The Mail Bag
La Visión de Oro
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Mikel Arteta's profile in the club seems to have been cranked up to its highest level over the last couple of weeks. Fortunately, our favourite Spaniard's performances in his new role in midfield, capped by goals to remember, have provided the main impetus for this.
During transfer window January, perhaps more is going on. Sports journalists, thinking of this top-six club of ours as a selling club, picked out some of our best as obvious targets for anyone with money to spend, and Manchester City headed that list. The Kaka saga is still ongoing, and may yet turn out to echo the Bob Dylan lyric that "money doesn't talk it screams". But one aspect of that story could be that if they still have massive millions still to spend in a few days time, Mikel Arteta could be the subject of, in its own way, a record-breaking bid. And there's also the possibility of Joleon Lescott, lined up tonight in the Manchester Evening News in Hughes' so-called dream team, being an object of desire.
So when Bill Kenwright goes on record to speak of Mikel Arteta as the modern day Golden Vision, we might suspect that the barricades are being raised. Perhaps Bill knows that the Eastlanders are coming. His estimation of Arteta as "an honourable and loyal man" could be interpreted as an expression of anxiety about getting through severe tests to come.
For me, however, Bill's remarks are welcome at face value. I can't compare The Golden Vision and La Visión de Oro as players, and I have never met either, but I have been impressed with Arteta's integrity as a player and person since he joined us. If we get through to February intact despite silly money offers, I will be happy to call him San Mikel.
Keith Glazzard, Posted 15/01/2009 at 18:02:09
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Who gives a shit what Kenwright thinks about Arteta? Does any Evertonian really give a shit about his comparisons with Alex Young? Find some money and back Moyes or fuck off. Then again, does Moyes want any more players??
Whatever is going on, we are being led down the garden path yet again by Kenwright and it may all end in tears next week. God forbid, I hope I am wrong but BK won't be arsed as long as he keeps his train set.
Treat anything BK says with contempt and mistrust then you will not be disappointed when he breaks yet more promises.
We all know we need new players. The issue is we are all also aware that we don?t have the money to do so. Sure Bill talks a fair bit of shit but if he was to pack up his train set and leave I fear we would be in an even worse spot.
Until we have a concrete offer from a well financed party I?ll put up with Kenwright. As much as I dislike the man and am frustrated in the belief that Everton deserve to be where Villa are it can?t be ignored that we are a pretty stable club, when you look at the likes of West Ham, Newcastle and Tottenham.
We may as well increase our overall debt a little and have a go while we can, rather than die a slow death in the transfer market. Who is it telling us there is no money? Ah yes BK again... Nah, mate the whole thing stinks. Wigan, Bolton, Sunderland etc can all find players on loan but we can't? Not having it.
Anyway, I can't see Arteta going to Arsenal and playing with Fabregas and being 2nd string......I seem to remember a famous falling out at Goodison between the two in which I think Fabregas got Arteta sent off so I don't think Mikel likes him and probably vice versa.
Glad to see you again. The site?s all the more entertaining.
Arteta?s not going anywhere.
As others have pointed out, one of the things that has elevated our position has been the spirit in the squad. To get rid of Arteta (even though he?s been off form), or Lescott, or Cahill, could only be damaging to that ? irrespective of what it brought in revenue terms.
"What should I say to City, Terry"?
"Tell them they can have Arteta virtually free Bill... then charge them £78 million."
I don?t think money is the only barrier to getting players in, as West Brom are skint yet have just bagged two potentially very good strikers on loan (the most recent one with an option to buy at end of season).
Tony Mowbray in today?s interview on BBC Sports website says that he has been offered about 40 players already by agents/other clubs (and that all other Prem managers would have been too) but that he only wants players that will add quality to his team. I suspect Moyes is just more fussy than Mowbray (and that Arsenal preferred to loan WBA Jay Simpson rather than us as we are a direct competitor to Arsenal this season).
Still, if a footballing all-round loan striker like 27-year-old Marc-Antoine Fortune, with European pedigree to boot, became available to Moyes for an affordable loan with option to buy, I?d prefer he took it on, as given our dearth of fit strikers in our squad it seems a very low risk option.
Maybe Moyes has better things lined up, because you?d think we?d be ahead of West Brom in the queue for available strikers on loan??
Remember the Rooney thing was different. He wanted to win leagues, Cups etc etc at Utd. Ambitions Arteta could not meet at City (or at Arsenal for that matter).
You ask how there can be money for DK but no money for players. Surely you are joking? These are two completely separate entities. The DK money will be another loan, this time a more secure one because it will pay for itself from gate receipts and match day revenue.
As for money to buy or even loan players (which require a fee as well in case you didn?t know), we DO NOT have any. BK extended the credit line as far as it would possibly go, and then some, back in the summer. What exactly are you ?not having any of??
I think Kenwright has been brilliant for Everton. In the absence of money he and Moyes have worked miracles. Yes, they've made mistakes; yes, they've thrown the toys about at times... but we?re doing ok.
That we all want to be top four is a given but, as is now becoming plainly obvious, if you want to be top four then you have to spend your way there. Villa are just beginning to do this, and might yet succeed... Realistically we can?t compete... fact!!!!... we have little chance.
His next great quote was "Kirkby is the only option for Everton FC".
Hope I?m wrong but his comments about Arteta, half way through the transfer window with City and Arsenal sniffing around, makes me think Bill?s put him up for sale.
1) Discourage any vultures circling around from putting in a stupidly low bid, it let's it be known that he would only be sold, as a last resort, for stupid money ? I guess, if Santa Cruz is a £25m player according to Blackburn, Mickey, must be at least that.
2) Sending a message to us, that he wants to keep our best players.
But to be fair to BK, he is running a club that is technically insolvent & talking up the price of his assets is a sensible thing to do. Whilst I don?t want to lose Arteta, if Man City come in with a £25m bid, we?d have to accept it. If, say, £20m is given to the ginger bloke to spend, the rest on clearing some debt, we?d be Ok. BK is basically getting his haggling in first...
However, I?d be loath to sell anyone in the window, as we are so short as it is, and we?d get screwed over the fee of anyone we tried to buy.
I hope I am scare mongering, but I wonder who managed to persuade an impressionable Rooney to join Man U from within their ranks during the England team excursions...???
On and off the field, the club is facing what is a crucial few weeks and the kind of support it gets from TW posters is sickening. Tony M leads the mob of snarling Hyenas ripping into a weakened yet not quite dead carcass. Oh, I forgot for a minute, we are all true blue hand on heart Evertonians are we not?
Seems he got it into his head that Moyes was talking to the papers about him behind his back. You may recall that Moyes won damages from the pig-faced oink & his publishers and gave them to the Everton Former Players Foundation.
Rooney has become a prick. Returning to Goodison in the red of ManU is one thing. Nothing wrong with ambition. To return to Goodison and actually kiss the ManU badge shows a level of intelligence and maturity on a par with plankton.
As for the rest of the drivel on this thread: It is as astounding, as it is arse-cringingly boring, to find any old topic turned into yet another anti Kenwright stream of drivel & diatribe. What?s the news here?
We have no money to spare right now. In the current climate it?s not even that bad a thing. Kenwright has made his financial position clear since he took over the club. He hasn?t the funds to compete with billionaires, but he?s also never taken a single penny out of the club.
Turn the bastard record over FFS.
The squad is so threadbare that it would be lunacy to sell him right now, but if a decent offer came in during the summer, I wouldn?t hesitate to flog him. It might seem crazy, but you?ve only got to look at all of the ?key? players that Alex Ferguson has moved on at just the right moment for a perfect example of how to cash in on your assets.
Can the posts be turned on their head? Who would be attracted to Everton (even on loan with buy in option) to play alongside our best players?
Instead of panicking about losing ours, would anyone like to offer an Astute acquisition to add to our squad. Players who would relish the thought of playing in a team recently full of spirit and in the habit of winning?
Why not send out the signals that we are out on the hunt to improve rather than waiting to be robbed of our star players?
I love Mikky, I?m a 30-year-old with a hero again, but I?d sell him for silly money.
Everyone has a price, and if they are stupid enough to pay a ridiculous sum and box the lad off with mega wages, then we should and would sell him. How much? I don't know... stupid money though, £35M?!
Our favourite in the rumour mill, Saviola, is supposed to be joining Pompey on loan, why couldn?t we have taken a gamble on him? This is the reason why Moyes and BK get on my tits, we never seem to grasp the chance when it comes our way.
The attitude always seems to be "If it?s not broke, don?t try and fix it". But it?s sods law, that with the injuries we have, we will have a bad run, and knowing our luck, it will probably come in the last part of the season.
I know we are only half way through January, and Moyes may have someone lined up, but it is just too quiet at the moment for my liking.
Memories of selling Rooney have quite rightly been raised in this thread, and, just like Kaka?s dad, there will always be someone with loads of money to make intimately involved in these things. I don?t know what AC Milan?s finances are like ? they can only be better than EFC?s were in 2004 ? but forces much greater than those of footballing sense are at work.
Kenwright could have been talking up Arteta for a number of reasons, but to invoke The Golden Vision might have been a way of saying that there are some things more important than money. We shall see.
Fred of Lyon? He’s been linked with either Stoke or Hull (can’t remember which) so he’s obviously out of favour, from what I’ve seen he’s a very good player.
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1 Posted 15/01/2009 at 23:41:50
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Plus Mikel has stated at every chance over the last few years that he isn?t looking to leave. Arsenal have a snow balls chance in hell of getting Arteta (if their interest is confirmed) as I can?t see Mikel looking to be 2nd string to Fabergas