The DCL Replacements

Given Dyche has more consideration for a strong defence, then Gana would look like the first midfielder on the team sheet and then a matter of how Lindstrøm, Iroegbunam, McNeil, Doucoure, Garner, Armstrong and Harrison make up the other three in midfield.

BBC are reporting that Man Utd are now interested in both Calvert-Lewin and Branthwaite although, given their injured young 18-year-old defender and the Bayern Munich pair reportedly undergoing medicals, you'd have to doubt any further interest in an injured Branthwaite this season.

And on the lighter side, has O'Brien played up front?

I can see him signing a new deal around the time of the window closing if it is clear nobody is in for him. This is my favoured option as I like him a lot and think he is going to have a good season, hopefully with injury problems behind him.

The continued links with Tammy Abraham persist, could we see each player move in opposite directions? Broja is as you say, a different player altogether and is not going to slot in in DCLs place.

Personally, despite a few negative people on here, I think DCL is one of our better players. Come on, Dom, sign on the dotted line so we can focus on other areas.

I hope at the very least your article show's a few on here that we already have the best option that we can a) afford and b) would feasibly come to us. Let's get real and get behind him, in fact if a few more had already, I don't think we'd be in this situation.

A normally pointless exercise

Broja looked like he could become a good player but his development years have been very similar to a lot of the young Everton players who never really kicked on. Although he his still only 22 (this surprised me), he definitely needs a bit of stability, to try and get his career going in the right direction.

It actually wouldn't surprise me to see Everton sell Beto and sign another striker with the money in the next few weeks because I'm sure Dyche will be very reluctant to part with DCL.

I think that Denkey would tempt fate.

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One day, lads, one fine day.

I wonder if a loan for El Bilal Toure from Atalanta could be an option? Dallinga at Toulouse looks an interesting cheaper option or Emegha from Strasbourg.

It's a real shame Chermiti picked up an injury just as he was beginning to look sharp in pre-season.

Ended up being a decent striker if I remember.

I'm assuming you ruled him out because he still has about 4 years on his contract and Brighton would be looking for far more than we could afford to part with him.

Michael Keane as a striker. Shades of Mick Lyons...

I heard somewhere last season that Keane was one of the best finishers in the box in training. The issue would have to be that we would have to change our style to win, in other words, get the ball in the box at every attack.

Keane is like the Titanic, so turning and beating a man is not going to happen. Loose ball in the box? That's a different story. So, if need be in case of injury to DCL or a goal behind, then for the last 15 minutes, throw him on!!

It is unlikely that we would get anyone better than Dominic right now and I still can't see where he would go. I'd keep him. It might only be until January, but I'd rather have that than lose him in the summer.

I called him the 2023 Mick Lyons when he got pushed up front against Wolves and got the assist for big Yerri to get that last-gasp equaliser that probably saved us.

Moyes did it with Steven Watson! To be honest, I'd personally be more comfortable with Keane as a substitute forward than our last line of defence!!

On some of the people named...

Nketiah: only 5 ft 9 - and despite looking like a threat his goalscoring record is really very poor indeed. At 25 it seems unlikely he would suddenly burst into scoring form with a club that creates far fewer chances than Arsenal. His lack of height / strength and hold up play would leave us a bit like where we were with Demarai Gray up front. Also, he is currently on a staggering £100k pw wage - the same as DCL.

Ferguson: good player - but 0% chance of us signing him. He will expect to mature into a Champions League player within the next 2 seasons and is well placed to do that at Brighton. He would cost about £50m now but has no goalscoring pedigree to speak of - just potential.

Lukaku: just no. 0% chance of signing even on loan.

Victor Roque: talented but absolutely tiny. He also still needs to acclimatise to European football and would probably be better off developing in a weaker league with a club that plays in a style more befitting a Latin talent. It would be an extremely strange and unlikely move for us.

El Bilal Toure: he is a likely-ish target Sam but I know you have pointed out before that he's been injured for a long time now. Potentially very good - but will he get a run of games to develop that potential?

Dallinga: he's already left Toulouse for about £16m to play in Serie A for Bologna.

I think Denkey, Broja and Fofana look like the best options. Or just biting the bullet and giving DCL the £130k pw he wants to stay.

The verdict is expected in early 2025, with Everton to be docked 10 points.

Now, I wonder if they'd entertain a cheeky bid for a certain Richarlison? Not a like-for-like replacement for DCL but...

I'm sure Norwich fans thought the same when Chris Sutton was thrown up front. Didn't turn out too bad that!

I'd still prefer Tammy Abraham though as a long-term option.

Vs

Unknown quantity of similar (?) ability = £20,000,000 + wages + signing on fees + agents fees?

Simple maths from a simple person still suggests keep DCL and pay him what he wants (assuming he wants to stay).

As that appears to be the difference between what he is on and what he wants, we should be sorting a contract with a release clause in it, and some protection for us if he doesn't perform.

A 3-year deal with a £35-45M release, which has to be triggered between the end of the season and the end of July (to allow us to recruit) would make more sense than any other striker currently available. Just a thought.

I suppose the problem is the knock-on effect of others wanting a similar deal. It shouldn't be beyond the wit of accountants to find a way.

Maybe the old 'Loyalty Bonus' clause to keep him on a manageable headline figure but the difference is paid in blocks each year. Some players have had contracts like that in the past. They may be outlawed by now!

Either way, I think we would be mad to let him leave now or run down his contract.

Far more expensive (and risky) to replace him with a signing of comparable quality than to meet his salary expectations.

He doesn't want to stay. We've been a basket case for the duration of his time with us.

I think he would want to join a well run ambitious club with prospects of winning things.

This list is one of wannabees but Broja has something a little more than the rest.

However, I agree none are much better than what we have already and I think we can look to Beto and Chermitti contributing more this season with the addition of Ndiaye. (Let's all hope so!)

Keane will be out the door as his wages and form do not warrant a place anymore.

Just because of a few screamers on some training videos, some fans have gone mad: how many has he scored in his career?? Probably less than other notable goalscoring defenders.

Additionally, even if he is a good finisher, he doesn't have the movement, the pace, the subtlety nor the striking art (eg, hold-up play, to bring players into the game, crafting opportunities etc) required.

Why not go the whole hog and get Mason up there too as a strike partner??

Which just highlights there are players in the lower leagues who could do a job.

Mason Holgate up front as well as Keane, he's scored a few hasn't he, wish I'd thought of that.

Just because he's with Chelsea,we assume he's something special, the same with Fofana. Chelsea didn't have a No 9 last season, and they still loaned Broja to Fulham?

Football has changed too with far more intricate play and faster and stronger defenders so tactics and know how are just as important as ability.

Brian makes a very good point about Gyokeres but he is only one of quite a few we have been linked with that have proved successful in topflight football.

Just have a gander at that goal for anyone who doesn't remember — it put the belief back into the team and fans that we could get something from that game.

Keane has had a few screamers that weren't on training videos:

The rocket against Spurs was the best goal an Everton defender has scored since Bainesy.

The Palace goal, of course, was elegantly instinctive with the outside of his left foot.

The game-winner at Wolves a few years ago -- off the best cross Gomes ever made -- was massive, powered in over two defenders.

And he has scored two derby goals.

No, he's not remotely a striker, but the man can definitely finish!

I am still mesmerized by the touch and then the sheer calmness that Michael Keane showed inside the opposition's box. I've genuinely never seen him that calm whenever he is defending his own box.

Watching the goals again just now then you could argue that it was the “Goodison Gods” who empowered our team during that second half?

Richarlison got lucky with his perseverance, Dominic might have got lucky when you look closely at the angle the ball came off his head, and the whole team got lucky when Michael Keane displayed a calmness that was definitely not befitting of how he has played most of his Everton career!

(Just my opinion, but that's why I constantly shout "Relax!" whenever I help to train my youngest son's team)

Lots of players score goals in Portugal.

When that went in, I knew we were coming back. Just knew it.

I've experienced some great experiences at Goodison, and many will refer to the Bayern match, but that has to be up there.

I can imagine that someone with literary skills could definitely make a play out of that marvelous piece of innovation. Danny!

Think they've over-paid on the striker, but the rest looks good.

I'd pay to not watch that!

Gets the ball on the edge of the area, slight swivel, top corner. That's two in two this season.

I like him, he has a knack for scoring goals. I'd definitely take a punt on him.

Mind you, Jordan Rhodes keeps floating in and out of my mind: 83 in 159 for Blackburn; 53 in 245 in the 8 years after he left them.

I think he'll look to Beto to step up if DCL leaves. Dyche wants players all over to chip in with goals and he'll play a system that does just that.

If we look at how Mateta performed last season, and Solanke. Both reached a level maybe considered beyond them previously.

Beto was a player I earmarked a long time ago when he was at Udinese and I stand by my initial assessments of him then.

I agree that the Championship is a great market for signing players and one we should exploit more. In terms of strikers, the one that has impressed me for some time now is Josh Sergent. He has a tonne of potential not yet realised I think and is an intelligent and dangerous player already with some Premier League and international experience already.

Szmodics turns 29 next month and is yet to score a Premier League goal so I'd say the chance of Thelwell spending over £10M on him is extremely unlikely.

I wouldn't be surprised to see one of the new boys take a punt on him though.

Agh, I really do feel that we need a new striker but is it our top priority if DCL is still with us after the window?

Alan #21 mentioned this too — but a loan bid for that Spurs lad who plays Number 9 for Brazil must surely be worth a try?

It's right-back that I'm more worried about. A whole season of watching fast wingers run at Young does not appeal.

To be honest, right-back sends me into uncontrollable shakes and shivers. It's us at our most vulnerable and my deep worry now is that Dyche and Thelwell think somehow that we are fine there.

Meanwhile, West Ham have got theirs, although he tends to catch the eye when going up the field rather than for his defensive prowess.

A loan move for Richarlison makes perfect sense. Wages may be the problem as I imagine he earns well beyond the intended current wage structure. However I think an exception should be made for a player from whom we know exactly what we would be getting.

It's not like stretching a wage budget for an unknown quantity.

@56 Andy. I couldn't be in any more agreement with all of the points you make. And it's likely that Dyche will absolutely not deviate from what he believes will win us matches. However he does need a plan B for when DCL either isn't playing or is not firing. He was without such a plan for many months of last season and we did suffer. Generally his teams have always finished strongly and at Burnley he was capable there of putting a run of results together to drag them out of trouble. But I would rather be comfortable by March and then fade away rather than having to rely on such a strong finish.

I can see us selling either one of Dom or Beto (not both) and bringing in someone like Broja on a loan with a buy option, and then us using the Dom or Beto fee to buy Gnonto or Vitor Roque to be the pacey wide player we need.

If it's true about Vitor Roque, I just see him as a different option to Gnonto because Thelwell is sick of dealing with Leeds and we have a good relationship with Barca.

There's no way 19-year-old and 5ft-9in Roque will be our No 9.

Who (outside of Champions League royalty like Kane and Haaland) hit big goal returns last season in decent leagues?

Gyökeres (29 goals for Sporting Lisbon) — but now worth about £50m to £60m

Pavlidis (29 goals for AZ Alkmaar) — but just signed for Benfica

Guirassy (28 goals for Stuttgart) — but just signed for Dortmund

Dovbyk (24 goals for Girona) — but just signed for Roma

Sorloth (23 goals for Villareal) - but just signed for Atletico Madrid

Jonathan David (19 goals for Lille)

Undav (18 goals for Stuttgart) — but just signed permanently for Stuttgart after loan from Brighton

Beier (16 goals for Hoffenheim) — but just signed for Dortmund

There's no really stand-out candidates out there...

I guess Chermiti was our attempt at that last season, and who knows — that could still work out for us.

Some have mentioned his goal v Spurs and the one against Palace but, while we were struggling, he came up with important goals: he got the second goal v Burnley to give us a 2-nil victory, and also scored the equaliser to make it 1-all before Everton went on to win the game 3-1, again v Burnley. He also scored the second goal against Leeds in our 3-nil victory.

Scored the opening goal in the 2-nil win v Hajduk Split, scored the winning goal v Norwich in a 1-nil win, and also scored on two different meetings against the Reds over the park (even Latchford failed to score against the Reds) while playing for Everton.

So those of you who think it's a joke to launch him in an emergency role, there are worse options out there than Keane thrown up front.

He has not just scored goals, but scored very crucial goals, to dig us out of a hole.

When we only had Maupay as our only striker, I would have certainly thrown Keane up there instead, his defending at times is suspect and slow, but you get him up top, his reactions and footwork are second to none, and there's one hell of a shot on him.

If Dominic stays at his current wage, it would be £100k per week. To keep I'm, increase to £130k, ie, an additional £30k x 52 = £1.56M for the season — no additional capital cost. Buy new player — say £20M on, say £60k per week. Amortise the £20M as usual, say 5 years — for simplicity, £4M in the first year.

Surely, best cash flow scenario would be to pay Calvert-Lewin the extra £30k per week for the season? Or, an I missing something???

Who says DCL would stay if he was offered 130k a week ? A website which thrives and exists on guesswork and speculation ? Who else ?

If it was solely about money ( it seldom is) The player himself knows that in ten months time. He will be free to negotiate a much better deal and there will be a queue waiting to offer it to him. The 5m he will get for simply sitting tight will tied him over in the meantime.

Trying to get Richarlison back on loan would be a wonderful idea - Again if we are playing FM - but having paid us 50m + for his services, it is difficult to imagine Mr Levi letting him come back to us and risk being made to look a proper mug. Even if he was feeling uncharacteristically charitable enough to let that happen, It would cost us 10m. Richarlison earns 175k a week at Spurs.

Beto for all the wishul thinking on here, simply will not cut it.

Chermiti has as good a chance as anybody of making the grade, but that chance has always proven to be slim for young players with potential.

Manager after manager has played DCL regardless of his fitness. That is because they feared playing without him. Thelwell and Dyche have priced him out of the market for exactly the same reason.

We have become too dependent on Calvert-Lewin. The type of football we have played for the past four seasons can only keep you safe if you have somebody to take the pressure off by turning hoofs into passes.

Looking for somebody who will convert the chances we seldom create is also a little FM.

There's still 2 weeks or so to go but, as I mention in post 60, quite a few strikers have moved to Champions League clubs so Dortmund, Atletico and Roma will not be his destination.

Likewise AC Milan (replaced Giroud with Morata), Inter Milan (bought Taremi from Porto), De Zerbi's Marseille (just bought Wahi), and West Ham (bought Fullkrug).

That leaves Newcastle as the most obvious destination but they have baulked at the ~£30M fee — or maybe they just can't pay that much due to PSR. And in any case, they have Isak, Wilson and the youngster Osula, so won't be desperate.

One bizarre outcome is that Man City might consider him as an option given that, after selling Alvarez, they now only have Haaland as a conventional centre-forward.

Alternatively, Arsenal, Chelsea and Man Utd might like the look of him as a target man option they don't otherwise have.

Ultimately, whether any of these moves happen probably comes down to whether we bring the sale price down from ~£30M to more like £20M. I think someone would bite at that cost.

However, getting £20M so late in the window wouldn't be great for us — although the likes of Fofana, Broja and Denkey remain available and interesting options. I am also warming to the idea of Vitor Roque but surely only on loan.

My rambling conclusion is therefore that the most likely outcome by some distance is that DCL stays another season but leaves for free this time next year.

I agree with Sam and would be surprised if we signed another striker this window unless it was one on very favourable loan terms. I would probably reluctantly go along with Broja or Fofana if the deal was right.

I also agree with Sam about right-back. The number of times teams come to Goodison and just play the ball wide and get behind us is ridiculous. Coleman, Young and Patterson are a weak link to be exploited to me. Needs sorting or it will come back to bite us.

My preference would be to offload DCL and Beto and go all in with Richarlison and Chermiti. Both have pace and power, good in the air and goal-scoring instincts. DCL has so much to offer but I feel his heart is no longer with Everton and he's thinking more about his next move.

I disagree that the DCL situation is not in the club's hands.
It's not an ideal situation but the club "could", should they decide it's the best way forward, keep DCL for this season.

It'll be a sad day there today.

Liverpool seem to get them every year, no problem. I remember laughing up my sleeve when the Torres situation went in the bin, "That's it, they're in for it now!" A couple of days later, Suarez makes his debut, the ball goes up to him, he does this Dalglish turn and I just thought "Oh My No!"

Seamless. Whereas we wait 20 fucking years.

As I see it Everton's options right now are:

A) Do nothing. Which means DCL stays for another season but runs down his contract and leaves for free next year.

B) Hold out for £30M-ish. Which might have the same outcome as A.

C) Drop the asking price and sell. Which means we might get about £20M — not a great deal to reinvest in a replacement.

D) Give in and offer DCL the £130k pw he seems to be after. I have mixed feelings about this but the financial sense is explained by other posters above.

However, this could still have the same outcome as A above because DCL might (understandably) want to keep his options open rather than commit to a new contract with us (albeit a more lucrative one).

It just could be nothing to do with money and DCL just wants to give it a shot elsewhere? After all, we are all assuming this is about money. For all we know, the club may have offered him less than he is on now due to financial constraints!

I really don't have a problem with any player seeing out their contract and moving on. As a matter of interest, are players paid the remainder of their contract when sold? If so there would be £5M + payable to DCL by the club? Not bad..

Unless there are some very odd terms included, we wouldn't need to pay up the remainder of his contract if he is sold.

This all suggests in favour of DCL staying put for another season — because as a free transfer he would probably have both (a) a much wider choice of clubs, including Champions League clubs, and (b) a higher wage to boot.

Both the player and any possible suitor will know that they will get a much better deal in 10 months time. Why would they dive in now?

If the club receives an 11th-hour offer which they are happy to accept, they need the player to be prepared to sign for that particular club. It has got to suit the player.

Players who have options while running down their contracts don't just hold some of the aces. They hold them all.

It's within the club's power to hold him to his contract.

My understanding is if a club want the player gone but not other way round then they do need to pay out the remainder of the contract. Or at least come to a negotiated settlement.

The weak hand our club is playing with will be revealed if they have to decide whether to keep a player who has told them he wants to be elswhere or take the low-ball offer and cut their losses.

If the situation develops to a point where the club does have a choice, it will be Hobson's.

The reason Bosman feels all these multi-millionaire footballers owe him a debt of gratitude is because he took the keys to their careers out of the hands of the clubs and placed them firmly into theirs.

I learned a lot from Rooney's interview. He was apparently told by the club that they were going to sell him to Chelsea. He decided that, "If you want to sell me, I'll choose where I go" — even though at the time he didn't want to leave.

Not always, but it isn't always in the players' hands. They are commodities. For those of that generation, think Alan Ball.

For those who have watched Howard's Way, listen to Pat Van den Hauwe. He didn't ask for a transfer from Birmingham, but was called in and was told he was going to Everton. Immediately.

Sometimes it's easy to judge players, but it's never that simple.

It may not be the best of choices but they do have a choice to hold him to his contract.

That's a fact mate.

And I bet Conor Gallagher doesn't feel all the power is in the player's hands.

I think you are getting crossed wires with Keane, although there was an option when we only had Maupay as a striker, that has now passed.

I am not calling for him to play 90 minutes as a striker, or Dom's replacement should he leave, but if he is on the bench, and the likes of Chermiti are out injured, then I think Keane could be an option to throw on as an emergancy Number 9 or support for the other striker if we are chasing a winner or equaliser.

You may feel the idea crazy, and we need to give our heads a wobble like you say, but my own personal view: It's an option worth considering. Does not mean I am right, it is just an opinion I am entitled to discuss.

That's the way it is. And the way a player ‘feels' about a club is a side issue. A player can love a club as much as they want. But the relationship exists only on the basis of the club needing the player and the player needing the club. When one of them no longer needs the other, for whatever reason, then the relationship is absolutely over.

But the clubs involved hold the power. A little less so since the Bosman ruling but the power dynamic still remains in favour of those that pull the strings. The introduction of player agents and their growth within the game is the only real thing that shifts this dynamic.

We as a club could say no to a low-ball offer from a club DCL fancies joining, but then we would have an unhappy player in the dressing room. We would still have to pay him £5M in wages and he will walk away for nothing in May anyway. Is that really a choice? A nose, spite and face job is surely the worst possible scenario.

I think the position we are in now is as good as it gets for the club. The player seems content to see out his contract and give his all.

But, if a low offer that is attractive to him comes in and he declares he wants out, I think all bets are off.

The Conor Gallagher situation is bad for the lad, I reckon. Doesn't wanna leave but is basically being forced out to help the shysters out with PSR.

And if he decides he still wants to go at the end of his contract, we will have been given another year to find a replacement.

Or maybe even change to a way of playing that doesn't depend on a lone target man working his arse off to get the rest of the team up the park

Or as some on here would have it: It's the hope that kills yer.

He's brimming. Reckoned that light at the end of the tunnel was the size of a pinhole last season. Thinks it's the size of a tennis ball now.

Whoops there goes another rubber tree plant!

With de Ligt now at Man Utd surely the Branthwaite rumours can be put to bed?

There is a market for strikers like Dom but remember, other clubs are not as desperate as us for a player of his record and type. Certainly not at a high price.

Dom needs to show fitness and form before he gets the money he aspires to, whether we get a fee or not.

Calvert-Lewin holds all the cards for his future. He can run his contract down, sign a new one with us, or if the club accepts a bid, decide to go or not go (he may also not accept the offer from a prospective new club). We can't force him to do anything.

He's only got 10 months on his contract and it wasn't long ago Arsenal were rumoured to be interested for £60M. He's not a Premier League top scoring striker obviously but is certainly one of the better target men and, if given decent service (like the 2020 and 2021 seasons) he'll get into double figures for goals. Age-wise he's in his prime.

If he had more than a year left, I'd say he'd be easily worth north of £40M if Solanke's going for £65M. The one question mark about his fitness is still valid. However, he actually made 33 league appearances last season (some off the bench) so you'd hope he's over whatever the issue is now. (I was surprised when I saw that — I didn't think he played that many times last season).

There's still a couple of weeks of the window left so will see some action still. Also, injuries in the first few games may force clubs into the market. Unfortunately for us, I don't see the Calvert-Lewin saga being cleared until the end of the month — one way or another.

If he goes on a free next summer and stays injury-free, he'll be on a massive signing-on bonus wherever he goes to next. He's been with us 8 years so done his dues. Just hope we get some money for him when he does go.

I still think he'll end up at the Barcodes. But we'll see.

If he signs a contract, it's a bonus in my opinion; if not, at least our season should be so much better with Calvert-Lewin supported by Ndiaye and Lindstrøm, and hopefully a couple of additions.

Ideal scenario: We're winning games, he's getting service and scoring goals, and he either changes his mind about leaving or attracts some offers that help our coffers.

Disaster scenario: We're struggling again, he's struggling again, the market interest dries up and he drags on through to the end of his contract.

Or any scenario in between.

I don't think either side wins if he goes in January (he misses out on a massive signing-on bonus for the sake of waiting a few months and we won't have a striker for the 2nd half of the season and get very little money for it). If he's crap or gets injured again, then he'll just run his contract down.

We seem to be linked with some strikers which would point to potentially getting ready for life sans DCL.

Mightily close to season start. At least him playing well for us now works for both sides. Hopefully we get the 3 points on Saturday with a decent start to the season.

Not an ideal situation but not nearly as bad as the Lescott period imo, where he basically downed tools to get his move.

I was going to respectfully disagree with you until I saw para 3 of your response to Mike G which I think is more realistic.

In mafia terms, Dom is not a made man. There is not a queue of suitors right now for a very good reason.

Memories might be shorter than they should be in the Premier League but Solanke scored plentifully last season, has been injury free for 4 years, apart from a 4-week knee injury, and is younger than Dom. He looks in his prime, fully fit and 'worth' the money, though I think £65M is very steep. That is why he had clubs interested at the high fee.

Dom's recent record pales into insignificance compared to this. I think we might overrate Dom, simply because we so desperately need him, few could play the role Dyche wants right now, but that doesn't mean other clubs, playing very different systems, see the same value as we do. And even we don't want to pay him what he's asking for let alone pay a joining fee for him.

Dom needs to be careful. He could find he has peaked, pay wise. As you say, he needs to play often and score more frequently than 1 in 5 to be worth very much to anybody. And that would be to the benefit of both us and Dom if he can do it.

I'm not saying we would or should do this, but if we benched him for the most part to give the others a chance, he had another season like the last few, not many goals, maybe even another injury, I don't think he'll find any takers at £100k for a long contract, let alone a big signing on fee. Today's news is tomorrow's chip paper and Dom has, sadly, not been that good for many years. He has risks every bit as much as we do.

If all he wants is to make as much money as possible -- a perfectly valid goal, IMO -- then he's at no risk at all. £135k/week for a qualified striker is a perfectly normal salary these days, and he could rate more than that if he's on a free. If we don't pay him, somebody else will.

But if he wants to play in Europe, or for England in 2026, his risk is great. Trying to pick and choose a top club where he can play and succeed and raise his profile is uncertain in the extreme. If he signs with Skunks or Villa or Bologna or Dortmund and he winds up coming off the bench in the 80th minute of tied games every week, his dreams will have gone and he'll regret not staying with us and getting the minutes he needs to put some goals on his resume.

His best chance of playing in the Champions League is to have 10 goals in the bank on Boxing Day and then going up for auction, where a club in Serie A or the Bundesliga might snap him up and give him that shot.

The other outcome is that the Club agree to pay him the extra money come January, or even later, which as someone said earlier is really only just over £1.5M.

If he does turn out to be so important to us, why lose him over such a small amount? But it's then really up to him if he wants to stay or not.

I don't know about paying up the player's remaining contract if he's sold against his will, it could be possible, but I've heard of "loyalty bonuses" which may be due in that circumstance.

All depends on what's written in the contract, and how it's written.

I'll take Sandro Ramirez and raise you with Salomon Rondon and Neil Maupay. Those wishing Dominic away should be very careful what they wish for.

The bigger derailment and financial risk lies in losing him on a free transfer and spending a large transfer fee and salary on a replacement who may or may not succeed. As a next step, we should meet his salary demand of £135k/week. As Mike G says, that is a reasonable salary for an experienced England international striker.

If he rejects it, then we will know for sure he will leave in January or the summer and plan accordingly.

He is affordable, Chelsea do not necessarily want him, and need to ship players. He has the potential to develop a lot further and is mobile. Another player I like is Jon Duran at Villa.

I think the proof will be in the eating. If he goes before the window closes, presumably it will be for those wages and you will be proven correct.

But it is pretty clear he doesn't have a long queue of suitors and another season like the last 3 — few goals and/or injury — then I don't believe he will have any takers at those wages, even on a free, and certainly not on a long term contract.

He could end up like Lingard…

I admit I had to look this one up:

Lingard appeared for 105 minutes during FC Seoul's first six games of the season, before undergoing knee surgery.

Ouch!

I want a refund on my licence fee!!!

Bournemouth have signed £40M Brazilian striker Evanilson from Porto. Good footballer, leads the line well — but not especially prolific. Sadly he is outside of our price range but we've also been linked with Vitor Roque and Moukoko so maybe I was too selective.

Here's a 2nd attempt at players initially ruled out for being short-arses...

Jonathan David (Lille): Age 24 height 5ft-9in — estimate value £45M. Scored 19 in 34 for Lille last season and is very consistent.

A player (like Leon Bailey) who we should have pursued harder when playing in Belgium. Probably too expensive for us but he's been overlooked for a little while now for big Champions League moves so might consider Everton if we can find the right fee.

Vitor Roque (Barca) - age 19 / height 5ft-7in — estimated value £25M. Barca paid £40M for him in January but, after scoring just 2 in 14, they appear ready to release for less — perhaps as low as the circa £25M we are rumoured to have offered. Despite being tiny, he heads the ball well when attacking crosses — he just can't compete for high balls pumped up to him. He also dribbles well but is not in the league of say, Aguero, who was about the same height. Could become very good indeed.

Youssoufa Moukoko (Dortmund) - Age 19 / height 5ft-9in — estimated value £25M. 5 goals in 20 last season for a player who looked like a likely superstar at 16. Not yet nailed down a place at Dortmund where he is behind new signings Guirassy and Beier. Similarities with Moise Kean. Might we be more patient this time?

Marcos Leonardo (Benfica). Age 21, height 5ft-8in — estimated value… If Bournemouth can sign a Brazilian for Portugal then why can't we? Well he got 7 goals in 14 after joining from Santos in January for £15M which is a good sign but it's very early days. Would be worth about £25M now... maybe more?

Falorin Balogun (Monaco): age 23, height 5ft-8in — estimated value £18M.

A very fast striker, Arsenal youth product who was crap for Boro on loan and then burst to life under Englishman Will Still at Reims the season before last. Earned a £30M move to Monaco but only scored 7 in 29 last season. Hard to tell whether he's any good.

Karim Konate (Salzburg): age 20 height 5ft-8in — estimated value £30M. Scored 20 goals in 29 games for Salzburg last season. Nothing of note in the Champions League though. Could become excellent — but hard to judge his standard.

I'm also very familiar with Jonathan David -- tremendous pace and powerful for his size, but I think it's highly unlikely we would suit his ambitions.

I have always accepted that if a fair offer was made for Jarrad he would go, we need to invest wisely if that is the case, however he may be the difference between relegation and staying up even if O'Brien turns out well. It would be so Everton to sanction the sale of Jarrad to Liverpool wouldn't it?

Toney is likely going to Saudi (although Frank has stated nothing is close in that regard), I can see Dom being his replacement. That is the depressing state of affairs, the newly promoted clubs easily outspend us and one of our best players is so keen to leave he would view Brentford as a better option. Will they pay his wages though?

So let's say both are sold, I think we can expect £85-90M for both, let's assume the club keeps back £20M of that for debt we can still recruit well and in a number of positions. We would need to buy another CB and ship Holgate or Keane (or both and buy two 🙏) a right back (moving Patterson on too if he isn't wanted) and a covering left back. A CM and another winger PLUS a striker.....wait, maybe it's just fucking hopeless.

Sorry I started that post trying to be optimistic (even though I desperately want both players to stay) but I just can't see how we are going to get out of this. I am in that all to familiar early season slump. It's always just about worked out though hasn't it? We've scraped through.