Onana heads to Aston Villa in initial £50m deal

Probably would have given his mate Levy a few million quid to sweeten the deal as well!

Many a true word said in jest, Col.

£50M for Onana. What did we pay for him?

Typical Everton, only this time it probably makes sense just for that spot kick alone against Fulham.

I've no doubt he will slot seamlessly into a Champions League team and help Villa stay in and around the Top 4. Good signing for them.

Lille get 20% of the £20M profit so we make £16M on the player. Maybe they'll throw in Philogene on loan!

I wonder if the fee is depressed because they overpaid for Dobbin — an arrangement designed to create PSR headroom?

He hasn't improved that much since he's signed for Everton let's be honest.

I've yet to see him ever truly dominate a midfield battle, I've not seen him use his stature or athletism anywhere near enough and he's not a goal threat enough.

For £50M I'd want more to be honest but he may well go to Villa, shine brilliant and then if Villa do fall away next season, they'll probably be forced to sell him to an Arsenal or a Bayern Munich won't they.

Then again he may go to Villa and just remain the same decent but peripheral figure that I think he's been too often.

Hopefully that money from his sale means we can give Man Utd an even bigger fuck off now over Branthwaite.

He can be erratic but, if it is possible through PSR, I would keep him.

I think Robert is right that the fee is part of the Ireagbewan - Dobbin - Onana arrangement. And it would be clever work as Sam suggests if we also got Philogene on loan.

Good luck, Amadau, go and prove the doubters wrong, now you are joining a better team.

Don't wrinkle your cardigan about it, grandad.

You must have some sausage fingers to type £20 million instead of 20%.

I think he will go on and have a good high-level career but not the outstanding one I think he believes he will.

He seems like a decent lad though and brighter than the average footballer, mind you so is my cat. He has always at least seemed committed to our club and he was always going to be a player we moved on for profit, I echo Sam's sentiments though, we should have made more from him and failed.

I can't imagine Dele is a the like-for-like replacement for Onana so maybe we will get a central midfielder in on loan. Arthur Melo is the one most mentioned but he looks a bit washed up these days.

I suspect our remaining available money will be spent on a decent wide man, Gnonto please for me. I like the look of Asprilla and Lindstrom too though. Reports are that Newcastle are back in for Calvert-Lewin.

Interesting that Unai Emery rates him more than our own fans. What does he know, eh?

He's not one of the players we really can't afford to lose, such as Pickford or Branthwaite, so he should be sold in my view.

Fees are lower now than in previous years so all the comparisons and doubts are unfounded as far as I see it. The club knows the value they put on a player, and not one of us is an expert despite feeling like one. Ours are mere opinions, not fact.

He's 2 years into 5-year deal, so his book value is £18M.

So from a PSR point of view, it's £50M less £18M less £4M = £28M or thereabout, I think.

We need to buy a defensive midfielder, as Gueye is past his best, attacking midfielder to replace Onana, a winger and fullback. We have to keep Branthwaite and Newcastle rumoured to be targeting Calvert-Lewin again, because Callum Wilson is too injury prone with his constant hamstring problem.

We should agree to Dom's contract demand, it will cost us more to try and replace him, he's only 27 and is now over his injury problems and a huge loss if we let him go. Is he not worth the same money we're paying Doucoure?

Personally, I've not forgiven him for that dreadful penalty shootout miss.

Happy to see him go, if it means we keep Branthwaite.

I watched him for Belgium and he never did nothing wrong but he never really had much influence over the game either in the sense that he just ambled around and just kept the ball moving, with the lack of any real urgency being the most disappointing aspect of his game.

Good luck to him because he's obviously got a great deal of potential, but, if he is to fulfill his talent, then he has definitely got to implement a lot more urgency into his game.

It will be interesting to see whether another central midfielder comes in or if Dyche thinks we have enough with Gueye, Garner, Doucoure and Iroegbunam. And possibly Dele:

Right-wing and right-back remain the priorities for me. And possibly a centre-forward if Calvert-Lewin leaves — though I've got more faith in Beto and Chermiti than most.

I wish him all the best and I think he genuinely enjoyed playing for us. I just hope we use the money well, ie, a winger, right-back, and Phillips in on loan.

I don't hold a lot of faith that Dele can regain some kind of stable form but my word will I be getting behind him to do so, what a story that would be. The romantic in me would love to see it happen.

It will be paid in instalments over the same payment terms Villa pay us — so, like all transfers, it will be spread over 3 or 4 years.

He wasn't a bad player, but I never saw him fitting into the scheme of things, and I don't think he was ever comfortable either. So all in all, not a bad result.

Clearly a defensive (holding) midfielder, Dele I would not have thought of as a replacement (more creative, but god knows how that will work out, but I hope it does).

We have some serious deadwood that still needs moving on now, and three or more replacements if Calvert-Lewin follows him out the door.

Watched him during the Euros and thought he was average in most of the games.

He had some good moments in an Everton shirt but I think we can find some decent players from the £50M we get for him.

Keeps some much-needed funds coming in, and hoping we can continue to do some tactical and savvy signings for the remainder of the window!

Onana made it clear in the Euros that he wanted to move on, no one else as yet has come in for Onana, that does not mean another club knowing the price will not jump in late on.

For me, unless Man Utd get close to the asking price, it just makes it that much more likely we will hold on to Branthwaite.

Not too bothered about losing Onana; if he thinks he can
do better elsewhere, good luck to the player. I have every confidence we will find someone to slot in his place.

We needed this deal done to finance other moves. What may have been gained for a few million more might well have been taken away in a late window scramble to pursue other targets.

Thelwell has damn near earned a nickname, a complimentary one by the way: Thelwell in Excelsius!

Maybe it is the system we play but similarly for Belgium, he also seemed to play an over-hyped role in the Euros and delivered nothing.

He was dropped by Dyche and was not even missed. I for one won't miss him.

You are assuming that Man Utd and Arsenal were prepared to pay more than £50M for him and so desperate to have him.
And can you see Onana being worth more than Branthwaite?

Dale, did you catch yourself a buck or a doe?

I can't remember ever thinking this, but I'm open to offers.

I love a cult hero like all Blues do, but just thumping the badge and running around doesn't justify it! James Garner is literally 5 times the player Onana is…

Also, if it means we keep Branthwaite another year, then I'm over the moon. But hey, if we sell Jarrad for £60M as well, then who can complain? £110M in the account of my beloved EFC.

Back in the late 1800s, who would have thought such a thing!! £100M is big money for any business in any industry. Nobody is bigger than the club. But can we please keep Jarrad another year!

Also, £20 million profit is nothing to sniff at, profit is never guaranteed! See Gylfi Sigurdsson…

We moved the ball out of our half more effectively with Garner and Gana. There was too much station to station passing with Onana in the pivot and it limited our attacks by making defensive matchups easy to select.

Garner and Gana created more runs and typically found more forward passes that unlocked defence assignments.

We need the money. We won't miss him.

Villa bigger than us? Not so long ago, they were in the Championship.

Wish him well and it gives us funds for further additions.

£50M in today's market represents a fair old profit on what we paid for him, especially as he always to me seemed on the outside looking in, with bursts of inclusion at certain times during games.

Very rarely the inspiration we all thought he would be but who knows what role he will play at Villa?

Has the ability to burst forward but seemingly always content to sit back as a defensive type of midfielder… but was that his role in the Dyche formation?

On we move in readiness for the new season, and good luck to him.

1. It's the way we should be doing business moving forward under new ownership. Buy young. Buy potential. Sell for profit.

2. This is the first piece of business that must be executed in order to hold on to Jarrad Branthwaite. If we can sell Onana and one other (probably one other) to keep Branthwaite this window has been overseen by Kevin "Walk on Water" Thelwell.

We need to bring in another midfielder; with Gueye 35, he's not capable of playing every game. We were supposed to be interested in Phillips, who was supposedly on his way back to Leeds, but not getting promoted changed that.

In my opinion, a new start under Dyche could resurrrect his career and show why Man City bought him. I also think we should offer Calvert-Lewin a better contract to get him to stay; Newcastle rumoured to be sniffing around again because Callum Wilson is too injury-prone, with his constant hamstring problem, to be back up to Isak.

Beto and Chermiti are not good enough, and when you see Ipswich paying Man City £20M for Liam Delap, who was very average on loan in the Championship last season, it would cost a lot more to replace the quality of Dom.

I just wanted to remind him that, if he intends driving Amadou down to Birmingham himself, the national speed limit is 70 mph.

Anyone wants to chip in with the GoFundMe, feel free to chip in.

I reckon it would show Sean Dyche has saved the club literally hundreds of millions. Getting £50M for this lad, probably £30M for Calvert-Lewin, still being in the top league for two campaigns, potentially £80M for Jarrad…

Lampard would have crashed the club, and all the players would have been picked up for buttons, and the new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock would be the biggest white elephant ever.

Even in the Euros, I didn't see him make a forward pass of any note.

Bank the money, move on.

Christy @43 is whats wrong with our fanbase. Beto has looked great and Chermiti did well when he played inthe derby, he's a young lad…

I would happily just play Beto up top if Dom goes. He's a unit and is boss in the air and he played the way us Blues want to see the team play, giving 100%, always on the edge.

The Premier League is different from Italy and he'll improve. You were probably saying that Ellis Simms wasn't good enough either before he left.

All this sounds harsh as I do think he can "do a job" up top and I don't dislike the man, he's easy to get behind as his effort is always good.

Chermiti I think has tons of potential and I don't see what the haters do. I think the kid could develop into a damn good striker. He's very good on a ball, he's quick, and he just needs more experience in my opinion to really up his game. I'm a "buy" not a "sell" guy with Chermiti and hope he gets a lot more minutes this season. He's only what? 20 years old?

Before Chermiti is deemed unfit for purpose, let's let him actually get meaningful minutes on the pitch and develop?

That tells me we've done alright on this one. And VillaTalk ain't exactly doing the can-can over an Onana - Barkley midfield axis.

The Philogene lad may now come our way. Loan to buy maybe.

Lindstrøm a smokescreen to fool the Premier League … Not!

I certainly think there is something there in Beto. If Calvert-Lewin moves on, we certainly need to keep hold of Beto and give him a run in the friendlies.

Let's see how he does in his second season in the Premier League. There is definitely a footballer in the guy, it's just a case of the coaching staff working on it, getting him to lift his head up when running with the ball.

I bet Dyche would whip him into shape. On his day, he's one of the best defensive midfielders in the Premier League. He just needs an arm around the shoulder and for someone to tell him he's a skinny little fuck.

Your post, on the other hand, I entirely disagree with.

And that is the beauty of a fanbase; we are a broad church with different opinions. Which is why I don't consider you to be “what is wrong with our fanbase.”

And for what it's worth, I believe Simms was sold out of necessity. Same with Tom Cannon. They were saleable assets that we could afford to sell without materially weakening the first team in the short term.

I doubt either will become Premier League regulars in the future, but you never know, especially since Cannon is likely to be part of Leicester City's squad for the coming season.

As for Onana, I expected more from him in an Everton shirt. I think he will go on and become a big player for Villa (if the deal goes through) and then maybe we'll all understand how his particular mix of size, strength and deep-lying passing range could mark him out as a very unique footballer.

I'm very happy with this bit of good business.

And according to Belgians media it is even lower than that and is believed to be worth £40million plus £5million in add-ons

Typical Everton!

'I'm what's wrong with our fan base'? — Up yours!

You seem to think you're a mind reader, re Simms? Do you think your Mr ToffeeWeb?

Chermiti is young and probably needs to go out on loan, and can you the expert, tell me when 'Beto looked great, boss in the air, and played the way us Blues want the team to play'???]

I'll be in Sligo next Friday, watching our Blues in action… will you?

I have seen his potential in very fleeting moments, maybe he is keeping it for the top club he thinks will come in for him, although Villa, like him, have that possible potential. Onana has kept his well hidden in the 2 years he has been here.

I'm not counting my chickens until he and his sister get that deal done.

Dave (44), I couldn't drive him down to Birmingham — I never got past my provisional licence, cars came too late for me and too technical!

He never went about the club sulking and although there is disagreement among supporters of his actual talent, I believed he done his best.

Holding out for more money stopped the club from having extra financial backing in transfers they were following,

You cant keep a player that does not want to stay, and i am aware that he seems slow and lazy at times but always seems to be in the rite place to receive and pass a ball knowing were his fellow teammates are.

Onana registered the highest aerial duel success rate (74.3%) of any midfielder in Europe's top five leagues last term.

Happy to give him a second season to see if he just needs to adjust to a new league. But my instinct tells me the lack of the basics would be the same in any league and there's a reason Udinese let him go with zero pounds up front.

Think about that. No fee paid for a player. They can't have rated him. I truly want it to work for Beto and hope it does. But every time I watch him, I see errors made that shouldn't happen at this level.

£50M? — snap their bloody hand off and run to the hills.

Ineffectual, lazy and doesn't impose himself on games like he should. When there is a midfield war to be won, Onana is the first player that goes missing.

We move on… just keep Branthwaite.

I think it's fairly possible he might be one of the best central midfield players in the world in 5 or 6 years time and we will wish that we got more than £50M for him, but right now that's a decent profit and much-needed cash.

Ugochukwu on loan would be interesting but really it's the quality of winger(s?) we bring in that might decide whether we have a shot at the Top 10 this season.

£17M profit, about £13.5M left after paying 20% to his previous club and a decent salary off the wages.

Now for a couple more incoming!

Interesting to see him at Villa as he didn't look like a £50M player at Goodison to me. Massive upside is we can tell Man Utd to get lost re Branthwaite — unless they offer £80M+. PSR also hopefully now not an issue for 2023-24 or 2024-25 seasons.

Only thing left is to sell Calvert-Lewin to the Barcodes and get a some new players in.

I'm happy with the transfer business so far. I'm sure deals are in negotiation in the background and Dyche and Thelwell have some cash to spend.

You are not alone, Dave Abrahams, I think it is smart busIness and, for me, £50M is a good price. I'm pretty sure we will have someone on the radar to bring in.

If this kills off the Branthwaite sale, that will do for me.

Best of luck to him in the future, if he gets his move.

He never really got the chance to play there for us, because of Gueye, so we never really saw how good or effective he is in his proper position.

Another example of how purchasing young talent pays off.

Good luck to the boy!

The same ones said Gordon is no good, as did Ped on Toffee TV; he now is worth £80-100M.

Dyche's one-dimensional system doesn't suit Onana. All this protection of Branthwaite, but to whose detriment?

I think most Everton fans like their players to run around like headless chickens than watch cultured footballers.

Villa have seen us coming to get rid of their crap to make money for PSR and now they pull our pants down. Onana will be one of the best midfielders in the Premier League whilst we have Thelwell and Dyche with their one-dimensional thinking.

What the fuck???

The other positive is it shows up and coming players that EFC is a good staging place, chances in the team and Premier League shop window. Recruit correctly, sell on and keep the very best!

Poor Thelwell and Dyche have been given the biggest clean-up job in the history of Everton Football Club without a pot to piss in… and still you get people moaning that it's all their fault!

I grew up thinking that Everton had a very knowledgeable fanbase; when I finally did grow up, I realised that this isn't entirely true.

Keeping Branthwaite is key since he's a generational talent.

Ryan # 63 astute comment about Onana's aerial ability.

Those using this as an opportunity to have a go at Dyche and Thelwell might also note that our net spend since Moshiri pulled the plug (summer window 2021-22) is £80M behind Norwich, £90M behind Luton, £140M behind Ipswich, £210M behind Brentford, £220M behind Palace and £300M behind Bournemouth and Forest over the same period.

If you want better football, you need to invest in better players.

You'd be better just posting on your own thoughts rather than speaking for "most" of us, mate.

How can anyone blame or criticise the tremendous job they've done???

When you consider he's 6ft-4in? And he spends most of his time on the floor.

Backwards and sideways passer, he will not be missed. Compare to Mainoo for example and there is no contest.

Delighted to get rid of the robot.

Like many central defensive midfielders in modern football, Onana is essentially a centre-back playing in front of the defence. That is his role.

Like other centre-backs, he is generally supposed to stay put — not drive forward.

I'd fancy us to concede more set-piece goals if they leave us…

As for Onana, I watched him in all of Belgium's games and lost count of the pointless passes he returned to teammates after asking for the ball.

Over-rated and expensive — mainly because he is big and young.

Aston Villa have gone backwards considering they did have Luiz.

He will need to pull his socks up and take games by the scruff of the neck if he wants to fulfil his ambitions — and not just 5 mins here and there.

At times he looked the part using his physique to make important tackles and showing guile with some shrewd passing. Too often though he disappeared from view when we might have expected him to grab hold of the midfield.

The unholy mess he made of what would have been the winning penalty against Fulham suggested a lack of focus at what was a key moment in our season. I imagine that went a long way to undermining Dyche's trust in him.

The weaknesses in his game, especially the lack of a consistent goal threat, would suggest £50m is a decent fee for a player who offers the potential to be a competent holding midfielder but no more than that.

Look at his stats. He is very tall and with long legs; watch him soar under Villa. West Ham wanted him but we got in there only because we were willing to pay his high wages.

Dyche will never get the best out of talent like Onana. Onana likes feeding the wingers and tackles and playing forward. We play him as a defensive midfielder but he's in his element going forward.

If Dyche played him in his preferred position, that would be natural and I think he'd be even better for Belgium. For him now, it's like an anxious relationship of defensive midfielder and striking midfielder.

At £50M, this could be Count Unai's first big error.

Personally, I never forgave him for the lazy penalty miss
which probably contributed greatly to the terrible run of results which followed.

Calvert-Lewin next perhaps.

May do well at Villa who have lost Douglas Luiz but Onana needs to step up his work rate and passing.

I was convinced we had a world beater on our hands, in the month after we signed him, strong, aggressive, could tackle, and run with the ball, but sadly all of them traits eventually disappeared, and he was more comfortable playing a safe, sidewards 10-yard pass, and he became anonymous for long periods in games.

People may laugh at this but I wonder whether he couldn't handle the constant pressure of fighting relegation battles at the wrong end of the table? Not all young players can.

On a much more positive note, since we lost 'the greatest Evertonian', the shackles seemed to have come off in the transfer market. Hopefully no more 'chewed fingernails' at 10:55 pm on the last day of the transfer window, hoping for that 31-year-old free transfer we'd all hoped for, to add experience and guile to our squad?

Just how much of an influence and overall control the man had on transfers is becoming increasingly obvious.

I think we'll see a much changed Everton squad by the time the season starts, and hopefully a much better goal return from the newbies that we sign, without relying on the much-maligned Calvert-Lewin, who will eventually exit I'm sure.

Tin hat on, but I'm cautiously optimistic.

Luiz is very good on the ball but he is not much of a ball winner. Onana is a mirror image of him.

The Count may believe that sacrificing some creativity for better defensive capability will improve his team.

Sorry to disagree, Sam, but Beto is not a good match for what Dominic brings the team. He might not even be here by the start of the season. Onana is the established defensive midfielder for Belgium; while Tim Iroegbunam may develop into a good player but he will on the bench.

I don't blame Thelwell for this, or Dyche. They have been given a hospital pass with the challenge of operating with the club's financial constraints.

Over to Sean to perform more miracles.

Our former “watch this space” chairman loved being the centre of attention and, if that meant a bit of fibbing, then the old drama queen was in his element.

He spread the myth that he was a tough negotiator, doing his best in the transfer market but, apart from a few crackers, eg Cahill, Coleman, Baines etc… he was more miss than hit.

And that bullshit about other owners asking him, "What would Everton do?"

As others have said, this Onana sale is an excellent piece of business. Perhaps about £10 million light on what I would have liked to see, but we'll make that up with the sell-on fee in 2026. He's a terrific young man and I wish him nothing but the best.

Ed #100, I suspect it's what Ryan said earlier about Villa losing every aerial battle in midfield last season with their Munchkin brigade. Onana is the precise answer to that need.

We have stopped paying huge sums for players at their peak with no resale value. Recruiting young players with the potential to improve and deliver a decent return is the only way a club in our position should operate. The great pity is that we blew such a huge chunk of money learning that lesson.

The problem is he doesn't impose himself on games — even playing for Belgium.

A player with his class and ability ought to be driving his team on and demanding the ball the way De Bruyne is.

I don't doubt his ability and I believe with a bit more maturity and confidence he will be a truly great player.

Right now, he is a £50M player so the fee from Villa is a fair one that also helps us rebuild and keep Branthwaite.

I wouldn't be surprised if we required Villa to overpay for Dobbin and underpay for Onana in order to generate a PSR win — and lessen the amount payable to Lille as a % of the sale proceeds.

On that basis, £60M or so for the pair is probably about right.

I got so fecking sick of that argument depending, as it did, on nothing solid but speculation and the daunting resilience of some on here who I will not name.

Onana is great at clapping, pointing, and running to fans after the final whistle (usually doing some sort of dumb dance), but he did not have the guts to do so after that pathetic me me me me penalty.

Onana is as far from being a top player as I am of being a key player in the USA ladies Olympics beach volleyball team. I cannot think of a single match where he was dominant; goals I can count on the fingers of two hands; killer exquisite passes on the fingers of two hands; goal-saving or chance-preventing killer tackles or blocks ........

I'm sure that the Onana onanists will correct me on some of these things but £50 million is well south of some of their optimistic valuations. In fact, after Lille get their 20% the fee suddenly shrinks to not a whole lot more than we paid for him. Glad that we got the sell on clause just in case, you never know .......

Now we can sit and wait for the plastic nothingness and crocodile tears of "I love this club and its fans, I will always have a place in my heart for you, but Villa were too big an opportunity to turn down, I want to win trophies, and the Villa [note "the Villa", he's one of them now] are a massive club. Anyway, how could I turn down a team supported by the next King. of England [pause for laughs]. God bless The Villa and God bless my future mate Prince William".

Hopefully we've included our own sell on clause.

Now, let's spend the money wisely.

The upside of this, fingers crossed, is that a proper young star now stays with us, but Thelwell and Co do need to get busy in the middle, right-back, wings, in particular.

I hope that they have every Euro match on their iPads and have them trained on the likes of Slovakia, Slovenia, Georgia, Turkey, and Albania.

That sounds a bit better.

“I imagine he wanted to go and raise his profile in the Champions League.” Has he only signed for a year with Villa then? Cos we've as much chance of Champions League in 2025 as they have!

Meh — if he was as good as some people seem insistent that we should all believe, he'd have held out for a bigger team than Villa!

Belgium also play him as a defensive midfielder so I think his coaches consider that to be his best role.

We've no idea who was really in for Onana but some pretty reliable journalists claimed he was high on the list for most of those clubs and may well end up there. The lads only 22 after all!

A sensible move for him as he will be first choice at Villa and will grow under a talented manager there. I was probably one of the most optimistic of his valuers and thought we could maybe get around £60-70m for him. If he does well at Villa and they sell him for a mint in 4 years time then that could still be the case.

At the very minimum we will be making a £16m profit on him which is better than we've done on most players recently.

Good luck on your trials for the USA ladies olympic beach volleyball team!

Targets should have been identified weeks ago and hopefully obtained in the coming weeks!

Ah, my intention was not to continue the fee war so if I did that was an own goal. £60-70m was not, if the indices were correct, beyond the realms of possibility at all. In fact, with add ons and sell ons (if all goes well, a hefty "if" for me) we will end up with over £60 million in all likelihood.

I was being a tad tongue-in-cheek (107) and hope that you and yours are all thriving.

I do hope, though, that we are having long and hard looks at the likes of Slovakia, Slovenia, Georgia, Turkey, and Albania for new signings.

The Chelsea lad on loan, if there is any substance, is also the sort of thing I have in mind (even better with a to buy clause).

Christopher (116), tournaments have always been hunting grounds for talent. How could they not be?

If you can give me a list of post-tournament transfer duds, I bet my list of successes is longer (with Sam's help!).

All transfer business these days is risky.

He looks good with 5- to 10-yard passes backwards and sideways but what else?

Keeping hold of Branthwaite has now just improved too. Time to tell Man Utd to fuck off with the daft bids as well!

I struggle to see how people don't rate him but that's the beauty of opinions I guess. A shame to see him leave but a totally understandable sale given the financial circumstances of the club.

I would absolutely take Phillips on loan to plug the gap and concentrate the permanent purchases on a winger and a right-back, both with pace please, Mr Thelwell.

Now please try and shift Holgate, Patterson and Maupay. That will do in terms of outgoings as the squad is pretty threadbare now — although I'm pretty sure Calvert-Lewin will also leave unfortunately.

Yes, lots of good affordable talent out there such as in the places you mention. I think our scouting has been better recently so have more faith than I did a few years back.

Everton selling one of our best players to Aston Villa. Lose a target to Ipswich. Looking for loan deals.

Sam & Paul F,

The question I find myself asking is, if you had £50M-£55M to spend, would you be happy if we bought him? I think at that price we've done a decent deal.

Shows that Man Utd need to double their Branthwaite valuation too!

That's fair enough but my own opinion is that all good midfield players either take the ball forward or try and drive their team forward.

Until Onana learns to do either, then he will continue to be a player who has potential but mostly flattens to deceive.

When you're in the Champions League you will naturally draw in a different pool of talent.

Let's not forget Villa were relegated and came back up a better team five seasons ago under better ownership.

Hopefully we will be on that upward trajectory over the next few seasons under Dan Friedkin as well as the new stadium. No reason to suggest otherwise why we cannot be the next Aston Villa in 4/5 seasons time.

I'm of the camp that he never wowed us in any significant way, that his theatrics (both positive and negative) were a tad grating, that the touting of his potential has always been a bit overblown — but generally I also just really like him as a person. (Maybe I'm just a sucker for foreigners who can speak several languages so fluently, especially Belgians.) He seemed to genuinely enjoy being a part of the club.

And so I wish him well, but not so well that Villa remind us in the coming years just how far we've fallen in comparison to their rise.

Good business for a player who constantly flatters to deceive. I'm sure he'll look better in a better team and we are better off having £50M to spend on what we need.

Up The Toffees!!!

We're selling a guy to a Champions League team, making a £17M profit on him (~£13M after Lille get their cut), with add-ons and a sell-on fee to come, and we're still shitting on him as a fanbase.

He missed a fucking penalty. Move on. It's so unbelievably petty.

He's not been terrible, he's not been great. He's mostly been misused, and has been playing in a team which has been terrible for years.

If all our transfer dealings had gone this way, we wouldn't be hip-deep in Shit Creek right now. That some are treating the fact he's being sold to Aston Villa as a gotcha is a joke, given that they're well-run and about to play Champions League football.

I do not see the point in selling Onana. Who is going to replace him? We're not going to make much on selling him now. Never heard of balance, Everton?

Branthwaite is treated like the Holy Grail. Er, scoring wins games, not defence. We had the 4th best defence because we're firing blanks up top and the teams that meet us know that too and that's why we're always on the defence.

At least Onana helps stop that in midfield.

We don't have £50M to spend mate — 20% to Lille on profit — and in the bigger picture, ie, initial fee, we might emerge with somewhere in the region of £12-14m. It's also something of an assumption these days to think that money gained will go straight into the transfer kitty.

There might have been reports about Bayern etc links, Paul, but dear Lord they were recycled over and over again to try to convince us that Onana was star potential because Bayern etc clearly thought so as they prepared their bids.

£50M for a good player. It's Aston villa's star signing. They are buying potential, may be? Who knows?

We move on! The club did warn us players would be sold. Another hard season ahead. Keep the faith.

There are lots of intricacies to these multi-million-pound deals that a lot of people just don't take into account.

I'm not reporting to know them all, but as I've said, would we be happy if Thelwell and Dyche were unveiling Onana as our new £50M signing?? If you think not, then we have the better side of this deal, in my opinion.

Villa are in the privileged position that they need a CDM and someone who wins a lot of aerial duels — and have £50M to spend on someone who fits the bill and should settle in easily for their Champions League campaign.

When the fuck has Beto ever looked great?

He makes Rondon look like Ian Wright.

It is the ability to appear keyed in, to demonstrate to the stands that you, and you alone, can see what is happening. It makes you look like being involved while actually not being involved.

It makes you look like your team mates don't quite get you and makes the more discernible supporter appear more discerning because they do, in fact "get you".

It, when the pointing is properly finessed, may get you a move to a Champions League club.

However, pointing always ends in tears, not financially, but when you end up, aged 34, at a relegation-threatened club with an octogenarian Sam Allardyce telling you that you are an overpaid lazy cunt.

So for me this is a good bit of business.

I remember an interview with Tarkowski in which he listed all of Onana's incredible physical attributes, we all know he has these. But the most important one he neglected to discuss was his footballing ability. Which is the most important.

Give me a Leon Osman with very limited physical attributes ahead of this guy any day of the week.

Rob #129, top corner shot. Can't believe all the negative comments. But wait, yes I can, after all this is ToffeeWeb.

Tony #124, "good midfield players either take the ball forward or try and drive their team forward."

I think that's exactly what you're going to see out of Onana after a few months at Unai University. I consider Emery one of the finest managers on the planet. Look at how he developed Watkins and resurrected Bailey, and the dramatic improvement in Buendia before his injury. He'll work magic on Onana.

John #130, "scoring wins games, not defence"... thanks for the Luton-esque laugh.

Andy #138, I've seen you point at a beer glass and thought it was one of the most brilliant performances I've ever seen.

Probably true but don't post stuff like that on here as Masters will cite you as a reliable source of PSR violations evidence, lol.

Robert makes some very valid points above. We are being outspent by everyone, not just the big 6… everyone.

Heading towards another season where we are selling an established international player and replacing him with a PSR makeweight.

Calvert-Lewin wants out, how long before Branthwaite wants out? We couldn't even tempt the lad from Hull as Ipswich offered more.

I am very concerned about next season.

He definitely has talent and physical attributes, and is still only 22 years old.

He was only ever going to stay here 2-3 seasons. We will make a profit on him — although I'd like it to be bigger — so a good move for him and for us.

Mostly it has been long ball football but towards the end of last season we occasionally looked to play the ball through midfield but Onana always looked to me to be the player who most often made himself available to take a pass. Later even Gana started looking to get forward but even then the only outlets seemed to be Harrison or McNeil.

I've never understood why Onana got as much criticism as he did while Garner, who to me was not any better, and to a lesser extent Doucoure, gets away almost blame free as, to me, the midfield must play as a unit.

Presently, I'm wondering where the players we've bought — Iroegbunam, Ndiaye or if they arrive Lindstrøm, Philogene (unlikely) or Ugochukwu — are going to fit in? Don't tell me, it's a squad thing.

Stands around pointing. Passes sideways and backwards a lot. Achieves very little.

£50M! Villa will wonder what possessed them.

Or maybe Villa are just signing squad/bench players.

Well, all those who profess to know say 'he just needs to be in a good or better team'... like Belgium play in the Zingari Alliance... I suppose it's wait and see.

From a club point of view, they've made a profit on him, and I believe he will show his worth in time.

At the top end, you need pace and power, and he's got that. His dominance will grow through experience. We just can't showcase it with a net spend behind Luton, Sheffield United, Ipswich and other such heavyweights.

Yes, he didn't score and create assists. But not many defensive midfielders do. Perhaps the issue was spending that level of money on a player who doesn't contribute goals in a team that's short of goals, and playing a low block/long ball that negated his strengths.

Frankly, the marginal gains of a £10M vs a £30M defensive midfielder never added up to me. This highlighted another odd/poor transfer from Thelwell.

Others wax lyrical over the job he's done; I am not so sure: Maupay, Beto… sold our better players, and brought in some reserves. Jury still out; he's going to need to bring in some success stories as we continually lose players.

"Amadou Onana has immense potential," he said. "Already a fixture in the Belgium starting line-up, he was named in L'Equipe's ‘team of the group stages' even with his side struggling before being knocked out of the Euros by France. He is a player of clear talent and that is not lost on anyone at Everton, who had previously valued him far in excess of the £50m they set as the starting point for any negotiations this summer. He's an £80m player.

"But we are in unique times and this is a deal that shows a degree of pragmatism from the club. There is an acknowledgement Onana is an ambitious player and the 22-year-old has made no secret of his desire to test himself at the highest levels. Set against that is the style of play Everton have adopted under Sean Dyche.

"Onana was brought in under Frank Lampard — making his debut at Villa Park — and the regime change that followed saw Everton go more direct, compete for less possession, and often bypass the midfield for fear of getting caught in transition and being punished, as was so often the case under Lampard. It is a style that has been hugely effective but it is not one that suits Onana, who likes to be at the heart of his team's efforts to progress up the pitch.

"The biggest symbol of that disconnect has been Dyche's willingness to leave him out of the starting XI, particularly in key games such as the three in a week that Everton won in April. Those victories, including the Merseyside derby win, took Everton to safety with weeks to spare. Onana did not start one of them.

"He is also a player, partly because of the reasons already mentioned, who has had too few big performances in Royal Blue. His best performance saw him dominate Arsenal in a home win in February 2023 — a display that had the away dressing room in raptures about him. There is a degree of frustration that he did not produce more performances like that.

"So while Villa have got a bargain who many Everton supporters accept may flourish elsewhere, this is a move that brings in a decent fee for a player who is not integral to Dyche's plans and who is open to a move. It enables Everton to strengthen the club's PSR position and potentially fund improvements in key areas while also being able to put up a stronger fight should someone launch a genuine push to sign Jarrad Branthwaite.

"He is a confident player who is eager to have the ball at his feet and unafraid of taking it in tight spaces. Going forward, he can eat up the ground when running with the ball and is capable of picking out a clever forward pass. Defensively, his physicality helps and his long legs help him to make recovery tackles and interceptions to help break up opposition attacks.

"Onana does not quite have the defensive discipline to play a straight six and benefits by having someone alongside him. His height means he is useful in both boxes, but he could do better in the air when attacking set pieces. He is a player who most expect to stand out in a team that is more suited to his attributes. This feels like a good deal for all parties."

When Andy pointed in the pub, he got a lovely pint of bitter .

What did Everton get for all the pointing Onana did? — Absolutely fuck-all.

Villa are buying potential but most people know that potential is not enough.

I still remember Onana having one of his best games for Everton the day Dyche managed Everton for the first time, and then smiling when I read that the new manager told Onana after the game that he might get one of his old Belgian players, Stefan Defur, to have a word with him about how he had to learn the dirty side of the game to succeed in England.

Onana hasn't pushed on with regards trying to do the dirty bits, which most players who sit in front of the back four do quite naturally. (Robert T!). He has moved to a better team, so it will be interesting to see if he improves now he is surrounded with better players.

Onana has simply got to go and do a lot more because, if he doesn't, I don't think he will get many games for Villa.

He comes across to me that he thinks he his better than he actually is. But, once you get with better players, you will only be accepted if you prove you are good enough.

I wish him well, and believe that, if he adds more drive into his performances, he can become a very good midfielder. But my concern is Everton and I just hope that we use whatever money becomes available to create a more competitive squad.

No, he doesn't run around like a headless chicken because he's usually in the right positional sense.

I think in general football fans don't know what they are watching and Everton fans in particular prefer the up-and-at-them style of football.

Emery will get the best from him and Everton fans will watch puddings like James Garner…

I'm more concerned on who we bring in.

I, like many, like players in an Everton shirt to show passion and commitment, eg, Mick Lyons, Graveson, Carsley, Cahill, Coleman etc… but I also love the artistes, eg, McKenzie, Sheedy, Dobson, Rodriguez, etc….

Players like Onana fall in between those two categories. He's like Lukaku, you know there's a player in there but is he determined to reach his maximum potential?

On the pitch Tony, on the pitch. What benefit was he on the pitch for £3M a year?

Bad news, what if a five-year-old trips Onana up on the beach? It'll take a week for him to get up.

How about his poor wrist with him wearing a fashionable wrist strapping? 🙈

I really really hope nothing jeopardises the move. I'll be glad to see the back of him.

The point I keep coming back to is that he's never going to be a player who drives a team forward — the thing most often called out as his big failing.

Although his position is midfield, his role in the team is more like that of a centre-back. According to the CIES observatory (which Arsenal have used to rebuild their squad so successfully), Onana plays the same role in the side (aerial duels and recovery tackles) as Virgil van Dijk and Marquinhos at PSG.

In terms of midfielders, he is comparable to Danilo of PSG (who also often plays centre-back in a back 3). None of these players drive the team forward because that is the role of other players in the team (in particular the full-backs).

Not addressing this bit to you, Tony, but I think part of the problem is that because £30M was a big signing for us, the fans expect a player who really stands out and delivers. Unfortunately, £30M is peanuts these days — not even enough to buy a very average centre-back such as Max Kilman.

I can't remember coming out of Goodison too often thinking "Onana was brilliant today". He may have had some impressive 15-minute spells in games, but I can't think of many midfield players who went missing for large sections of the game, as much as Onana did.

I watched all his games for Belgium believing that some ToffeeWebbers might be right that in a good team he would impress, and he didnt impress and much like at Everton went missing for large parts of the Belgium matches.

Typical of Everton to have to offload to realise value. He has gone to a side who will play in the Champions League and no doubt his value will increase.

Wishing him all the best but not at our expense.
Bye Bye.

As for Onana himself, I have no doubt he will thrive under an elite manager. Dyche does not appreciate him because he can't spell 'creativity' — let alone understand it.

I think he knows a bit more about the player's ability than the lad's knockers on here.

A young, first-team-ready player who we've developed and sold at a tidy profit.

I always liken it to a car or a motorcycle: If you bought it with the possible chance of it becoming a collector's item, or to double its value, how long would you have to wait?

In the meantime, it gets involved in an accident that was down to a third party (uninsured) and was almost written off for buttons.

But if that doesn't take your fancy, we have some soggy porridge or burnt toast. Unfortunately, we've sold out of most of our continental breakfasts.

Will we look to recruit to directly replace those attributes or recruit to change style which may weaken the defence over the long term ?
I think it could be a season defining decision to make and its hard to see how we can replace those attributes that Onana possesses within the financial constraints the club have.

Who is going to win those aerial duels now? Who will make those recovery tackles now?

It will be interesting though to see if Emery gets a different tune out of him

If he's supposedly going to be a better player in a different team and/or position, does it not still make sense to sell him? Our team is unlikely to change massively in the near term.

All players go at some point and I for one am glad we're getting a decent price for a player we probably, imo, won't miss that much. Also, he obviously wanted to leave and join a CL team.

Bank the £50m and move on I say.

What it might do is improve the chemistry in midfield - since Garner and Gueye probably worked better in the end than Garner and Onana from a footballing point of view.

Personally, I think the real key to getting the team to function much better overall is a high quality right back.

You would have thought that stupid Everton, would have instigated a bidding war, but then the other rumour said that Amadau, wasn't really interested in going to Saudi Arabia, which must have given Villa, a free reign

The reason why you left Goodison not being able to recall him having any brilliant 15 min spells was because he didn't have any.
I left every away game the same.

I hope the loan for Ugochukwu you mention comes through as you say he is similar in style to Onana. I don't know anything about this player but, having read your informative posts and articles over the years, I am happy to take your word on his attributes until I see him play for myself.

Attacking full backs have become the key players for most of the top teams and are hard to come by so we will be lucky to find what we need. We should have kept hold of Antonee Robinson and Nkounkou.

Robinson, on the other hand, would have been a mainstay in this club for years. I don't know if it was Brands or Carlo who pulled the trigger on "Jedi" for the £2 million in pocket change but it was the dumbest player move I've ever seen from this club. And that's saying a lot.

Villa fans in for the sort of shock we have become accustomed to when the big money signing turns out to be simply not all that.

He impressed Tedesco. He impressed Emery, who watched him at the Euros and then decided to pay a club-record fee for him.

And he impressed the New York Times:

From midfielders in Europe's top-five leagues last season, Onana ranked in the top eight per cent for tackles made per 90 minutes (3.06) and top 13 per cent for ball recoveries (6.89). They are numbers that underline why he matches Emery's vision for what a combative central midfielder should be.

Belgium were tactically chaotic for parts of Euro 2024 but manager Domenico Tedesco entrusted Onana to be the lone central midfielder in their last-16 game against France, anchoring Kevin De Bruyne — and keeping Youri Tielemans, a future team-mate with Villa, on the sidelines.

Going forward, Onana has a propensity to crash the box, suggesting he is more suitable to replicating Douglas Luiz's role as the all-round midfielder than Kamara, who is more defensively minded and inclined to hold his position. After arriving from Lille in 2022, Onana was used by then-Everton manager Frank Lampard in a similar mould to himself as a player — timing late runs into the penalty area and getting on the end of crosses from out wide.

Onana's height, however, meant he tended to make curved movements towards the back post, where he would have the aerial advantage over opposition full-backs.

Last season, Onana ranked in the top six per cent of midfielders for aerial duels won, indicating scope that he could, if moulded correctly, become a growing threat in the opposition box and increase his goal tally (he scored three league goals across two years at Everton).

Villa desired a deluxe talent and Onana has a considerable bank of experience and a ceiling that will only be elevated under Emery's coaching. It is a sign of what the fruits of Champions League football can buy.

Apologies Ray #181 for mucking up your name. Can't even blame it on Spellcheck.

The lad can play but I have doubts on his mentality and desire.

Perhaps he will excell, but Everton, comes first every time.
UTFTs!

MG, mate, with the greatest respect, you more than anyone have been banging the Bayern/Spain etc. drum (not even knowing if those reports were true). There was no interest in Onana after his come and get me pre-Euro invitation and his mediocre tournament.

So, those on here who still bang the he will be better in a better team drum now focus their attention on the one non-Saudi team who we know want to buy Onana: Villa. He might well thrive there, and if he does I'll be pleased for him and first to say sorry.

We have to get rid of him. He doesn't fit Dyche's style of play and this Belgo wizard did not play a single second in the April three wins in a week.

There are many more on here who are at best sceptical, quizzical, and intrigued (me et al) and at worst dismissive.

Quite frankly, there are top blues on here who rarely miss a match who are in the "Onana is not really that good" camp. It seems that the more matches you attend in person where you get the comprehensive view of the pitch we miss on the box, the more likely you are to be in "Onana is not really that good" camp.

The view of those true blues if more than good enough for me.

Once January comes it will be thirty very long years since Everton, won a trophy, whatever way we have played.

This is the way I want to see us play next season; Ndiaye and Iro…… appear to be the type of players that suit that style.

Shhhhh Ashley, you never know, Emery might be reading.

Fans don't know what they are watching? I think we have all seen enough shite to dispute that ridiculous comment, but each to their own, as always.

He'll pick up the big cheque at Villa every month & then bugger off to Saudi. He's a typical mercenary footballer that we're seeing more of in the Premier League. Arsenal and others sussed him out early doors.

Getting worried this thread is going to scupper the deal…..

"Establishment of independent football regulator, to ensure greater sustainability of the game and strengthen protection for fans."

Andy Burnham would be just the person to become the independent football regulator.

Imagine Masters's face if Andy was appointed!

I suspect his long term ambition might still be leader of the Labour Party and PM. Then he can really get stuck into Masters et al!

We are getting £50M for Onana and probably £20M+ for Calvert-Lewin so maybe we could afford a proper striker...

Orville is use to being fisted, and will add some decorum to the current shit storm. Now where did I leave the LSD...

Clever business by Villa as they try — like Everton — to stay the right side of PSR, as the Diaby sale has essentially rendered the Onana signing a "net zero" outlay?

It's now being reported that Villa are also looking to sell their striker Jhon Duran to another Premier League club, so maybe they will be in the market for another striker as cover for Ollie Watkins? Maybe Calvert-Lewin will become a target?

Reckon we'll soon see Gnonto and Lindstrom for more speed and guile on the wings and Phillips to make sure there's no food wasted at Finch Farm's eatery.

Good luck to the lad. I was not a great fan of the lad.

I never really rated the fella, he didn't ever impose himself when on the pitch. Plenty of arm waving and gesturing to the crowd but not enough for me.

Just need to get this ownership sorted out now then things might start looking up. roll on 17 August. COYB.

Brian Williams. I am also looking forward to Onana's message. He's an intelligent guy, speaks a few languages (not including forked tongue) so I expect it to be a classy one.

Paul, agreed, we will. Imagine he'll become the player most of the top clubs think he'll become before he moves on to one of the more prestigious European clubs.

Let's see what we do with the money. Offset PSR or bring in a player or two?

I could certainly see the ability he had but always felt he was playing within himself.

Why he'd do that I don't know and I'm not going to try'n guess.

I think is going to be more a case of Villains finding out how bad he is. Maybe the Holt end will appreciate his cheerleading.

Hope Thelwell had the decency to wear a mask.

But he's wasted sitting deep, he needs to have licence to go forward and be direct. Remember his first few games for us, I was so excited to see his development. But he's not been able or allowed to show his attacking talents.

IMO Dyche and Belgium don't play to his strengths.

'… to make sure there's no food wasted at Finch Farm's eatery.'

Brilliant!

Unless of course it stretches to cheerleading!

Can't think of too many Onana moments that will stick in the memory, just the doh! penalty.

If he is the real deal then Aston Villa will provide the platform for take off (or not). Fully expect that he'll slot one past Pickford in his first re-visit to Goodison.

Onana was ranked eighth for the most tackles won in the entire Premier League, and sixth for the most aerial duels won out of all midfielders in the league, was that last season?

But needs must and, if this means we keep Jarrad Branthwaite, then all the better. Who takes his place then?

Good player, not right for us at the moment, might do better at Villa or might not. But he was always well-turned out with nice hair and a big smile and, as far as I know, didn't kick any kittens across the kitchen or anything nasty like that.

Thelwell needs to go out and find a tall player to wave his arms around a lot in front of the Street End as soon as possible.

Good luck.

I expected improvement when he played for Belgium, I just did not see it, I could not see anything that he did that justified his price tag and "potential".

Iroegbunam, our signing from Villa, may prove that we did the better business and +£40M for the transaction.

I am also excited to see who we bring in with the money, two possibly three new signings that will make our squad stronger, and that will be very welcomed.

He seems intelligent enough to work things out in the right circumstances and perhaps that is with Unai and Villa.

We had him for 2 years so have already written off £12M of his £30M fee. I suspect the add-ons have not been triggered, unless it was we don't get relegated or the number of arm waves per match!

Lille get 20% of the fee or the profit — that makes it £10M or £4M.

So £50M (all in this season's accounts), less the £18M still in the books = £32M, less paid to Lille = £22M or £28M profit.

For 2023-24 we have:

Godfrey — 75% of his fee had been written off so £6M profit
Dobbin — £10m all profit
Iwobi — 80% had been written off so £16m profit
Demari Gray — £7m profit and
The academy kids (Cannon, Simms, Samuels-Smith) £18M

Making £57M profit in the books in the year just gone.

I also reckon we will have a £37m write-down in the books for the existing team (including the two new signings) so just a net £15M to £9M cost. And if Phillips is on a free, Lindstrøm on loan, and Gnoto just £5M a year, then we should be okay for PSR this season.

Thelwell is doing a good job.

Attitude is always something that can hinder progress
but maybe Villa can get a lot more from him than Everton could. Everton's midfield is very average and that is why we struggle.

I don't think Onana's departure will affect what we have now but we need desperately to get some real control in that area.

Maybe his supposed potential will be realised under a very good manager and when surrounded by better players.

Based on what he had offered us in the last 2 seasons, I am confident we can find a player just as effective — or ineffective — for a lesser fee and wages.

If you want 'lazy', look at the statues in front him that don't show for the ball or make an off-the-ball run. We are leaders in checking back and playing the ball back to Pickford. I checked that stat and we have over 8 titles for Xpected Passbacks.

We are leaders in slow players. We are leaders in players unable to get their head up and play a killer pass.

Dyche wants minimal messing around in his own half. Onana likes to receive the ball on the half turn and potentially take on opportunities in his own half to keep possession, beat the counter-press, and build up attacks. Dyche is comfortable with his keeper and defenders playing it long and scrapping for seconds.

Dyche likes a low block with 4 defenders sitting on the 18-yard box. Which means his midfielders play deep. Onana suits playing higher up, as he has the pace, power and recovery tackle to suit a more adventurous side.

At Villa, he will prove to be an outstanding No 6. I think a lot of fans were expecting him to be a box-to-box midfielder, that drives forward creating and scoring goals. He ain't that, and to be fair I don't think there are many around.

£50M raised that will hopefully will be better utilised on a team short of quality and numbers. Thelwell better be doing better than Beto and Maupay. Some of the links don't inspire confidence.

Paul the Esk mentioned on the latest TTB podcast that over the last 8 years Everton have generated £300M+ in profits from player trading. It seems to be one area that we've had some success in.

Sadly, and in view of last week's Friedkin news, I guess we'll see that figure increase before the current transfer window closes.

I remember arguing with my dad in the lower Gwladys one match about Keown! Me in favour, him turning the air blue!!

Later on, I always thought we had a talent in Materazzi, but he moved on quickly and went on to achieve success.

Good luck Onana. I suspect in a year or two he will be back on the continent, but who knows? Now about to go and play for Aston “Everton” Villa. I think that's 5 ex players now.

Not sure I ever saw anything from him to suggest he will be a big loss. Fellaini was better for me.

The three teams coming up this season are going to be pretty strong, staying in the Premier League isn't going to be a cakewalk.

We can use the profit to improve the squad and it helps with PSR.

I saw this stat on the platform formerly known as Twitter kind of makes you think we might not miss him that much

Everton with / without Amadou Onana starting in the Premier League last season:

🅿️ Starts - 23 / 15

✅ Wins - 6 / 7

🤝 Draws - 3 / 6

❌ Defeats - 14 / 2

⚽️ Goals scored per game - 0.96 / 1.2

🥅 Goals conceded per game - 1.74 / 0.73

I've also watched some dross through the 90s, and recently been kept breathless as we limped over the line.

A low point last season was that 6-0 thumping by Chelsea. That was hard to take. But they turned it around.

He has the talent and attitude to go close to the very top. Sad that Villa is such a step up these days.

We spent big money, got a couple of years out of him, and made a profit.

I suspect Villa will do the same with him.

As long as we do the same again when reinvesting the money this is an example of what good transfer dealing looks like.

Without the takeover going through, I suspect the recruitment this summer is likely to be very pragmatic now — so a loan for Kalvin Phillips could happen.

I suspect he's more likely than the (very tall) young midfielders we've been linked to in Ugochukwu, Rohl of Freiburg and Richardson of Reims.

I hope we bring in Phillips, if there's anyone who can get him back to his Leeds form, it is Dyche. To be honest, he was never getting into the Man City team with Rodri ahead of him.

Money can be used smartly, go to Morishi, or the Everton way, buy a worldy injured star player who will never shine again. Hope for number one.

Thanks for your services, Onana. I will not really miss you, but I guess you have whatever you had to give.

But better him go than Branthwaite, who's been much more important for us. Wish he keeps up with us.

Deborah 128 That is the best clip I've seen in years !!!!

Someone mentioned Ken McNaught. I liked him. Great centre half.

Onana was not the right type of player required during the club's troubled time on the field. He may flourish under Emry.
Whatever happens, I wish him well.

Thelwell hasn't made the best signings since his arrival. He no longer has a bulging blockage at board level so let's hope he turns that corner, like right now!!!

Personally, I think his PR is better than his play and I'd take the £50M, especially if it meant keeping a truly excellent player like Jarrad.

That's not a prediction just a belief that judging a player's performance at Everton has to be qualified with acknowledgement that the team overall might be what limits their effectiveness.

I can only be happy knowing it's Everton that are better off without a player rather than the other way round.

I think he will become a top player at Villa, as do most players that leave Everton. That has always been the issue with Everton ever since Moyes left, even our younger players who leave seem to become better players.

Not advocating the return of Moyes but we really have to revamp our skills coaching system. You could probably count on one hand the amount of players who we have brought to the team that have improved to a higher level since being at Everton in the last 4 years.

Martin #263, we got two pretty good seasons and a £20M profit out of Onana, which makes him a very good signing.

Thelwell gets an A for this one.

A path to sustainability by buying players with our Premier League spending power from the continent, give them a couple of years experience, and move them on for a decent profit.

Rinse and repeat until we're in a position to financially compete at the top end of the Premier League.

Also being with a team that would be playing in the Champions League.

I'm not overly sure about Kalvin Phillips the more I weigh him up (no pun intended).

He's been winging it since he left Leeds, he's been unprofessional in gaining weight over a summer so that tells me straight away he's not been the greatest of trainers.

If he couldn't get himself going for a move to Man City under Pep, and even under Moyes who for all his faults usually always gets a tune out of players, then I'm not sure why a loan move to Everton would be much different.

Don't get me wrong: 4 years ago, yes, top player in his position… but right now, I'm just not convinced at all, to be honest with you.

At 29 too, a loan move would be unlikely to see a permanent deal next year.

I just get the feeling this would be another Fabian Delph type signing.

Perhaps the best counter-examples being Gareth Barry and James Rodriguez.

Phillips has looked pretty mediocre in the (admittedly limited) minutes he has had over the last few years. I wouldn't object to a loan on reasonable wages (nothing over £100k certainly).

But I certainly hope we would not commit serious money to a player who looks out of shape and form with the best of his career behind him.

If we had got him in quickly for a full Dyche pre-season, I would have felt more comfortable about him regaining some spark. Let's see if the deal makes sense.

The likes of Gareth Barry, the late Gary Speed, God rest his soul, and as much as many fans don't like to admit, Ashley Young all belong in the true professionals category.

Young has looked after himself very professionally to still get on a football pitch at this level at his age.

Some players let themselves go badly, Rooney for example.

I'd like to be proven wrong on Phillips but I wouldn't be throwing too much money his way.

I'll remember him largely for missing a penalty, throwing his arms around a lot, falling over a lot, feigning injury a lot, making the odd last-ditch telescopic leg tackle, and often taking the easy option with the ball.

Next man up!

He is a ball-on-the-ground footballer, who can play through the middle of the field.

I'm gonna agree with you on the "good business" statement. But I think it wasn't deliberate… more luck than judgement by Thelwell.

As we were looking to improve for the future (or so he said), I am gonna guess he saw Onana staying a few years longer. I can't deny £50M is a good price. But he was an underwhelming performer for the vast majority of appearances. Thelwell gets a B+ from me because he got fortunate.

I think if we start a policy of risk investment — ie, more Onana types to buy for the purpose of moving on swiftly for profit — then we will flop.

I look back over the last decades and sadly still see the dreadful dross dragged in and total failure. Huge losses with little quality, especially in front of goal.

I want stability — throughout — on and off the field. Once that is complete, take evaluation and then decide what to do. So, if that means buying or loaning tried and tested Premier League players to bring a measure of calmness for a few years, so be it.

Oddly mediocre sides can get into Europe. So the lesser competitions may be achievable. We have little financial manoeuvrability because of crooked P&S rules.
So avoid big money risk-taking… I know, easier said than done, but that is Thelwell's job.

Meanwhile, Thelwell needs to get a grip of our piss-poor academy. The U21s finished 25th out of 26 in Premier League 2; the U18s finished 10th out of 14. This is his job. It is without doubt a failure.

We should have youngsters leaping into the boots of a crocked or suspended first-teamer, in all positions. A youngster who is so good that the player replaced needs a crowbar and KY to try and force him out.

Sadly, we have nothing of the kind by a long chalk. Dyche won't (and shouldn't) play these kids because our first team is short on numbers. They are not good enough.
Either turn it around immediately or in 2025-26 scrap it all.

See Beto is shouting his mouth off in the press about shutting up the haters.

I like the guy for his work rate, but hitting the back of the net from 3 yards out rather than Row Z would be a start!!!

Define a style of play, buy youngish players to fit the style of play, and move them on at a profit.

No doubt, not sustainable forever… and I would love some stability at the club but, taking a few examples off a report into how Brighton manage to make a profit on player trading... and purely just taking the fee paid and fee received into account, they haven't done too badly:

Bissouma: paid £15M, received £25M
Cucurella: paid £15.4M, received £63M
Trossard: paid £15M, received £26M
Mac Allister: paid £7M, received £55M
Caicedo: paid £4.5M, received £115M

Of course, the wheels may fall off at some stage and the likes of Chelsea may not be stitched up.

I think, without the points deductions, we would have at least finished alongside if not above Brighton.

Personal opinions, but I'm never going to aspire to be Brighton.

I'm always surprised by people who think they're hated as if they're relevant enough in the public's mind to attract such emotions.

In a few years time, other owners and chairmen of clubs when faced with transfer issues will be heard to say "What would the Everton board do because they always get it right?" 😀

Buying him and selling him at the prices is good business, even better if we bring in decent replacements.

I get your Brighton point but think you're doing us a bit of a disservice. The bonkers transfers we had were years ago. In the last 3 seasons we've actually brought in more transfer revenue than spent on players. You have to go back to the 2020-21 season for the last time we had a negative spend.

Some highlights include Onana (sold for £50M, bought for £33M), Gordon (sold for £40M, cost nothing), Richarlison (sold for £60M, cost £50M). Gray, Kean, Simms, Iwobi etc also sold without a loss I think.

Brighton have done exceptionally well but we at least seem to have started to learn our lesson, no longer paying massive fees and wages to players with no sell-on value. We can't win them all but hopefully the likes of Tosun and Walcott are a thing of the past.

We still can't get rid of Keane mind….

Us mortals are the gift that keeps giving.

So yes, from a financial viewpoint, they've got their buying and selling policies right… but from a playing point of view, it won't be sustainable. Sooner or later, they'll buy a few turkeys.

Off the top of my head, I'd say Maupay is the only bad signing, especially because it doesn't appear to have been well thought-out.

The jury is very much out on Beto, but he's another who is in the "we had to do something" bracket, and things like this usually only happen when a club hasn't got any money to spend in the first place. Unless you're Steve Walsh or Marcel Brands…

If Onana gets pace and movement in front of him and suddenly improves, I'll feel sorry for Sean Dyche, Paul T, because it will be obvious he never managed him properly.

Do you realise Everton had an academy ban which halted recruitment there?

Also, I don't know if you have seen… but Everton are absolutely skint.

Everton's academy has been dreadful for way way too long. What is the point of recruiting kids who are not good enough and never are going to be? It is pointless and much more importantly, cruel.

I don't know about the halting of recruitment as we have been buying youngsters every season since I can recall. Maybe you can elaborate. Thing is, it hasn't stopped the club having a functioning academy.

It needs a total rethink. Revitalising. For example, why not take on say six young kids who meet a really high standard (way better than now) and concentrate on them. Have them coached and mentored intensely.

Training with the first team. Going to matches with the side. Loaned out to clubs to learn the craft on the pitch etc. Okay, that is just an idea. not a suggestion.

Remove the sausage factory. Do we need kids from 8 or 9 or younger? No. Do we need kids teams or U18s and U21s when not one is going to make it out of squads of 20+ per side?

By definition, it is supposed to be special for those who are excelling. I've watched them. I see school teams and West Cheshire League. Why run an academy when it isn't working?

And Thelwell is their boss. Yes, we are skint. Rethink and cut your cloth.

I'm an old arse who has seen the best at the club and suffering this interminable catastrophic end-of-days football and deterioration of this once great club over the decades is killing me.

Thelwell's time has seen him shift out a lot of "deadwood" and waste of wages, plus youngsters and players too old for the academy but who were not part of first team plans. Great. As it should be.

However, I am looking hard to find where he has set his mark and illuminated our footballing sides. What has he done to improve upon the players he has shipped out?

Last season, we had less first-team players compared to the seasons previously, by some numbers. And no goal-scorers still.

The necessity of Ashley Young proving the state of affairs of the club had now reached an all time low, within recent memory.

Considering his position during the Wolves arising from the ashes and spectacular players that were recruited on a tight budget, was I expecting too much? He has been here a couple of years now.

I am asking tough questions because Everton have to improve. Arguably, since Dyche arrived, they have.

It's Thelwell's job to get the players to improve the side in liaison with Dyche. It is a bloody hard one. Treading water and getting away with it is not improvement.

I am not convinced Thelwell is going to advance us or is the right guy. But I am eager to be proved wrong. As DoF, he is the boss of the academies. They have gone downhill. I expect him to be tearing a new one into everyone involved. Staff and players. Last season should not repeat itself.

At the momentt some may feel I am being too harsh. Welcome to Nil Satis Nisi Optimum.

As for his "cheerleader" qualities, it annoys me when players tell the crowd to make a noise. It's the players job to make the crowd excited, not the other way round.

I understand what you're saying but, if you have got a Director of Football with no money (I'm going off last summer), then him and the manager have obviously had to devise a plan to keep Everton in the Premier League.

It does seem like Thelwell and Dyche have a close working relationship and both seem to understand what is needed to achieve this, even if it hasn't been pretty.

I think the route the club has taken since Moshiri came in has contributed massively towards the downfall of the academy but I couldn't blame Thelwell for this because, although the man will obviously be well paid, I also believe he has been given a thankless task at Everton.

One thing both Dyche and Thelwell have proved is that they are absolutely fine with being tasked with working under enormous (on fucking steroids) pressure, so I genuinely find it hard in criticizing either of them, if I'm being honest, Martin, and I'm just glad they both seem to be arl arses as well!

You might not have heard but Everton compete for kids with Man City, Man Utd and Liverpool. Even Newcastle are taking our players at a young age.

Why?

Money.

I think you're directing your frustration at the wrong people. Definitely agree (as I am sure everyone does) that the current situation is not acceptable — but you seem to be blaming the people who have been stabilising the club and sorting it out.

If you want to see improved output from the academy soon, then you have to buy it in. Liverpool, for example, buy a very high volume of players between about 14 and 17 for their academy.

As Jack notes, we had a ban on that sort of thing until recently but Thelwell has stepped it up, buying Graham, Benjamin and Loney this summer.

If you want improved output from the homegrown kids, then be prepared to invest and wait 5 to 10 years. That is what Chelsea, Man City and others did...

With the examples offered, seems I am doing the club a disservice re recent transfers. Too easy to forget the good deals!

An example is the theme of this thread, Onana. Expensive and shipped out. Dyche had him warming the bench when others were available last season. That says to me that it isn't as you think.

ToffeeWebbers were screaming for Chermiti. Dyche didn't fancy him. They were also deriding Beto and Young.

Maupay is a duffer. And was loaned out but Brentford don't want him. Loaners haven't exactly been singing like Thelwell and Dyche are in tune. So on a tight budget, it was not a duet in harmony. Season three soon for Thelwell. Let's see what happens.

I have gotten behind Dyche 100%. If not for him, we would be sunk. The man is exactly who we need right now and has performed miracles. He has my full support and massive gratitude.

Let's agree to disagree.

Thanks for your explanation.

My point is our academy has been terrible and gotten worse. Let's see how the new lads do. They are gonna need lots of support and let's hope last season was a blip.

But I fear our academy is just wash, spin repeat. A definition of madness.

I don't rate our DoF. You think the opposite. But we both love the Blues.

You make some good points, but at 28 he's still worth a gamble, especially under Dyche, if his wages are subsidised.

I wouldn't put him in the same category as Delph, who I said at the time was a shocking buy, because of his injury record, and it definitely backfired, but Phillips doesn't have any injury issues.

If Moyes couldn't get a tune out of him, I am struggling to see us turn around a star that's been way off it for 2 years.

I'd far rather the transfer fee and wages be put into a player with better form and fitness.

Has the hallmarks of a Dele Alli Mk 2. You aren't signing the player from 3 odd years ago, you're signing a player way, way off it. Avoid!

We want the best and that is expected from day one.

They've the money, champions league football and he will offer back up to Watkins in lesser games.