Dele flies to Ireland with Everton squad

I can't see anything on the club website.

Drives me insane that website.

Are you on a commission?

I have just renewed my Digital Membership! :-)

Still not any sign at all of a glimpse of any of the new Castore kits — let alone a sale date.

A fully fit Dele would be a great addition, but having played his last game in February 2023, I'm not optimistic.

Looking forward to seeing Seamus and Co play Sligo Rovers on Friday. Glad to see Branthwaite and Calvert-Lewin in travelling party, we desperately need both players to stay, in my opinion.

I seem to recall a number of players who have missed more than a year with an injury and then come back. Wasn't Shearer out that long?

And on the Euros, I heard someone talking about Gundogan overcoming a year-plus injury when he was younger.

Only he can prove he is worthy of being kept by Everton in some capacity so we will have to see.

Everton had a lot of problems competing in midfield last season and that didn't help the offensive side of things.

Hopefully the money from the Onana deal and other savings can help boost that area of the park.

I assume Onana, Pickford and Mykolenko haven't and the playing component is about 30 players?

And it would be interesting to see who hasn't gone.

I honestly hope and pray that he can rediscover some, or all of the form, of which he became a regular England player, and the envy of many a team. I am fairly confident that he will be on some sort of retainer (basic wage) plus an incentive (goal and assist bonus) if such things still exist.

If he does, we have some player on our hands, and I for one hope he hits the ground running pre-season, signs some sort of contract, and stays with us!

A fit Dele will help any of our strikers score more goals… and he will chip in a few himself. I am in agreement with you and hope he gets a contract.

If he is fit to play, he has shown potential before. Skills tend to stay with a player.

It doesn't make any logical sense to keep him on unless they think he's going to be fit and healthy again, so where are all the experts on here getting their information from that tells them Dele is never going to be fit enough to play football again?

The fact he's still with us, and has gone on the pre-season trip, surely tells us he's getting back to fitness, no? I don't have any inside information but, from the outside, it all looks positive to me.

He could still be a real asset, if he could be healthy and fit.

Biggest 'if' in footballing history…

Let's see the boy run!

I've been converted for a while, but he talks complete sense.

I can't wait to get back to Everton.

I heard it was Carton House.

I don't remember Shearer being out for a year, so looked it up. He wasn't.

He played 441 Premier League games for Blackburn then Newcastle in 14 seasons, an average of 32 per season. His lowest was 17 in 1997-98.

In the seasons he had those two injuries, he played 21 Premier League games for Blackburn when he had the knee injury, then 17 Premier League games for Newcastle in the season he did his cruciate.

Both a long way from a full year.

Paradoxically, if he doesn't play to prove his fitness, how can we offer him a contract? I'm not sure “pay as you play” contracts are legal at Premier League level.

Dyche is the manager for a reason and, for the time he has spent at the club, we have no cause to question his decisions.

I expected him to make the step up this season.

I don't think the rules and regulations that govern player registration strictly apply to friendlies and "pay as you play" deals are permissable.

James M says, how can we know about the situation with his injuries. Simply that he hasn't played for the best part of a year and a half and was often injured before that, including in failed loan spells.

I'm all for fairy stories, and a low cost punt on him is probably on balance worth the risk if Dyche thinks so, but I don't think it is an evidence free statement to say it is improbable he will play at a good EPL level ever again and/or stay fit. It is very sad given the talent he had and especially so given the appalling past life he revealed to us last year.

Wouldn't it be the same premise as playing a trialist? Anton Peterlin (US player) played pre-season game under Moyes in 2010, never signed a contract as he was rubbish. Others including the late Dalian Atkinson and Franz Carr played for Everton reserves while on trial for us.

I don't dispute your facts — I just don't remember them! I know the Academy play trialists from time to time.

Yes, Stanley Mills was injured in an FA Cup game in January and it was stated he would be out for the rest of the season and he would face a long battle throughout the summer to be fit for the start of next season.

Hopefully he will be fit and ready pretty soon and show that he is ready to resume his career and fight for a place in the senior team. Best of luck, Stanley.

I'm afraid the psychological and physical reasons for his absence mean that his career has been and gone at the top level. If the club has provided an additional place on this trip to support the individual and human being then I have no problem with that.

I am certain Dyche would not have him there if he felt it was detrimental in any way. Perhaps having an influence like him around for prolonged periods on a trip away with younger players may be beneficial to them.

"I see we've sold Lewis Warrington to Leyton Orient."

Not sold. We actually released him back in June, after Dyche et al said lots of nice things about him. But we just let his contract expire after 15 years at the club.

He's 21 and past that threshold age Robert Tressell talks about where they need to be part of the action or out on their bikes.

Leyton Orient have picked him up as a free agent, and given him a 2-year contract in League One. Which again is exactly what Robert says happens to academy players like him who don't make the extremely tough Premier League grade.

I thought it sounded familiar. A mate of mine who supports the Orient texted me the link today.

Sounds like Lewis is a massive Blue and signed off with “see you in the stands”.

I hope Lewis makes a 10+ year career in professional football. Average salary for a League One player is around £150k a year. That puts them in 45% Income Tax bracket, the highest in the country. He should earn around £1,5M in his career. A Championship player will earn 3 times as much.

His stats are interesting and on the up. RW/LW and South African International. On a free at present. Cheers.

That would be a question for my mate Jonathan Oppenheimer, who lives a stone's throw from their stadium, if he's reading.

Let's hope he is. Looks like a player on the up.

But I looked up his contract status and he's not on a free -- signed through the end of the year and the club has a one-year option.

Thanks again and good luck with that election. What a choice, a failing brain and no brain to speak of. We the people deserve better.

No sign of Dele, one assumes he will take no part in the game, it's just an "integration exercise?"

We've had too many of these players in the past that simply never kick a ball for the club yet we are willing somehow to be patient.

It's not even about Dele getting back to where he was 7 years years ago, just getting fit would be some sort of bonus. and actually staying fit and not breaking down again and again.

I feel for him I do but we can't just be a sentimental rest home.

Two players largely written off by a lot of the fanbase?!

Dele is more of a romantic dream, its unlikely but hey who knows? I for one will cheer loudly for him if he ever pulls on the shirt again, what a comeback that could be.

We love an underdog with a backstory. Shame he wasn't more of an 8 as we have Illman and Doucs in the 10 position to compete with.

Still think we need to sign another CM (as well as Dele on low wages) and a winger. I'm in the "keep Patterson" camp. Back up LB needed too.

Is he really that nesh?

I was only being semi serious but I do think that Beto could surprise some of his many critics this season.

Alli as you say is more of a fairytale and I'd be surprised to see him play a significant role but stranger things have happened.

Remember Calvert-Lewin was nursed back by Sean examining everything in his lifestyle to get him fit, maybe he can do the same with Dele?

Dont forget that Peter Reid had suffered two broken legs before he signed for Everton so there is always hope that we may get a bargain.

Beto intrigues me now that he is in the second season, its always tough adapting to the Premier League. People forget even Drogba only scored 10 league goals in his first season.

Beto did well in Italy in a poor team and deserves another season before we can fully judge him so I hope the faithful get behind the lad this season.

The comparison to Drogba is also bit optimistic. Drogba was bought in 2003 for more than we paid for Beto in 2023.

He scored 32 goals in 55 games for Marseille the season before he joined Chelsea (inc 5 in 6 in the Champions League). Beto hit 10 in 34 for Udinese the season before he joined us.

Beto is probably an 8- to 12-goal-a-season striker in the Premier League. He will be a handful too by the way, just unlikely to be very prolific.

Beto linked with Bologna, Mykolenko to Napoli.

Holgate and Keane linked with Blackpool if the sunny weather holds and there's plenty of tourists fancy a ride on the beach...

Hopefully this re-ignites the spark which has taken a real hammering over the last 2 years..