McGeady deal close

He's always shown flashes of quality. I reckon Bob's the man to finally get the best out of him. A full international and a much needed body bought into squad. Now for a centre-mid... and hopefully there is cash too bring a top quality striker in.

Glad to see the back of Heitinga as he has looked lost for nearly 2 years now.

I haven't seen enough of McGeady to suggest whether or not it would be a good signing for us, but he always looks as though he is carrying a bit of weight. However, a free signing won't hurt anyone I suppose. Although I can't see him being any better than Mirallas or Coleman down that right flank.

I said last night someone at the match 'in the know', as his mate works at Finch Farm, said he has been there and will sign for £2M tomorrow.

I've never seen him play so I know little about him but fatigue is setting in so a few new faces are needed to freshen us up.

I do know though he is right-footed and he plays on the left.

He will give us another option up front and might allow Pienaar and Mirallas to play more centrally when needed.

Stewart, that's our bread and butter transfer season though and the wages, depending on how big, can actually hurt. From what I read, he's a winger, and possibly add a new dimension to our attack. If he's as good a crosser as I read, he should make a good impact on our chances for top 4. Obviously, pace wise, he should be pretty darn good as well, plus it gives us an alternative to how we play Mirallas. Mirallas has been off, probably due to being out of position.

AND, Coleman is putting up a show this season. not just among righbacks, McGeady will have to be playing on another plane to top that!

We do need to bring players in before the end of this transfer window, as the lack of depth is beginning to clearly take effect on the squad (last 3 games).

However, I'm afraid this guy will just be an Irish Naismith sat on the bench.

We miss Deulofeu; we would've beaten Sunderland and Stoke with him... his injury is the biggest blow of all to us as he can do the unexpected and would've scored or laid on the goals in those games.

McGeady will be eager to impress and should settle very quick with Coleman, Gibson and McCarthy at the club. He can be very frustrating at times but can do things that can change tight games. A success, I think, if it’s true. At least Roberto won’t delay till the last minute. I think a top striker will be hot on his heels too.

He'd help for sure, I agree. I can only hope McGeady would provide similar options.

I have to confess that I cannot really say I have an opinion on McGeady because he is a player who I have never seen play all that much so I don't know how he will cope in the Prem or what his strengths are or his weakness. I have now looked at him on clips (YouTube) and ok, fair enough he looks kind of tricky with a bit of pace about him.

I cant see him doing an awful lot worse than Pienaar and Mirallas, who are both out of sorts so any new additions this month are always more than welcome..Oh and Heitinga looks to have played his last match as an Everton player..
Guess we need to keep our fingers crossed that' THE ROCK' (Stones and Alcaraz can keep a clean bill of health.

James Smith: I'm afraid this guy will just be an Irish Naismith sat on the bench.

Nothing wrong with that if everyone ahead of him (Deulofeu, Mirallas) is fit but he adds depth to the squad with little or no outlay, depending on whether he arrives on a free or not.

I haven't seen much of McGeady since his move to Spartak but when he plays for the Republic he's shown that he's creative, technically very good and is the type of player who could flourish under Martinez. Also at 27, McGeady probably has one last tilt at proving he can deliver at the very top of his profession. If the terms of him joining are no fee he could be a really exciting addition to the squad

I think McGeady will replace Mirallas on the wing and Mirallas will be the additional striker we need. He was excellent when he played as a striker against Chelsea and he was signed as a 20-goal-a-season striker from Olympiakos. Like Walcott, just because he can do a job on the wing, it doesn't mean he's happy to do so. It would explain his apparent lack of interest at times and his over-eagernes to shoot. I think he offers much more as a striker and I'm hoping this signing will enable it to happen. Lukaku needs a rest and Mirallas would offer a very different option up front with more pace and trickery

I agree with Lyndon. There seems to be little in the way of downside to McGeady coming in.

On the subject of squad numbers, what's the prognosis for Gibson and Kone? Are they out for the season, close to return? Has Kone been taking lessons from the Per Kroldrup School of £6 million Misfits?

I hope they're both back soon.

McGeady can be a bit of a headless chicken but when he's good, he's very good and is sometimes unstoppable. If Roberto can get him to cut out the fancy stuff and just play to his strengths, direct running, good crossing, goal threat etc... then he'll be a very good addition.

I agree with Lyndon that there is little downside to McGeady coming in for free.

Does anyone know the prognosis for Kone / Gibson? Are they close to return?

(ps: In an alcohol / New Year celebratory post last night, I may have unintentionally offended people with a post. It was out-of-character and I unreservedly apologise. A better word to use may have been "deluded" and, without the alcohol, I may have been able to type it! I don't intend to offend any fellow blues. Cheers - and Happy New Year to all!)

I think people need to give McGeady a chance before they right him off even before a ball is kicked. There were those that didn't think too much of Gibson and Barry when they arrived, both of which have not done badly.

Anyone who might keep Mirallas off the pitch is a bonus to me.

Irish Naismith? Give me a break! He has speed which is what we need, will only add to the quality we already have.

I always like players who can kick a ball with both feet (Barkley and Oviedo spring to mind); I seem to remember McGeady from the last World Cup being able to do so.

He used to be in Aswad.

I can't say I'm too excited but then again I wasn't sure about Barry. If Roberto rates him, then he can't be bad.

If McGeady is the answer, I'm not convinced we're asking the right question. Seems to have built a career around barely one good season in the less than stellar Scottish league, and has a reputation as an a$$hole, even among former team mates. I also think he has the Van der Meyde look about him too- is he fond of a shandy?

Still, I guess we have to go with RM's judgement on this, at least for the time being, though I'd sooner have seen us acquire a back up DM or striker- hopefully that is to come.

Mark, it would seem that McGeady is to provide the speed and trickery option, definitely part of the answer to some stubborn games. I did also read the part that he has only 1 stellar season so it is all a wait-and-see situation. It's not like we can compete in an all out auction for players so I'm happy to not have an opinion until he plays a significant amount of time for us.

As an Ireland fan, my experience of McGeady is not good. Too many blind alleys and poor delivery. Not too sure of the pace people are talking about either. Funny that he's coming from Russia, because the closest comparator I can think of in an Everton shirt recently would be Bilyaletdinov.

Mark Taylor -

All things in moderation but... I don't trust a man who isn't fond of a shandy.

@ Mark Taylor (125)

I am not necessarily disagreeing with you, Mark.

First off, like Moyes, Martinez has implied that he is interested in recruiting good players with the right personalities. Both Moyes and Martinez understand the value of a team spirit. (I mean, who would think that this is a bad thing to have?)

But good managers are also capable of dealing with different personalities, and bringing the best out of them. In that respect, my sense is that Martinez has a better handle on things than Moyes, that is to say, unlike Moyes, Martinez can work with a wider range of players. That can only be good for us.

Jamie

So long as it is a weak one and not the night before a match!

Leslie and Dennis- RM might be able to make a silk purse out of it, but I think the evidence inidcates we are getting a pig's ear to begin with. Time will tell.

"James Smith: I'm afraid this guy will just be an Irish Naismith sat on the bench.
Nothing wrong with that if everyone is fit but he adds depth to the squad with little or no outlay."

Lyndon, I would actually be surprised if RM was just looking to pad out the squad with players who are no better than what he already has as second-stringers. Okay, choice is limited but the manager has stated that he expects the squad to be stronger after each transfer window and I don't think he means just in terms of numbers.

I don't know enough about McGeady to make a comment about him directly, but if RM thinks he gives us something that Naismith can't then I am happy to wait and see.

The dude is confident with the ball, can take guys on, and break down defenders. Mirallas is more of an inside type player. To me, McGeady could actually be an upgrade over Pienaar, but certainly he fills a bit of the void Deulofeu has left in terms of being a dynamic attacker. At least theoretically he does, but we shall see. We still need someone that can play up front, though.

Pretty ironic that we are going to sell Johnny when we need a starting CB right now for 4 weeks.

Si, quality is suspect with McGeady because of his 1 stellar season but no doubt RM only looks to strengthen. This one looks to be a multi-edged acquisition to provide us with the more tactical options at the very least. If he can reproduce his stellar season for years to come, we're in good shape! I do see similarities between this signing (NOT player himself) to that of VDM.

Sean Maloney is a player who springs to mind when making a comparison, Bob got him playing some cracking stuff and I think McGeady is a much better player.

If Bob really wants him, I trust his judgement on it.

Does "taking over his contract" basically mean we're signing him on a short-term deal, till the end of the season?

Don't really know much about him other than people point out his inconsistency. Well, all wingers are inconsistent, and reflect how the team is doing. As long as he's not another AvdM or Drenthe off the pitch, he'll be an asset. Mirallas concerns me. I'd like to see him given a shot up front, at least for part of a game.

You know who I'd like to see? Essien. He's been told he can leave this month. Experience, quality, winner...

Id prefer Maloney or macnamanam as they both have prem experience, and are good players, but I doubt most blues would want any more Wigan players.

Our defense has looked very solid for the most part but we have struggled at times to create and score enough chances. That is something that Mcgeady will hope to bring and at minimal cost it seems like a sensible move. Is a Martinez type player in that he has good technique and can beat his man.

I'll go with Sam on this.

We could probably get Juan Mata for a good price, Mourinho is open to offers. He is the type of quality that we should be looking at that can improve the first team.

One of the guys who called him an arsehole did also go on to say "but everyone knows he is a top player" and that he has been "good for Spartak". Im sure our lads will knock any attitude problems out of him, and he has a couple of Irish team mates here already. Im looking forward to having another option out wide because Pienaar and Mirallas have both been a bit in and out, which has put more pressure on Barkley and Deulofeu to perform.

Lets hope he can add a few more, and that we are not having to get rid of Heitinga to fund this deal.

It's clear that attacking players are what we need in this window.
If he's low-cost and gives us some pace and options to cover injuries or just freshen up approach from the bench, then it's a good addition to the squad.
Hopefully there's one bigger striker signing in the wings though, in the mould/price bracket of the Ba, Cisse, Remy Benteke's (or even Jelavic) when they first came in.

Hard to be too exited about this as he can be a very frustrating player because of his end product. That said, I wasn't excited about Barry either, so what do I know.

Im guessing McGeady would come in so Super Kev can move more central when required, as I'm convinced there is a striker in there. He's got all the right attributes and hates to pass the ball; exactly what we need from a striker.

I've never seen the lad play. However Martinez has had his eye on him for a while so that gives me some confidence that he has done his homework. We definitely need to be able to rest players who are tired or out of form, and the replacements need to be of similar quality at least, and preferably with a few years left in them.

Wages are so high now so even free transfers cost a lot over time, but on paper this looks a good deal, and should reduce the chances that poor Osman will have to play out wide again.

Maloney is a similar age to Pienaar and McManaman has not kicked on as much as he could have.

Liam I agree with you about the end product but it can't be any worse than Mirallas right now whose end product is leaving a lot to be desired at the moment. I keep seeing chance after chance when Mirallas is in the box and I'm going pass it, pass it! We would have scored a lot more if it wasn't for this.

If I were 'Rubber toe', I'd seriously be looking at spunking my cash on Adam Lalana, I thought he was excellent against us and is the right age, comfortable on the ball and has a terrific engine, oh, and the biggest thing is that he's a boyhood blue!

We need a signing to step us up a level not to pad the squad out.

How much would he cost tho?

Don't tell me JH and his inflated ego is going to ensure that we can't get rid of him.

Given Sam's record with women - 174 - like Harld Matthews I will also go with Sam Hoare on this one. His record with the ladies is on a par with Bobby's record wth us so I'm putting all faith in Bobby and Sammy (ouch).

Haven't seen much of McGeady, but his goal return for Celtic is nothing to shout about, especially when you consider he was playing for the best side in the Scottish Pub League.

Unusual for your own team-mate to publicly call you an arsehole! Could do more harm than good on that score alone.

Steve Durham (#110) — that has just provided me with my first proper giggle in 2014.

Apologies if this has been discussed elsewhere on the site, but apparently USA manager Jurgen Klinsmann is keen for Landon Donovan to return to Everton on loan: http://news.ladbrokes.com/en-gb/football/premier-league/klinsmann-keen-for-donovan-to-repeat-everton-loan_182087.html

What Everton really need is someone other that relying upon Lukaku to score goals. Once a team is reliant on one player to score goals, the opposition do their homework, quite rightly, and nullify the scoring effect - Lukaku's one goal in 6 premier league matches proves that the opposition have done their homework on him.

If McGeady is added to the Everton squad, he will be amongst players who don't score regularly or even now and again, except for Coleman. Even though he plays right back, way behind midfield and wide players, who should be contributing more, in the way of goals. If this is not sorted out soon, forget about Everton finishing 4th this season.

Rumour going about that we might spring the €6.8M clause in Batshuayi's contract. Decent player but can't see Martinez wanting him. Sent home from the U21s for inviting girls to his room, was late for training and police found an alarm pistol in his car boot.

Had a look at shakers and movers from a variety of countries and, according to journos who think they know everything, a third of them would be a good fit for Everton. Personally, I wouldn't trust any and prefer to leave things to Martinez.

I wonder if this is a business move? A bit like the Beckford deal. Sign him for free if he doesn't work out sell him for a few million making a tidy profit.

I remember calling him McGreedy because he was like Beagrie, beats a player and had to take him on another 6 times just to prove it wasn't a fluke. I've seen him playing European football since and he seems to have matured out on the wing, looking more effective and finding the right passes and his timing has improved. He may have been a bit wayward as a youngster but I believe he's married now and wants to move his family back to Britain.

If Roberto is after him then you can bet he's done his homework, as he did on Stones when Wigan boss; that's why he had no hesitation putting him in at Stoke. Besides, if our intelligent and astute manager wanted Titus Bramble as Lukakus replacement, I'd have the shirt lettering done before he'd signed

Titus Bramble would be my dream signing. Him or Fitzgerald Hall. That was in fact a nightmare I had last night. I trust Roberto whatever he decides.

McGeady branded an ahole by Spartak legend

Sweet. The Irish Drenthe!?!?

Tim, the man who called him an "asshole" is a man who has had conflicts with various coaches, had been banned for 12 months for being tested positive for a banned substance, so I don't think his opinion should be taken lightly.

Think you mean seriously not lightly Ross mate

I thought a McGreedy was a double-triple cheeseburger with ten portions of fries or as Jan Molby used to call it a snack!

Consider the source of the a-hole quote...goal.com makes up stuff all the time. For me the question is, can he finish? We don't need another Pienaar-type player who can pass the ball beautifully--we need to finish better. Can't rely on Coleman to score once a game, every game.

He belted in a corker for Ireland the other day.

He is a quality player who can play either wing. He would be a good signing due to his pace and ability to beat players. I for one am hoping this deal is completed sooner rather than later.

On a free transfer I don't mind it, but if we had to pay £2m+ I'd be doubtful.

We need goals from midfield and I just don't see Pienaar suddenly banging them in after all these years. Mirallas is too hit & miss to be a regular starter for me. Barry & McCarthy are there for their defensive work and Barkley can't be expected to produce every game. So if this lad can add a few from the midfield then let's go for it

This will not be a free tranfer since he is wanted by other cluba as well, I doubt it very much we will get him for free.

Given that he will cost around 1,5-2 million I think he will take some time to get used to the rough and fast PL compared to Russia it remains to be seen wheter he can start performing straight away.

Also he has not played much recently because of a dispute with the coach.

It is a gamble to pay for him, but if he is free then I will support it.

Anyway you look at it if we do not get in new players fast then our slump in form will continue.

We also need a proven goalscorer, because Lukaku is not fit enough to handle playing every game of the season.
He has suffered badly through the whole of December and the reason is he is not used to playing this many full games.

I think Steve Clark got the best he could out of him, and Roberto should consider giving Lukaku a rest once in a while like he has with Barkley.

Jimmy

I agree with the Lukaku statement about him needing a break. I think against QPR and Norwich at home it may be worth giving Jelavic a start (if he's still with us that is). The way we play we should surely create him enough chances against those teams and Lukaku will be rested with a run in for the derby

I can see us taking over his wages for 6 months with a buy option. I think he'd go for it. If it didn't work out he's probably end up at Fulham or Stoke in June. It's a win, win scenario for him and us.

I'm also hoping for some news about Barry before Feb, he can speak to anyone he likes now.

The Jelavic rumours worry me. RM must have alternatives in mind if he's allowing him to leave.

Thanks Paul (Ferry). Will endeavour to drop a few more titbits when the time is right...

Bring Mcgeady in. I'm bored of Mirallas and want some fresh blood to perform plentiful unneeded step overs...

Bloody hell Mirallas gets a hard deal on here. Yes he had a slow start to the season, but he's playing better now and although he sometimes still makes the wrong decisions he is one of our most incisive players. I'd like to see him and Gerard play in the same side when fitness permits.

As an Ireland fan I've went through a lot of emotions watching McGeady over the years.
The main one in the early days was one of frustration as here was a clearly talented fast young winger who often beat several defenders but failed to get in a good cross. He often over played the ball rather than chosing the more simple option some times. I've not really saw any of him in the last 4 years as he was in Russia but judging by the Spartak fans they seem sad to see him leave.
Link
I always thought he was a left footer but

From the last few times he played for Ireland, he seems to have matured a bit and whilst he still has the pace and trickery I think (HOPE) he has learnt when to do the simple thing much more and not to give away possession cheaply. The main difference from other talented wingers is that he works his ass off and gets back to help his defence as well.

He's definitely not like those 2 Dutch jokes we had and he is not scared of hard work unlike Mirallas. I hope we get him for free as I presume "taking over his contract" means that we just pay his wages for the last 6 months of his current contract as Spartak don't want to pay him any more.

He's one of those players (like Pienaar) where you think he should score far more because of how easy he can go past players but he often fails with his final product. Like so many wingers like Nani and even our new Gerry for example. I agree Matt 165 all wingers go through patches of inconsistency and so that's why it's no harm to have a few of them for each wing so if one's off form you have another to come in. He is as happy on the left wing as he is on the right.

At first I was worried about him joining us but now with my knowledge of how good Roberto is at nurturing players and increasing their confidence by his belief in them (like Coleman) then I think McGeady can come in and flourish. He won't be getting us loads of goals but I think he will be like a faster Pienaar who will definitely get past stubborn defences and get in crosses.
Lukaku will benefit from his deliveries I reckon. Also, he always wanted to play in the EPL and he knows at the age of 27 this is finally his big chance. He will have the Irish & Scottish mates there to help him settle in and he knows Martinez rates him so all in all in seems a good match for all.

Just read on the Sky App that Salomon Kalou is looking for a return to the premiership and has a 2.5 million buy out clause, at 27 he would be an excellent addition.

I'd love to see Kalou here. Didn't we come very close to getting Essien on loan a year ago? He went to Real Madrid instead? He's allowed to leave Chelsea and he's 31 (younger than I thought). I wonder how much he'd cost us? I think he'd be a brilliant addition. Would Chelsea sell to a team in touching distance of them though?

No chance with Kalou, can't stand him.

Essien on the other hand, one of my favourite non-Everton premiership players

Essien is still good enough to play in the Champions League. I don't *think* he's cup-tied for it, either, so it's highly unlikely we would get him even if we made a bid. Good shout, though.

I think I'm right in saying he was pretty much about to sign for the season but it fell through. Kenwright was in London to talk to him I believe.

Essien would be good though is he injury free? Need someone to fill in if Mccarthy or Barry need resting or get injured. Wonder how much cash Martinez has to spend. Somewhere around 6-8m perhaps? Certainly not the 13m left from Fellaini minus Mccarthy sale.

Sam I think Martinez possibly has a fair bit more. Not to say he'll spend it this window, and I'd rather he sat on it than spent it on players he's not certain about. The club has gone to great lengths to repeat the mantra that the McCarthy money was nothing to do with Fellaini's sale. Wouldn't you love that to be true?

I would Mark, but we have heard similar mantras about cash being available that turned out to be false promises.

To think 4 yrs ago, Bayern Munich were pondering about shelling out £10m for 23 yr old McGeady as a replacement for Ribery. Now 27 and in his prime, this lad sounds like another Martinez dark horse.

I've just read that this is more likely to happen in the summer now on a freebie.

Brian Furey #471 - Dutch Jokes? You're a brave man. Jimmy Drenthe Sorheim has been felling Christmas trees with his head for the last month.......

McGeady is meant to be difficult.Martin O'Neill alluded to it at a recent press conference.I wouldn't be surprised if he had fallen out with people in Spartak.

The thing is though, O'Neill also has a lot of time for him and he has played much better under O'Neill in recent Ireland matches than I would have thought. I think that he would get on well with Martinez, and he may suit our style of play. The lack of an end result sometimes would still worry me, but lmaybe he has matured.

McGeady is a headless chicken who will fustrate with his dead end runs and dribbling. Generally, he has no end product and rarely does something worthwhile. A squad player at best. He is like Pienaar on a bad day IMO.

He's desperate to get back to Britain so our club will hold all the aces. If Martinez wants him (and apparently he chased him last summer) then he knows better than any of us. If Roberto had Brett Angell he would have got 20 a season out of him, I trust In this mangers judgement more than any boss before him. No Fear

Here's a coup: Why not try and sign Holtby from Spurs. He's young, oozes class, adds another creative dimension and most importantly, is a boyhood Blue.

At the moment, he isn't happy at Spurs and doesn't look like he's in Tim Sherwood's plans, so we could theoretically get him on the cheap. I also reckon Lallana would be a good pick up as well if we could drag him away from Southampton. Or Hughes from derby.

Kalou is 28. He wants to come back to the Premier League. Why not? I'd be happy with him.