Markelo signs on until 2022

So the Dutch lad Nathangelo Markelo like a couple of others from the academy this week has been given a 2-year contract extension.

Probably annoy a few on here. He's 21 and never really had a sniff at the first team yet.

Well done to the lad. I've watched him over the last two seasons and he clearly has skill and can carry the ball well when he choses to.

One thing I noticed was he often had better second halves. I get the feeling that he found the U23 too a wee bit too easy, if that's the case a well-organised loan spell will be good and he should develop rapidly.

Interesting to see whether he plays as a centre-midfielder or right-back on loan. We're likely to need a new right-back in Summer 2021 unless Kenny returns and makes the position his own. Maybe Markelo can do it?

Robert, I can't remember Markelo playing right-back for the U23s.

Brent, his initial games were at right-back. He'd played there previously but the intent when we signed him was that he would become a midfielder. We were struggling for right-back at the time, then he moved up to midfield and remained there.

Thanks, Phill.

A 2-year deal for a 21-year-old seems really odd to me. Do we rate him or not?

The cynic in me says that we're just going to loan him out to try to increase his value and sell him. However, in a year's time, he'll only have 1 year left under contract and his so transfer value will be reduced. Therefore a 3-year contract would seem to make more sense in order to protect his value.

If, on the other hand, he's considered a first-team prospect, I would have thought that a 3-year contract would be the minimum to protect our ‘rights' over him as a player. Otherwise, this time next year, his contract will be running down and he'll be able to engineer a move or higher wages.

Either way, 2 years seems like an odd number.

Mike #6 - but then in 3 years time, when he has not made the grade and we have to release him on a free, ToffeeWeb will be up in arms about having given him a 3-year contract and it has cost us well over £1M and he has just been milking the system and it was probably Kenwright that made the stupid decision back in 2020.

Either way, 1 year, 2 years, 3 years – the club can't win compared to ToffeeWeb Hindsighters.

Lyndon – can we keep this post to put up when Markelo signs on as a 1st teamer in 2022 or leaves?

We need a pathway for these players.

Currently we have Markelo, Baningime and Adeniran all hoping for chances in the centre of midfield, but then we have Delph in front of them.

If we're serious about giving these players a chance, then we need to reduce our central midfield to around 3 senior players plus Davies. (Gomes, Gbamin and Sigurdsson at the moment, although I would like to replace Sigurdsson.) That will put them 3 fighting it out for the 5th place and the chance to impress when injuries, fatigue or suspensions kick in.

Sadly, if we keep 4 senior central midfielders, then they will likely never get a chance and will simply leave in a couple of years.

I expect we're just giving him the chance to come good. He did arrive at the club as a right-back but moved to midfield and played most games there. If he can play a full season in the Eredivisie, we might find we have a player on our hands.

Mike @6; I think this is spot on. Chelsea do this all the time. I don't expect to see Markelo in our first team but the club probably think he's good enough to sell in a year or two for £1-3M if he does well on loan; which turns a tidy profit. This kind of business (if it works) helps the academy pay for itself.

I expect to see him loaned out to Holland or Germany next season.

Hi Phil, I'm not totally clear what point you're making. I get that someone on ToffeeWeb will criticise the club no matter what happens, that seems inevitable, but are you putting the case that two years is the right length for a player at his career stage?

Kevin, we seem to have collected central midfielders in recent years, and none of them fit particularly well into a 4-4-2. I'm a bit perplexed about Baningime. He looked good three years ago but now we're asking Sigurdsson and Gomes to play his role (which really limits them) without giving him a chance. He hasn't even come on as hard-working fresh legs at the end of a game.

Does anyone know if Markelo is eligible to play in the Premier League at the moment? Surely he might as well be on the bench rather than a third goalkeeper.

Sam, I definitely think he'll be loaned out, but if the plan is to sell him, an extra year on the contract would increase his value. Presumably, we wouldn't even have to pay his wages if we found him a loan, which would assuage some of Phil's concerns.

It may seem like I'm putting a bit too much thought into a reserve player's contract, but I'm really looking at the wider issue of the ‘first-team pathway' for our young players.

The first team is priority and results are demanded, so the higher the league, the pressures increases and generally the less chances young players get.

Secondly, in terms of position and team tactics young forwards are generally given more game time as there is less risk, the emphasis on attacking the opposition. Defenders and keepers usually breaking through a good few years older.

But if your good enough, they will be given chances. I can only presume our fist team managers don't trust the young players to do a job, especially at the back, which is a shame but Gordon has taken his opportunity well.

Everyone wants the next Messi, Ronaldo etc but honestly I'm not sure Moyes, Sam and several other past managers would give a young Messi many games before they were 21 simply due to the tactics, formation, team they had to play in and Messi being so slight.

As for 2-years contracts it makes perfect sense. No point in training and then leaving after a year whilst we don't want to keep poor players longer than necessary.

If he proves himself he'll be offered a contract in 6 to 12 months. Otherwise, he'll have 12 months to try again, to find another club or become a free agent. Likewise, we can try and sell him if he refused an extension and/or loan him out.

Whenever I've seen this kid, he seems to do alright. However, he is shunted about the pitch. He's played fullback and wide midfield, defensive midfield, attacking midfield.

Versatility is great, but I think the lad needs to be allowed to master one position. He's talented but I'm not sure he will make it. He needs a loan next season for sure.

Is it possible that Mr Brands thinks he is worth a transfer fee and by having 2 years on his contract he can be loaned out for a year with a view to him moving permanently or being retained if the loan improves him?

In other words, Everton keep their options open and if his wage not covered by the loan is not exorbitant it could prove profitable.

Is it possible that Mr Brands thinks he is worth a transfer fee and by having 2 years on his contract he can be loaned out for a year with a view to him moving permanently or being retained if the loan improves him? In other words Everton keep their options open and if his wage not covered by the loan is not exorbitant it could prove profitable.

Don't we give these promising youngsters a contract so that, if they don't make the first team, then they can be sold on for a fee. Also, to loan them out saves us money, right? – à la Lukaku, with us and West Brom.