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Just read this article from following a link on Google News.
A couple of paragraphs from the article…
Manchester City have are not impressed by Everton manager David Moyes, who told the media that Joleon Lescott 'is not for sale'. In a case reminiscing of the club's pursuit of Chelsea and England captain John Terry, City have simply gone on the offensive, saying this was "just a bluff" by the Everton manager.Who the fuck do these people think they are! How can City be upset that Everton don’t want to sell one of their best players? Everton made it perfectly clear that none of our players would be leaving, so that then becomes a green light for City to make an offer?The Eastlands club made a bid of 15 million pounds sterling, and a second bid could well be in the pipeline, which Everton are expected to reject as well. However, Manchester City have a vastly superior financial capability with which they can offer Lescott a deal that the Merseysiders will not be able to match.
According to The Guardian, "the biggest spenders in the English game have been encouraged to think that Lescott is keen to join a club who seem determined to buy their way into the Champions League".
I personally hope Everton shun all offers, even if it becomes stupid money, simply to show City that they can’t buy everything… even if they can afford it!
James Bowman, Posted 17/07/2009 at 12:16:36
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1. Lescott asks to speak to City
2. City offer well above his value (eg £25m)
If Johnson is worth £18m, then Lescott has to be in the mid 20s.
Paul, I agree, but both those conditions you mention would have to occur.
If anyone from the club bothers to read any of these posts, PLEASE don't sell Lescott for any money, I know we are cash-strapped, but what signal does this send to our other "superstars"? There is no way we can get another centre-back (never mind left-back goal scorer) of the same quality for the money, so DON’T SELL PLEASE.
Tony Marsh (and all the other doom-mongers), I read all your posts with interest, but, for God's sake, cheer up! We are in our best spell for more than 20 years... We have the best squad for years and do not need to sell (we do need a first class right winger though).
Jags is out 'til November and we have Europe to contend with so we can ill-afford to lose one of our ever-present, best and established players.
That said, I do think £15m is an insult.... the absolute minimum should be £25m but, even if they offered that, I’d still tell them to take a hike!
However, playing Devil's Advocate — IF the quote is correct then City believe that we are a small club with a weak manager. We should hold on to Lescott for several reasons…
1. Lescott will be worth much more after the World Cup and will attract interest from around the world if he impresses.
2. Lescott could spark a bidding war after the World Cup.
3. Moyes would have a year to find a suitable replacement.
4. We need Lescott due to Jagielka’s injury.
5. Rodwell isn’t ready to replace Lescott, but could be by the end of next season.
6. £15 million is really £11 million as Wolves are praying for the news of his eventual sale!
Bluffing? They are right about one thing, this is ‘Poker’ and Moyes would have to be a short-sighted fool to fold now.
He is not a money man. If he sticks to his principles his standing in the game would ensure that no-one calls him a bluffer again!
Jog on indeed!
If he puts in the request then its up to the manager to get the best price he can, but you can't blame any player for wanting to triple his salary as some players are reporting.
If he doesn't want to play for us, cash in and let him go, you don't need anyone that doesn't want to be there it can cause loads of trouble with team spirit.
a) We have to give a percentage to Wolves. Therefore, work out how much we will sell Lescott for, then add that percentage on top of the original asking price to get a higher price.
b) We need a replacement ready and lined up to step straight in. To find another Lescott you will need £5m-£10m.
c) After those expenses (percentage to Wolves and replacement), we then need to make our profit to do what we want with. This means how much do we want to profit from the deal to put back into the club in terms of paying off a debt or towards the transfer kitty.
In summary, I’d say at least £25m should cover all of the above, and they can throw in Micah Richards as well for good measure. Any other deal, we should just plainly refuse to negotiate. End of.
Lescott was happy to sign a five-year deal to make him a very wealthy man and should honour the contract, never mind put in a request. They’ve been told, and if Man City pester Everton with another bid, then the FA SHOULD act.
We’re letting a person from another country/culture influence our game just because he has more money than sense. If we give in and sell Lescott, you can bet they’ll be back for Arteta etc ASAP.
I don't want to see Lescott go but if he requests a transfer and we get £20 mil+ then I think it would be a good deal.
I would guess that the average Premier League footballer earns around £40,000 per week. This equals £2 million plus per annum or £20 million over 10 years, which is the minimum playing span, assuming they are not severely injured.
It would take me 800 years to earn that sort of money on my current salary. Besides which, £20 million should be enough to last any thirty-something the rest of their lives. I therefore believe that any player who leaves “purely for the money”, is nothing but a mercenary.
I have also noticed that Lescott has 3 years left to run on his contract. Surely, if the contract is worth the paper it’s written on, Everton can refuse to release him. If he then gets “uppity”, he can remain on the sidelines with no chance of ever getting back into the England squad.
OK, so it costs Everton his unearned salary, but it would surely set a precedent to cut back the current power that footballers have regarding transfer requests. I know nothing about the law regarding contracts but a contract is a witnessed agreement & should therefore bind both parties by law.
On behalf TWs mail baggers may I offer this bit of advice. Take nothing you may read here too seriously. Hold fast to our core values, probably the first of which is to love with a passion anything in Blue and despise detest anything in Red.
50 years a blue, Mmm’ not another Johnnie come lately, hee hee.
That £20 million could then be spent on four £5 million players that would strengthen the rest of the squad and help with the vast amount of Europa League games we will have to play to get to the final.
He would look like a fool if he sold at £20M after that and nobody would take him seriously in the future. After that, it’s kind of ridiculous for him to sell at £20M which is probably a fair market value. Also, a transfer request is just that, a request. We don’t have to accede to it and if we just tell Lescott NO, he will just keep playing.
Next time we we are looking to sign a player, is it possible to keep it quiet until the deal is done? All we seem to do is wake up Redknapp and O’Neil, why not make false bids and see if they take the bait?
I hate this part of the year, waiting for transfers, or not as the case may be, to be over and the football season to start. At least we can get back to some proper moaning... only kidding guys, wind your necks back in.
I don't really think that Lescott wants to go and we know Moyes doesn't want him to go... should be interesting to see who is playing at 3pm today!
2. If you were offered twice your salary, you would move to another job, FACT. You would also demand it if your company wouldn't actually do it for you.
3. Everton can say as much as they like that they won't sell, knowing that if a player really wants to go then he has to put in the request. I am sure that we would love to accept £15M, however, we have said we are not a selling club.
4. Lescott will put in a request next week at some point, thereby making everyone happy and making Lescott look like the bad guy.
What worries me is how the team finishing 5th and FA Cup Finalists appear to be losing out in transfers again — are even the youngsters now putting money before career? Football is fooked, indeed, if so
Michael... in Turkey at present sussing out the Tuncay situation so please ignore the temporary IP address...
Let’s not forget it’s us supporters who make these guys what they are.
The idea that money talks and that’s all that matters is insane bollocks. They have been told by Everton’s manager and chairman that Lescott is not for sale. Despite this, they feel it’s OK to unsettle a player, a club and its fans by lodging formal bids via every media channel available. I naiively thought there were rules about such things.
We have already lost a fantastic central defender 'til Xmas. Then we lose another in January for a month or more. The idea that we just roll over and lose a third to a bunch of rich arrogant pricks who spout verbal diarrhea about their "project" is a joke.
And frankly, if the Premier League don’t put a stop to this outrageous public courting and unsettling of other clubs then it will just show what a cowardly, money-grabbing bunch of fuckwits they all are.
I don’t subscribe to the motto of "if you can’t beat them, join them". In this instance "no" doesn’t mean "no". It actually means "NO!!! now we’re really busy, so fuck off and don’t bother us again, you arrogant wankers".
God I hope it’s not going to end in Lescott leaving for ‘Middle Eastland’s as someone on this site called City, it’s getting increasingly frustrating being a supporter of Everton when stories like this are fed to us by the OS. Getting beaten to some of our targets is bad enough, and the site of Bullshit Billy on the TV spells doom for our club too.
Didn’t they just offer around £35m for Terry? Now each to their own, but I wouldn’t put much between the two. Terry is only guaranteed an England place cos:
A: he’s a Southerner
B: he’s got an (apparently) squeaky clean image
C: he plays for Chelsea (a big 4 side)
D: he was therefore made captain
My first choice England defence, based on form last season, would have been Ferdinand and Jagielka, with Terry, Lescott and Upson fighting it out behind them. Add to that the frankly disgusting challenge which could have left Osman disfigured in the Goodison game last season, and I hate the cunt.
What’s my point? Why should we accept anything less than what they were prepared to offer Chelsea? Lescott is younger, and scores more goals. Don’t think he’s worth that kind of money, but I don’t want to sell (as, according to our CEO and manager, Everton don’t), so you would send the message loud and clear:
HE IS NOT FOR SALE — IF YOU OFFER THE PRICE YOU WERE PREPARED TO PAY CHELSEA, WE WILL ASK HIM IF HE FANCIES IT, BUT STILL NO GUARANTEES WE WILL SELL.
Going on form Lescott is as good as John Terry. Manchester City think that they have the financial right to bully us, walk into Goodison Park and take control of both our dressing room and our players.
We are about to find out just how good David Moyes really is!
Lescott had a really shit start to last season and went missing for Chelsea’s equalizer in the Cup Final. I think that we can find an adequate replacement for him and the money left over will help strengthen other positions in the team.
I also believe that Lescott is a confidence player. When he was with the England squad he was a shadow of the player he was at Everton. He may well be affected the same way if he goes to City with all the big names that they are bringing in and I think that he should give that some thought. There will be a lot more pressure on him there than at Everton.
Money isn’t everything. He’s on a lot of money now and there is only so much that you can spend it on but it's nice to go to work with a smile on your face. That may well change if he goes to City but that's for him to decide and if he decides to go, then as I said, £30M will do nicely thanks.
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1 Posted 17/07/2009 at 18:24:13
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