ToffeeWeb - Season 2007-08

The Mail Bag

McFadden's value

Just been getting my daily fix of all the latest January transfer nonsense, trying to keep an eye on any rumours involving the blues that have any basis on fact (funnily enough, I'm struggling to find many!) and wondering is it just me or are the valuations being bandied around for McFadden ridiculously low in terms of the current market?

If he is going to be on his way, which seems as though it will be the case if not now then maybe in the summer, then take a look at what is being suggested for McFadden (£2.5 to 4.5 million being offered). Then compare this to some other players and I can't believe that this is all we can get for him.

Don't get me wrong - the whole value of players today is ridiculous but that is due to the money in football. But take todays papers as an example where Gary Cahill at Villa is being touted at more than £4 million and this is around the same value as McFadden who has played Prem football for a number of years, is a top international player, and is widely regarded as a special talent.

I personally feel that we should sell him as the frustration he brings far outweighs the magic he produces sometimes. He is too inconsistent for a team trying to compete at the top of the prem. But my point is this, surely he is worth more money than some of the other dross being touted round as the same value as him?

I know that contract status, variables etc are all things to be taken into account when it comes to player values, but good lord, Pompey paid £6 million for Nugent so can't we get more for McFadden??

A lot of people moan about our inability in the transfer market when it comes to buying players ? but aren't we equally as rubbish when it comes to selling players?
Anthony Bentley, London Posted 14/01/2008 at 13:46:52

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Stephen Davies
1 Posted 14/01/2008 at 15:02:52

I agree, after McFadden’s hot run internationally a few months back he chipped in with a few goals for us aswell. At that time he was linked with moves but the rumoured fee was around 6m. Celtic paid 8m for Henri Camara from wolves and he was a similar type of player to faddy, very eratic form but could produce a touch of brilliance that would make you want to hang on to him. The bhoys conjured up 8m for him!

Another similar one is Kenwyn Jones. I know he’s a big powerful forward but the link between the two is he only seems to perform when he’s in the mood. Roy Keane paid 7.5m for him!?

Keep him till the summer let him score a few more in Scotland Friendlies then put the price up!

Jason Broome
2 Posted 14/01/2008 at 15:03:43

James Beattie to Sheff Utd for £4M. Wouldn’t exactly call that rubbish mate!

Further, we haven’t sold him yet so why are you criticising the club over meaningless speculation?

DM hasn’t failed in the transfer market for over two years (excluding Manny of course). He will sell when he is ready.

COYB!

Paul Lenehan
3 Posted 14/01/2008 at 15:06:32

I definitely take your point about Faddy being worth more than 2 million. If we were to get an offer of 5 million I think it would be closer to what the player is worth. Im not sure about selling though. I know we have signed Manny but with the players away I still think we are short on numbers. While faddy can be extremely frustrating I would rather have him on the bench than Grav or VDM.

A lot of people may moan about our so called inability in the transfer market, but I would ask why? Generally Moyesy’s signings have been good quality and excellant value for money. The value of our sqaud is a hell of a lot more than the value we paid for it. Additionally I don’t recall us being ripped off in any of our sales. We got 4 million for Beatts which isn’t bad, only lost a million or so on Koldrup and generally make decent money in sell ons.

James Elworthy
4 Posted 14/01/2008 at 15:34:56

I am of the theory we are holding out to get over 4m for Faddy. With the cash we will go for Arshavin who plays wide left or central midfield who will cost about 6m, as Downing cost 10m he is a waste of cash. Arshavin is a class act whilst Downing is a typical English player overpriced and highly inconsistent like Darren Bent or Jermaine Defoe only plays 1 good game in 4.

Anthony Bentley
5 Posted 14/01/2008 at 15:25:15

Jason/Paul - take on board your comments and I am a big believer in Moyes and a an ardent fan of his. But Beattie we lost money on and Koldrup so they weren’t the best examples in the world to back up your arguments.

I’m not trying to put the club or Moyes down just trying to put things in perspective. As with Stephens examples, when you see the likes of Camara, and Kenwyne Jones goign for silly money, I’m just trying to understand why we couldn’t get more for Faddy.

Also - I would only sell him in January if we got more reinforcements in like you said as the squad is so thin. But I do think this is an opportunity to get decent midfielders in as replacements for him which is why I’m wanting his value to increase significantly!

Thomas Rowe
6 Posted 14/01/2008 at 15:53:00

I think we need to get in for Arshavin before the end of the january transfer window if we are going to get him at all, as the Russian Season will have started by the next oppurtunity and will give them little oppurtunity to buy a replacement. Sell McFadden to the highest bidder.

I like the lad, but you can?t mistake talent for class, and class is what we will need to challenge the top 3 (I dont include the shite)

I think 5.5-6million is about right.

Allan Hobbs
7 Posted 14/01/2008 at 16:46:37

Must be true.

http://goal.com/en/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=530914

Joey Dela
8 Posted 14/01/2008 at 17:06:52

Alaso consider we would have to pay Motherwell 20% of any fee we receive fro Faddy! I feel he is worth £8million +. We have just laid out 1.5 million for Gosling from Pylmouth Arglye who is a mere teenager! The offers so far for Faddy are rediculous & EFC need him in January so why sell at such a low price. He is being played out of position & his goals return this season is better than AJ & no one wants to sell AJ! I feel Jimmy Mac has potential to become a very good asset for EFC so why sell him just because we have a few BOO boys as so called fans who whinge at the game, & on on web sites! He needs confidence & I am sure he will have a future at our club>

Anthony Newell
9 Posted 14/01/2008 at 17:44:27

It’s a careful balancing act between playing hard ball and remembering that as the length of his contract dwindles away so does his transfer value. I would assume Moyes recognises this and WILL get rid. McFadden is down the pecking order so he’s unlikely to want to sign a new contract in any case. Tranfer values these days are ridicuous but you can only point to comparatives - what Sunderland paid for Richardson. If Downing is being bandied about at £8mill I reckon £5mill for McFadden ain’t too bad at a price. Having said this, anyone paying £5mill for McFadden needs thier bumps checked

John Williams
10 Posted 14/01/2008 at 17:38:41

I trust Davey to extract the most value from the Mcfadden transfer. If you cast your memories back he got a tremendous return on Kilblane, got money for an almost out of contract Gravesen, we all agreed 4 million was a fortunate return for Beattie, he recouped the value of Simon Davies despite his underwhelming performance, and I think we doubled our money on Marcus Bent.

With the exception of the Koldrup scenario, I feel assured that Wyness and Moyes will get the deserved price for Mcfadden. I also feel that, despite all our hopes that he might become the Scottish Rooney we all wanted him to be, this potential is never going to flourish for Everton. Maybe he needs a new manager, a new challenge, or whatever it is, but cashing is now seems to be the best option to get the optimum value.

(and then we can buy Arshavin....sorry, couldnt help a bit of FM-ing as that lad is quality!)

Dave Southword
11 Posted 14/01/2008 at 17:59:48

A player’s value is a combination of how much the seller wants to sell and how much the buyer wants to buy. So, if "Big ’Eck" offers 3M and says, "if you don’t like it I will go and buy Scott-Jock McTavish from Inverness for £30 M&S vouchers and a set of training tops" then that is his price. It’s then up to us to decide if we sell at that price or not.

Of course, if a bidding war starts between Birmingham, Celtic and Rangers then the price will inevitably go up.

Pompey paid 6M for Nugent, but no one else was interested at that price. If rumours are to be believed Moyes only valued him around 2-3M mark, so no deal.

Alan Clarke
12 Posted 14/01/2008 at 18:08:19

It is highly likely we?ll seel McFadden at the right price. We have no need to sell him so we will only sell him if Birmingham come up with the right offer. I?m sure Moyes will not let him go on the cheap.

Brian Waring
13 Posted 14/01/2008 at 18:34:57

Brian, McFadden has to go. Apart from him having me pulling my hair out nearly everytime he plays, he is also a lazy bastard, who never puts a shift in when it comes to his defensive duties.

Anthony Newell
14 Posted 14/01/2008 at 18:37:04

Brian, have you ever parted with your hard earned dosh to watch the waste of space that McFadden is? Like Beattie and Simon Davies, he?s had his chance and has failed to deliver - full stop. Did you watch his performance on Saturday - he is now disinterested, can?t be arsed and more of a liability than he has always been. It?s not about negativity, it?s about cashing in on a player at a good time so we can spend the money on somebody better thus improving the side and moving forwards. Stop talking bollocks with this negativity crap, people want him gone so we can improve and that?s positive in my book

Dave Wilson
15 Posted 14/01/2008 at 18:55:23

I havent heard such anger, ridicule and displeasure directed at an Everton Player as I witnessed on Saturday in over 40 years of going to GP
I was ashamed of the treatment of Faddy, IMHO, he isnt consistently prem class, thats not his fault, he chooses the wrong option too often and lacks strength, If as I believe, he does fall a little short, then its the manager who should have taken the stick for selecting him
Sell Faddy for the best price we can get. It has got to the stage where it would be in the best interest of both club and player
Good Luck and thank you Faddy, no one can take away some of the special goals you’ve scored

Alan Clarke
16 Posted 14/01/2008 at 19:06:49

Come on though, everyone who watches Everton on a regular basis must admit he is the most infuriating player? It is because of his goal against Charlton (the best goal I have ever witnessed at Goodison) and his goal against Kharkiv that he is so frustrating to watch. Why can’t he play like that every week?

My opinion is we have the luxury of not having to sell him. So we don’t have to sell him for £3mil but if someone wants to meet Moyes’ valuation of him which must be over £5.5mil then we should accept it. For his own sake, McFadden will want to play regularly and I can’t ever see him doing that for Everton.

Anthony Newell
17 Posted 14/01/2008 at 19:12:28

Dave, Kilbane who was similarly sub-Premiership standard didn’t get them same amount of flak from the fans because at least they saw him put a shift in (Same with Bent). The reason McFadden incurred the wrath of the fans on Saturday is because he couldn’t be arsed and that is unforgivable. It’s embarrasing and uncomfortable when you see this happen to a player but I think the only reason he was in on Saturday was because of Johnson’s absence

Dave Wilson
18 Posted 14/01/2008 at 19:36:48

Understand what your saying Anthony. but I sat in the back row of upper GS on Saturday and I could clearly hear the abuse from all sections of the crowd, it started when he chose to ignore - or didnt see a Nuno overlap and tried to get between two defenders, he took the wrong option on his next two touches and I’m still wincing now when I think of the anger directed at him, how difficult must it be to give your all when your terrified of the ball coming near you

Ron Leith
19 Posted 14/01/2008 at 20:38:40

McFadden has been very unlucky. He clearly has a lot of potential but will not make an impression at EFC. He is a front man not a winger but with Johnson and Yakubu played as lone strikers with Cahill he has very little opportunity to play up front. He would be more consistent if he played more regularly. It must be difficult to be a bit part player for EFC and a hero for Scotland. His value reflects the lack of games he plays. If we got 5million who could we buy who is as good?

Paul Whitehouse
20 Posted 14/01/2008 at 21:14:25

Der.. Does it need spelling out. Arshavin!

Anthony Newell
21 Posted 14/01/2008 at 21:30:25

’If we got 5million who could we buy who is as good?’

How about Hunt from Reading?

Dan Parker
22 Posted 15/01/2008 at 04:33:14

We should bite anybodies hand off for anything around 5 mill the same we did for Marcus Bent. The question you have to ask yourselves is that whilst an undoubted intermitant talent, is he good enough for this current Everton squad. The answer is no as was Beattie. 5 years ago, yes, no doubt one of our better players but now, he’s just another Simon Davies being one of the better players at one of our pooer competitors. I’d love nothing more than faddy to shine but I’m afraid it just aint gonna happen. In summary, Nil Satis Nisi Optimum!

Dan Parker
23 Posted 15/01/2008 at 04:40:16

If Birmingham are after Mcfadden, I think we should give Gold the same reaction when we tried to sign Savage a couple of years ago. In other words, fuck off Birmingham, you couldn't possible afford a player of Everton's calibre. Blunt how this must sound but this is the message we were given a couple of years ago. Enjoy the first division you Brummie bastards!

BTW... bet you're gutted you missed out on our future midlands legend ? one Mr James Vaughan!

Robbie Forsyth
24 Posted 16/01/2008 at 00:28:54

Stephen Davies - Henri Camara to Celtic for 8m? He went there on a season’s loan!

Ian Tunny
25 Posted 16/01/2008 at 03:22:14

Keep hold of him IMO theres no hurry to get rid, we will need him for cover for certain during the African Nations, and he can still play a part as an impact player over the rest of the season if nothing else is working and were losing or if we have a sudden injury or suspention crisis. Better to have too many than too little. Hes some thing a bit different to anything we have at the club and still relativley young, yet to peak. im sure he will have his uses and come in handy at some stage.

Ian Tunny
26 Posted 16/01/2008 at 03:51:43

Even if its only for 1 more wonder goal in the last minuite to knock Chelsea out the Carling Cup!