan like Gomes or Gray.

It's going to be like this for some time. No real point to think otherwise. I'm not going to comment on how we got here or who is to blame. That's well documented by others.

We no longer have Iwobi, Maupay, Davies who were often selected to be the whipping boys. Interested to know who the next target is.

I trust Thelwell and Dyche to get most decisions right.

I think it's funny how some complain about the lack of incomings on transfer day itself. Not sure why. We've brought in around 5 new faces. 3 attacking players.

I am disappointed with Tom Cannon going. I would have liked to see him get a chance with us, but can see his reasoning for seeking to play elsewhere. Good luck to him.

On a positive, we still have Onana and Branthwaite for a while longer.

Looking forward to thrashing Sheffield United today. If they play Tom Davies, we already stand a chance as we are playing against 10 men. :)

My grievance with Dyche is that he implies we are too thick to realise the state the club is in and should take that into account. Believe me, I realise where we are and have accepted that, 17th is success this season.

I have also accepted that we can't spend money we don't have. I just don't appreciate a manager telling me that I need to be realistic, when that's exactly what I am. All I have ever wanted from the team and the manager is 100% on the pitch and in training. If it's not good enough, I'm okay with that, as that is the position we are in.

As a fellow EFC man, I know that you care as much as I do and by sticking together, EFC will get through this shameful period in our history. COYBs.

This year we sign Young, Beto, Danjuma, Chermiti and Harrison and Branthwaite back from loan and now we moan we did not bring in people on the deadline day.

Everton that.

The players brought in i'm happy with. Smart business and improve the starting 11. The squad is even weaker though. Coady, Mina (on 35k wages now btw), iwobi, cannon, simms, maupay, davies, gbamin free up a lot of wages and brought in nearly 40mil in fees is good financially but with a fully fit squad we just about make a bench.

To this day the club have let Sean Dyche spend 6million. Every team around us have strengthened.

Taking Kenwright out the equation as we all want him gone it's time to really look at Moshiri. He's asset stripped us to nearly oblivion. We were told a billionaire had taken us over. He's got no money. The second Usmanov went we've not had a window with a positive net spend. We are not in FFP issues anymore. We've got the second lowest net spend in the league over the last 5 years and our wage bill is a fraction of what it was.

Our defence is one injury away from worst in the league. Our midfield disappears in the afcon. If Beto gets injured our only fit striker is a 19 year old and our wingers are already all injured.

The whole point of this window was to balance the squad. Our defence has lost mina, coady and holgate bringing in Ashley young. Our midfield has lost Iwobi and Davies, bringing in nobody. Our strikers started off with four and ended in three granted better options. The only area we've improved is on the wings. Financially it's a good window but that doesn't keep us in the league.

Tired, deflated and out of ideas. Gaslit the fanbase to the point were some accept this, others feel powerless. If we lose today expect this to turn toxic.

Difficulties that have been brought on by the almost criminal negligence of the hierarchy, and that gross mismanagement has little to do with the ignorance or fanciful demands of the supporters, except where the hierarchy failed to stick to a plan because they believed that they should placate the fans, rather than outline that what they were doing was best for the club in the longer-term.

Fans make demands, sometimes, unreasonable ones, the hierarchy act and make decisions, that should always have the best interest of the club at heart, for Everton that hasn't always been the case.

The article has a lot of the hallmarks of a Kenwright production, and I suppose that makes some fans very nervous, and might go some way to explain the angst and perhaps, even anger at the tone of what was said.

As I said earlier most reasonably minded Evertonians would take 17th place, right now, if it was offered, how is that target being unrealistic or too demanding? It's back to being plucky little Everton once again, but this window might prove to be a gamble too far, hopefully, it's a gamble that pays off and we can move forward with more hope this time next year.

Joe Thomas in his latest article, in the Echo, asks Moshiri not to panic and not to make a knee-jerk decision, if there isn't an immediate uptick in performances and results, and whilst I agree with him to an extent, I'd also ask the manager to realise that the supporters are his and his team's most valuable asset, and those in the boardroom are irrelevant until the next window opens.

None of what I am writing is intended to suggest Dyche should be handed a blank cheque. Everton fans rightly have high standards and he has had enough time with the squad now to instil his values on the players at his disposal. The defeat at Aston Villa and the first half at Doncaster offered concerning glimpses that a psychological fragility remains within the squad despite his efforts to remove it.

But it would only make this season harder, not easier, should those above Dyche panic over the coming weeks and make him the latest casualty of the club's instability. It would make even less sense having allowed him to oversee pre-season and the transfer window.

Farhad Moshiri must hold nerve

But you've hit a trigger.

It's not players (to a degree). It's no longer managers. They are the scapegoats for those who wield power and protect themselves.

It is how the club has been mismanaged from the top.

And it's not years. It's decades. Three of them. Neglect and standing still. In fact walking backwards.

Anyway, three points today and see you at the next one. The next home game is on mine and Neville Southall's birthday!

Maybe I'm underestimating Harrison and McNeil? Although I don't think I am because they are the only two natural wide players on the books.

I'd play Doucoure down the right simply because energy is his biggest attribute, and hopefully McNeil is fit to play on the other flank, because he also adds energy to the team.

Play with energy Everton, play with fucking energy

We've kept Branthwaite, who I was worried would leave. I'm content with us selling Iwobe.

I'd have liked to see us sell Pickford, Onana and Doucouré. I'd have liked to see us sell Keane and bring in a replacement. I think we need players while Patterson and Mykolenko need time to learn the requirements of the Premier League game.

We could have spent the money available on a right back a playmaker and a centre half, but that would have been unlikely to increase the amount of goals we score.

It just makes clear to me that the club are SKINT. so getting the forwards in who can score goals and getting a winger in, who can score and set up chances is fine by me.

Overall, we've brought players in who will improve our goalscoring and chance making, which has been our biggest downfall for years. We could, and should, won two of our first three games.We still have most of those players who were better than fulham and Wolves but didn't score. Now we have goalscorers as well.

I don't think most on here are thinking we should be in the Champions League. Even the most optimistic have had their optimism and expectations crushed by this regime.

But we shouldn't be expecting this. Circling the drain while not investing in the team. If this is expected or reasonable then they've really done a job on you.

This is living hand to mouth stuff. It possibly makes sense to an accountant or an owner, but it shouldn't make sense to a football supporter.

What's the point?

Here are the squad members who I would consider playing regularly in the premier league.

Keepers - Pickford
Centre backs - Tarkowski and Branthwaite
Full-backs - Coleman (when fit), Young.
Midfielders - Gana, Onana, Doucoure, Garner
Forwards - Danjuma, McNeil, Beto, Dobbin, DCL, Chermiti, Harrison, Gray.

Does that look balanced to anyone?

"We could have spent the money available on a right back a playmaker and a centre half, but that would have been unlikely to increase the amount of goals we score."

Agree, Jim. Our problem so far this season has been our inability to score goals; hopefully we've now fixed that (and in the process taken some pressure off the defence and midfield).

Our one really bad league result at Villa saw Keane in defence – Branthwaite hopefully now fixes that problem.

Also, if the Gray situation resolves, that makes it interesting on the right as well

Godfrey, I hope he can find a way to study slower centre backs who rely on positioning like Jags, Terry at Chelsea, Vidic and Martinez at Man Utd, Bould & Adams at Arsenal. If Godfrey can find two or three things this year to add to his game to stand in the right place as the game evolves then he still has a chance to challenge Tarkowski. I think Tarkowski is reliable, but Godfrey is able to do the same job if he trained a bit more to rely less on his pace and more on situational play and positioning. After this his pace will allow him to challenge Tarkowski as an option. Hopefully the Everton coaches are helping him through as I think Godfrey cannot have another season of decline. Maybe he needs to be brave and find another defensive advisor outside the club to improve his game. The talent is there and we've seen it, and I hope he finds a way to improve because it would make a huge difference to him and the squad if an improving Godfrey is back. With his versatility as well, it gives a huge confidence to the whole back line if Godfrey is back in form again.

People forget that Dele is actually a seriously good footballer - probably our best midfielder in truth. He's a £10m signing waiting in the wings, and I'd love to see him fit and playing for us if he can get his head together. You want a new playmaker in midfield? Well Dele is exactly that.

It's what happens in the not to distant future that I'm worried about!

I am also not sure how investing in a playmaker wouldn't result in more goals?

We have been one injury away from crisis in attack for 2 years. We have simply switched the same issue to the defence now.

So that deals with the players sold then the cry is but we havent replaced them, yes we have we did what most clubs do they get in the replacements first. So Betto replaces Maupay I would say thats a massive upgrade and Danjuma replaces Iwobi again for me he is more of a goal threat than Iwobi. The other player we have been linked with was Gnonto but for me he was never worth more than £20 million and the money Leeds were asking was ridiculous and they knew that. Also we have yet to see Harrison or McNeil playing wide and also Dyche says he expects all the squad to be fit after the international break. So that will include Dele, imagine him firing at even half that he was at Spurs a ready made number 10, now wouldn't that be exciting.

Steve, that's not anything I've suggested.

I might have misunderstood you, but my assumption was based on your post below.

“Jim #432
"We could have spent the money available on a right back a playmaker and a centre half, but that would have been unlikely to increase the amount of goals we score."

Agree, Jim.”

I eagerly await to see our squad today. I suspect a fair few names nobody has heard of considering our injuries.

Don't get me wrong, I like investing in young talent but our needs this reason are more immediate.

With all the forwards at his disposal, I hope Dyche gets the team on the front-foot.

Anyway, let's see starting with a win against Sheff Utd today.

I think, mate, we're living on faith hope and charity. Our faith and our hopes, and that someone will be charitable towards our club, as we don't have a pot to piss in and it's a matter of make do and mend. COYB

I often am, and remember branding McNeil as the new Kevin Kilbane.

It was great to be proved wrong on Dwight and I would be delighted to be proven wrong again this season!

It just reinforces what we see has happened to our club, since Kenwright but a blight on our existence.

I'm hoping that the difference between the first and second half at Doncaster is the start of us scoring goals again!

Even then Iwobi's signing for Fulham didn't help Everton, always late in the tackle and very late putting his signature on the dotted line, that must have helped the boardroom and the owner.

The attack was strengthened before yesterday the defence and central midfield remain weak and any injuries in those departments will further weaken the team.

As for fans thinking that Dele and Gomes will improve the midfield good luck with that, Gomes has proved time after time after time he weakens the midfield and is better out of it, Dele best wishes with your mental problems I doubt very much you will ever return to your physical best.

I'm glad I listened to your advice Joe but it doesn't lessen my worries for my team and club in the present form.

Add to that that we've just sold Vardi's replacement to Leicester for a knock down fee after wilfully refusing to even give the lad a decent opportunity to prove himself. His replacement did not exactly set the world on fire last week and had more than a faint whiff of Barlow about him. Still, he may well come good. Fingers crossed.

In all the arguments above about savings, we need to take account of the cost of Chairman Bill's dodgy loans and the rocketing interest charges now falling on our club. The sources of the money remain as opaque as ever, but a few posters have suggested that companies making the loans have connections to Chairman Bill (like the old CIU joke 'the club's gone bust but the steward has offered to lend us the money').

Anyway, we are now left with a very weak squad and the best of our youngsters have been loaned out. If injuries/suspensions occur then we will be in deep trouble.

My recurring nightmare is what happened to Coventry - relegated and held to ransom for extortionate rents they couldn't pay on a leased new ground. And there's still the FA inquiry in October, let's not forget.

While we must get totally behind the team and pray for some luck, those responsible for our demise must be held to account. I hope everyone gets behind the protests to get Kenwright and Moshiri out and some responsible owners in.

Today is a real six pointer. Lose and we will be in desperate trouble. COYB.

The attacking midfielder/playmaker/10 role has been Doucoure pretty much throughout Dyche's reign. He's the least talented occupant of that role in the division. But I think we can expect it to stay that way.

Personally I think Danjuma is the obvious occupant but does he do the defensive work of Doucoure?

The live forum will be interesting as we have lost Tom Davies and Iwobi, who will be the next target of He's Shite brigade, my money is on Patterson.

UTFT

I'll give you Patterson, but raise you Gana and Onana in the Live Forum 'He's shite' poker game. Those holding the Maupay cards have folded.

I watched a mini-match today of Everton v Spurs in 2010. Seamus Coleman's second Everton appearance. He came on as a sub and changed the game. We came from two down to draw 2-2. How I miss the days of marauding fullbacks.

No matter who we use or how we play, there is no doubt we have suffered considerably with no creative midfielder. Iwobi was but a shadow of one, Onana a million miles from one, Garner, Gana, or Doucoure aren't, in fact, Dele is in truth the only creative midfielder we have and for various reasons, injury, transfer clauses, mental state etc, we have been unable to play him or get the best from him.

Since his laying out of causes, injury recovery and general health, we have yet to see if he is a shadow of his former self. For one, I hope he is, not because I think he is brilliant, but because the team needs a player of his ability in its locker and frankly, in today's money, we cannot afford someone with his class. If he can recover it (his form), then we will be a long way towards recovery as a team.
Its a gamble, but how else are we to progress?

Had we taken a few points from the opening 3 games, it wouldn't have surprised me if we didn't bring another forward in.

In other news – Chermiti signing remains a mystery.