Everton close in on exciting double deal

I will wait till I see them in the shirt before I get excited.

Fofana will be harder to land as apparently he wants CL football. Really good player though so fingers crossed.

Aznou sounds like it’s almost done and could be a massive bargain at £8m. Excellent prospect who is a brilliant dribbler but also decent defensively. Unlikely to push Mykolenko for his position straight away but could develop into a really top class LB in a few years. More like this please!

Agree with Paul, I’ll wait for the medical especially for Fofana, but encouraged to be linked with younger stars.

OMG if we get these two this will be a HUGE statement of intent. Both have very high ceilings. This is the kind of recruitment I was hoping to see - buying wonderkids but ready to make an impact and could go on to become world beaters. More like this Everton!

Aznou plays for Morocco so probably another one we'd lose to the African Nations in January for a month or so.

Better to wait till the signing email from the club hits your inbox. Can't be good for your health, getting wound up because some random guesswork Internet site is 'linking' us with players.

Agreed, this is exciting stuff.

PT, I understand your hesitancy, but the New York Times isn't exactly a random clickbait site. It's okay to smile just a bit, my friend!

Liam #5, Aznou hasn't really broken through into Morocco's side yet -- only started two games, both against minnows Lesotho -- and there isn't another AFCON until 2027, so let's not worry about that just yet.

Mike, I think the next AFCON is 21st December this year until 18th January next year. However, the AFCON in 2027 is to be held during June and July, so no club should be affected by that.

Yes Liam,

Born in Barcelona to Moroccan parents. He did represent Spain at youth level, but switched to Morocco and has now represented the senior team, but not very often.

I think Sunderland have signed 5 African players this season!!

Mike, I regard Paddy Boyland as a reliable source. It's all the other nonsense, and the toy-throwing that follows it on here, that bemuses me.

There's plenty of smiling in this house!

It’s not done until it’s done

Fofana looks exciting but a) slightly raw and b) seems to do his best work from the left

Would LOVE him and Kubo (which is very unlikely I know)

Me too, PT. Big grin. Even Boyland has been occasionally sneered at here, but to the best of my recollection he hasn't been wrong yet.

Rob #8, thanks for the correction. As always!

Sometimes even seeing them on the pitch at Goodison with the manager and chairman isn't even a guarantee that the transfer has gone through...remember Kanchelskis back in '95?

Although that transfer did eventually go through, it was a nervy couple of weeks for my then 14 yr old self! A truly great player, and the last time we signed a top class player in the Peak of his career.

Back on topic, these lads are exactly what we need to be signing, for the reasons others have already mentioned.

I was starting to worry but now I'm excited again, if we get these two done by early next week that means we've brought in 5 players this window with still a month of the transfer window remaining.

Funny how you can get excited over transfers that haven't even happened yet, especially when it involves two players you've never even seen play!

Aznou is a left back and Fofana sees himself as a left winger, where he has played most of his football.

Both look like exciting additions, but have they found a way to give Hill- Dicko 2 left sides to the pitch, instead of a left and right one?

It depends if the player sees himself like that John @14, or he's played there.

It's the inverted winger thing that modern coaches like to use and another term I have to learn, although this one is a bit easier to understand. A wide attacking midfielder who cuts in to create chances or take a shot.

We done it last season with Ndiaye and latterly, when fit, McNeil. Ndiaye's preferred foot is his right, but he's a bit more two footed.

Exciting player. But does he play on the right? We need someone who is an out and out right winger. If we get Fofana and Kubo we will be an exciting team to watch. I wonder where will ndiaye play?

Mihir@16

Taking turns with Charly as a 10 just behind our cool new striker Mihir.

Fofana hasn’t usually played on the right. Though I reckon he could. Really talented player who will probably end up at a CL club but let’s see. Paul Joyce said we’re after more than one winger.

Perhaps the 9 players are:

Aznou
Fofana
Kubo
Mcatee
Douglas Luiz
Guela Doue

And then 3 on loan to fill in gaps. Imagine!

Joykiller Alan Myers says Fofana is only at the enquiry stage.

Sam, how I wish someone could make that list happen.

Danny #15

Fofana in the Echo:

"I prefer to play on the left," he said. "I started on that side, even though at Gent I played more on the right.

His YouTube 'wonder' clip has most of his success on the left.

This is why I am not getting too worried about our summer window. The profile of the players we are very credibly linked with is good. Like Barry and Alcaraz before them, the links are generally to players with decent experience of a top 5 European League - who could each form part of our First XI for 5 to 10 years. That is proper long term thinking of the kind that Moyes and Martinez used in building up different high quality (albeit small) squads. We haven't really seen that kind of thinking since, although Thelwell operated along those lines albeit under extreme financial constraints. Which is why we haven't finished higher than 8th since they both left.

16 goal involvements last season, and he's not Gareth bale or Andrei kanchelskis 😉.

I would us to sign one, just one, player who is not one for the future. Not someone with a resale value; just a slightly better than average player who can start in the opening game of the season and make us a tiny bit better.

You don't think young players like Alcaraz and Barry make us better, Andy?

I’ll wait until I can put my fingers through his crucified hands to believe it

Someone’s been browsing the Peoples Forum…

Looks like Moyes wants to move Ndiaye centrally if we're trying hard to sign Fofana.

Please God...make this double happen for us Blues! 🙏

It looks that way, Gavin, although I wonder whether the club is just looking to sign more quality / variety in the final third. If we do get Fofana, then I think we'll also get someone (probably left footed) for the right wing. Hopefully not Harrison!

The Twitter rumours for Fofana seem to be a bit more negative than they were a few hours ago

Imagine if we sign Fofana and McAtee!!

Wow

Gibbs-White is staying at Forest so that could boost us as both have been linked to Forest

Do we need both Ryan if signing Fofana would push N'Dyiae central and Alcaraz and McNeil to the bench.