Reports suggest Man Utd are eying up Jordan Pickford

Does this mean they no longer want Begovic?

If they offer big money, then I would allow him to leave.

I think we would do as well with a steady Eddie in goal and the money reinvested into other areas of the team.

Pickford saved us on a number of occasions last season, and already this.

When we play well and are solid, we can get away with having a worse goalkeeper than Pickford tending the nets.

𧴜 million, and no player swap deals.

The recruitment team has been very good recently so I would hope there is work being done on tieing down Pickford, Gordon and Iwobi to longer contracts.

There was talk about a contract extension to Pickford's at the start of the season but then it all went quiet. For me, he's been brilliant... we've got a solid spine to the team.
For that to continue, Pickford has to stay.

Take no notice, they do it everytime we are due to play the Sky Darling Six, to try and upset the feel-good factor and cause friction towards that team we are playing.

File it under bullshit and media mischief.

I suppose someone could come up with figures that ‘justify it', but 𧸖k a week still seems so extreme for any keeper.

I guess they will be able to dangle a big enough personal terms carrot to get Jordan Pickford interested so hopefully we've got enough ‘hooks' in him to make sure we a sufficient return on our investment.

If they offered us silly money, like 㿞M or more, then I'd be tempted too. I like Jordan, always have, but we need to 'box clever' and use the assets we have to strengthen the overall team.

Look at the midfield we brought in for pretty much what we got for Richarlison. We lost our best player but look much stronger overall, imo.

Before he lost his way, Wenger was regularly praised for cashing in on his star players while their value was high. Such as Overmars, Petit, Anelka, etc and he was able to maintain and improve Arsenal with using that money to bring in the likes of Henry.

Not a bad model to follow.

He could easily be the first 𧴜 million keeper, but Everton need to hold their nerve and not just give him away like Richarlison.

We face a dilemma. How to improve the squad with little money. This summer's spending was enabled by the Richarlison sale.

What will enable summer 2023 spending?

Perhaps the sale of Calvert-Lewin, Pickford or Gordon. Possibly, sadly, Onana or even Branthwaite.

If it is to be Pickford, then I'll be sad to see him go because he's generally been excellent. We saw with Pope in goal against Italy what a difference Pickford makes with the ball at his feet.

I'd be disappointed to get less than 㿼M for him.

Pickford is going nowhere so relax, forget about this amount of money we could have. We did not sell Gordon, even though we had players that can slot in his place.

There is not a chance in hell Everton will sell Pickford and leave a 36-year-old keeper as Number 1. He is one player Everton will not sell.

All pretty normal stuff - longest we usually manage without this kind of a rumour is about 10 weeks.

Pickford is a quality 'keeper, one of the best. Has his own less-than-ideal traits, like every other goalkeeper, but these are more than offset.

I don't go with the sell-your-best-to-invest idea anyway unless to avert genuine disaster. It's a particularly bad idea with the goalie.

Right now, we have things looking very promising at the back, so should a real attempt to buy Pickford occur, I'd hope we resist as far as is possible.

Watching Pope tonight, and Ramsdale in previous England games, can we now put to bed the notion that Pope and Ramsdale are a threat to Pickford being the England Number 1?

And to think some on here think we should sell Pickford.

Not sure why other keepers for England escape the over-the-top criticism Pickford gets. Jordan never lets England down!

Just to be clear, I don't want to sell Pickford or any of our best players. But if we need to raise money due to FFP, then we need to sell him while his stock is high.

He had a very good Euros. If he follows that up with a good World Cup, then we could have a decision to make.

I don't think we're in trouble with FFP these days... isn't it a 3-year rolling thing? We've spent very little net spend in the last 3 years... definitely the last 2 years.

Didn't we have a 㿊M bid rejected in the last few days of the summer window? That hardly points to us being in too much trouble, FFP-wise.

Joe @ 15. FFP might not be the issue. The issue might be that our transfer kitty sticks at about 㿊M unless we sell.

That leaves us with a few choices:

- buying a 㿊M player but that's it (and Joao Pedro will probably be more than that)

- buying a few players on the cheap (very speculative, young or free players)

- selling to buy.

Very difficult to improve without lots of money.

Selling Richarlison on the last day of our financial year tells me we were in trouble on FFP.

Kean's transfer to Juventus will help this year's numbers, given he will be sold over book cost. The transfer gain won't be recognised until he has legally been transferred.

Robert and Ian, Good points.

Robert: tough alright... but they seem to be playing it well. Spreading the fee over a few years. Our team doesn't need drastic improvement IMO, we have to have strength in depth but I think we're getting there.

Ian: yep... I think we were in trouble and needed to sell Richarlison, but selling him has freed our hands I think. Hopefully anyway.

Pickford is maturing as a keeper, getting better with age. There are still remnants of the impetuousness in his game but they are waning with experience. I think Jordan's peak years are well ahead of him.

I would want us to keep him, his saves often win games for us more than our goalscorers do. For that reason, we can't let him go easily.

As ever, there has to be pragmatism; if an offer comes in of gigantic proportions, 㿲-100M, then we have to take a strategic decision. That would involve singing a quality replacement and then having the financial potential for significant further improvement to the squad.

Whether you want Pickford to stay or go, money talks. If this story is true, Man Utd have got bags of it.

Jordan has no affinity to Everton, so it is down to him and his agent to decide what he wants to do.

At 28, Jordan is about to reach his peak. In fact, he's probably a few years off that, as keepers are often at their best way into their 30s. We can often be too quick to judge young keepers. They mature later.

They are also temperamental and solitary beasts. Kind of similar to forwards, but in a different way. They are selfish. No offence meant to the Goalkeeper's Union! It goes with the territory.

But, whereas strikers need to be made to feel special, keepers tend to be angry people in my experience!! As a former centre-back, I've had a few choice words in my ear over the years.

Neville Southall was no different. He was a loner. Those who were there will never forget his half-time goalpost moment. He was properly pissed off.

For me, Jordan is a great keeper in making saves. Where he still needs to improve is commanding his box and reassuring his defence.

I may be being harsh, given he kept us in the Premier League, but he is still too reluctant to come out of his 6-yard box, in my opinion. Which itself may cause the defence to instinctively sit deeper??

Much like with Iwobi, I take my hat off to Pickford for his turnaround. He has been consistently one of the best keepers in the Premier League for two seasons now he has stamped out the errors and improved all areas of his game. He did this despite many of our toxic brethren having had the knives out for at least a year.

To do that shows character, resilience and ambition as a player. Pope's performance last night highlights the need for 'Pickers' between the sticks and I have been saying for some time to anyone who will listen, England will flop but he will have a top World Cup regardless.

I hope he signs the contract. We have just shored up the backline so I don't want it disrupted and we get a top keeper for the best years of his career. That said, if Man Utd or anyone else are waving a lot of money in his direction, who can blame him for rethinking his last chance at a really big contract?

If they've tapped him up and he doesn't see us above mid-table for a few years, could you really blame him at his age signing for 𧶀k a week with Man Utd? I appreciate that they aren't exactly an attractive club to play for currently but neither are we.

If he doesn't sign soon then we would be wise to take the big money and re-invest. It's good business. Wolves have proven how a top keeper can be found for a modest fee, the money could go to the new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock and to strengthening the team.

All that said, I want him to sign and stay for the rest of his career. I suspect there is a real fear he might go, hence the offer of captaincy. He is not captain material (too erratic and a goalkeeper is not ideal for the role) so I suspect it was a ploy to convince him to sign.

There are clearly some concerns his head has been turned if you read between the lines.

I'm not having a go, I am simply going to give my opinion which hasn't changed since we signed him.

Pickford is a good Premier League keeper but no more than that. He's a good shot-stopper but is just as likely to drop a clanger as he is to make a world class save.

For all his "wonderful distribution" the media spins, he punts the ball out of play on a frequent basis.

I thought and still think the same of John Stones, they both make too many needless errors for me to consider them any better.

As young players, they had very good potential but have not fulfilled it, as so few young players do.

I'd happily accept 㿊M plus and reinvest, probably not in an English keeper if Pickford is the best on offer.

I'm happy to keep him as a goal-scoring striker is the most urgent position we need to invest in.

I think there are good keepers available on frees, on loan or for under 㾶M.

Justin, in terms of fulfilling potential, I think Stones has done pretty well with his list of Premier League titles, a World Cup semi-final and a Euros Final.

Pickford is a classier player than he's able to show at Everton unfortunately. We'd be okay with Pope or similar. But Pope couldn't play for a top Champions League club. Pickford could.

All keepers make clangers, even the best. It's a thankless position that gets huge scrutiny on mistakes, whereas attackers get away with it when fluffing their lines in comparison.

Pickford is a good goalie with a great technique. But for me, his size goes against him being a modern-day great. The top keepers have a huge frame to fill that goal, reach the top corners, and take crosses in the box.

Pickford doesn't have the same physical stature to replicate Schmeichel, Alisson, Cech, Southall etc, and I think that's probably the marginal difference of being good vs great in that position when marginal gains in sport are now everything.

I don't think you need to be 6'-5" in every position, but keeper does seem to be the blueprint.

Justin @23, you'd happily accept a £30M offer for our in form England no1? With respect bud, I'm bloody glad you aren't in charge. He is worth AT LEAST double that.

Amen, Steve.

And I've seen Pickford make about 20 world class saves since the last time he "dropped a clanger", so I ain't buying that one either.

I knew this would happen with Pickford. As soon as we have any player who develops into the best, too many talk about selling him.

The truth is, no matter how good the outfield players are or how well the outfield play is developing under Lampard, we will not progress without a top keeper. This is true of any team. If we sell Pickford then that will truly be the clearest signal that this club is destined to be midtable or worse, and that any talk of progression is just that, mere talk.

Pickford is simply one of the best keepers in the world. And he plays for Everton. Let's keep it that way.

Stan @28,

The decision as to whether Pickford leaves or stays depends more on the player than the club. Players hold all the aces, especially when they have less than 2 years left on their contract.

I think, if you are rated the best keeper in England, you want to win trophies, and sadly Everton aren't good enough at this time to compete for trophies. I personally think Pickford, like Richarlison, will move if the right club come along for him.

I think we have to be realistic that playing for Everton isn't the draw that it was back in the '80s; we are a middle to bottom-half club and anyone who is coveted by the Top 6 clubs will leave; that's always been the case.

So, if any of the younger players like Onana or Garner or Patterson or Calvert-Lewin hit a rich vein of form, the top clubs will come after them. Until Everton can get back into challenging for a Top 6 or Top 4 position, then we won't be able to hang on to our better players.

Brian @29:

I agree with you totally, and I'd be daft to think Everton is a big draw for top players. All I'm saying is we should keep him if we can, and not be so ready to sell as soon as top clubs come enquiring.

Even if we use the money to buy other players, which is always very risky when you let a top player go, as we know too well with Everton. Otherwise we're not showing much ambition, something which Richarlison hit upon.

Stan, I am sure Lampard and Everton will do everything they can to keep hold of Pickford, but if he wants away the only thing they can do then is get the best price they can. I don't think we lack ambition but we have made mostly the wrong choices of managers allowing them to fritter away the best part of £500 million. I think we are one of the biggest spenders in the premier league over the last 6 years so they didnt lack ambition or financial clout.

Brian, but Pickford is one of the successful purchases. Surely the trick is to retain those if you can, and replace the less successful ones. As you say, no doubt Lampard et al will do what they can. We've had a tendency to sell top players, to our detriment, for a long time, starting (in my time) with the sale of Ball in 1971 and continuing through the years.

Selling Pickford would certainly help fill the transfer coffers, but would seriously weaken the team in so doing.

There aren't many keepers of his ability and experience around and available, so how do we replace him?

I know,we use the money we just got from selling him — er, wait a minute… that sounds a bit like Truss economics to me.

Maybe not then!

Stan i thought it started before that with the sale of Bobby Collins to Leeds

Bill, you're right, but I mention Ball because that was during my time watching Everton. I started going the game in 1962.

I see Pickford is fit for Saturday, great news.

𧴜M if has another good tournament.

Hard to replace him. The money we spent on him seems cheap now, compared to the going rate for quality keepers.

I find it very hard to believe that Pickford will go before being tapped up at the next international "England" get-together.

There is a system and history to these things, as any Agent, DoF, or "True" (insert colour of choice) player can tell you.