ToffeeWeb - Season 2009-10

The Mail Bag

Work permits for everyone?

I see the Home Office has turned down the latest request for a work permit from the blues.

Now I have two thoughts about this. Is the research not being done as we have wasted time and effort on chasing two players in the last year. Victor Obinna last summer, and now Banega this year? More to the point, Banega has now played in the Europa League and will be cup-tied should a permit be granted on appeal.

What are the chances of the appeal being successful?At times, it does appear that the odds are stacked against us in the transfer market. Last year when we were unsuccessful in the loan of Obinna from Inter Milan, Liverpool managed to sign an unkown Brazilian goalkeeper on the same day. Despite the two players being of similar age and international experience, I found the situation highly confusing. So therefore, my second thought is that there is a case of preferential treatment and double standards, or are other clubs able to find loopholes in the cases that we are unable to exploit?

Anyone got any thoughts on the matter?
Andy Bone, Southampton Posted 21/08/2009 at 17:47:01

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Robert Taylor
1 Posted 22/08/2009 at 06:14:56

Andy,

Someone made the logical sounding point in another thread that a player being on the fringes of the Argentina team looks better than if he was on the fringes of a lower ranked team.

I don’t know the details of the Red Shite’s Brazilian keeper, but there’s a certain logic to it.

Kim Goldbaek
2 Posted 22/08/2009 at 07:16:48

LFC’s Diego Cavalieri holds both an Italian and Brazilian passport...

Karl Jones
3 Posted 22/08/2009 at 08:14:21

According to the Daily Mail, the application has been successful.
Still nothing on the official site or strangely, in the local press about this yet.

Alex Naylor
4 Posted 22/08/2009 at 08:20:21

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1208270/Everton-boss-Moyes-eyes-Spartak-winger-Bystrov-Banega-swoop.html?ITO=1490

Scott Cattaneo
5 Posted 22/08/2009 at 08:32:43

I read it in the Express this morning at the end of a piece about Saha. I looks like it has gone through OK. Not sure why it’s not on the OS yet, my hope is that their finalising another so they can announce them together (Steve Taylor maybe?).

Fingers crossed!

Scott Cattaneo
6 Posted 22/08/2009 at 08:52:11

He’s ours according to wikipedia:

Éver Maximiliano David Banega (born 29 June 1988 in Rosario, Santa Fe) is an Argentine professional footballer currently playing for Everton FC on loan from Valencia CF, he plays mainly as a central midfielder.

Karl Jones
7 Posted 22/08/2009 at 09:05:19

Liverpool Echo is now reporting that work permit has been granted, but some details with Valencia still to be finalised.

Zack Yusof
8 Posted 22/08/2009 at 10:23:46

From guardian.co.uk

"Moyes still hopes to make four new signings before the transfer deadline on 1 September with the Newcastle United defender Steven Taylor and Middlesbrough’s David Wheater under consideration. The club have been granted a work permit for the Valencia midfielder Ever Banega."

Leigh Sadler
9 Posted 22/08/2009 at 10:22:30

Typical Everton, why is nothing straight foward, some information of the official site wouldn’t go a miss just to keep us updated.

So far all we have is newspaper reports, I wouldn't be surprised if somebody from the club came out in the next couple of days and say they know nothing about these stories.

David Hallwood
10 Posted 22/08/2009 at 10:51:31

Leigh-its 10:51 on Saturday and both EFC website and Sky sports clockwatch have both confirmed the visa application was successful.

Fran Mitchell
11 Posted 22/08/2009 at 10:48:26

It's nothing to do with double standards. This is dealt with by the Home Office, not the FA or Premier League. Anyway, skysports say that he’s had a permit granted.

Liverpool couldn’t sign Leto a couple of seasons ago, same with Gonzalez. Both highly rated at the time (as with anyone Rafa buys at such an age, they obvioulsy didn’t fulfill their potential).

Cavilieri holds an Italian Passport as someone already mentioned... as someone who follows Palmeiras, he ain't such a great keeper anyway, and we were made up with the £6-7million we received for him. We now have a far superior keeper in Marcos.

A player to look out for this season, Kerrison who just signed for Barcelona. Our manger walked out due to the forced sale of this player... hopefully lightening won’t strike twice on the teams I follow.

Ray Said
12 Posted 22/08/2009 at 11:04:21

Are we now in a position were Banega has a permit to work in UK but could now sign for another club as EFC don’t seem to have sealed the final deal with Valencia? Could there yet be a variation on the Sheff Utd situation with Naughton?

Mark Griffiths
13 Posted 22/08/2009 at 11:07:44

Good news regarding Banega, although Moyes has now confirmed that the Bystrov story is a stinking, steaming pile of horse shit!

Let’s hope he has another fast creative winger in his mind, becuase we need one!

Adam Carey
14 Posted 22/08/2009 at 13:29:27

If Banega’s work permit has been passed then great; however, why the hell didn’t we ask Valencia not to cup-tie him if the deal was on the cards!? I appreciate it doesn’t quite work that way in practice but...

As a quick thought on the previous declined WPs, does anyone think it may be down to the fact that we have previously signed foreign players and then never really played them? Bosnar, Li Tie and Nyarko spring to mind.

John Cronin
15 Posted 22/08/2009 at 09:31:42

BBC website is reporting that Ever Banega has been granted a work permit... nice one!

Gavin Ramejkis
16 Posted 22/08/2009 at 14:39:01

Adam in reply, Bosnar was barely fit for catching splinters, Li Tie played quite a lot of football until he broke his leg and Nyarko was an "Everton Way" special; given a contract longer than his work permit, yeah BK and cronies signed him up longer than he was allowed to stay in the country.

Matthew Douglas
17 Posted 22/08/2009 at 14:58:08

Adam, I’m not quite sure he is going to be cup-tied. As the games this week were Europa Cup "qualifiers" and not the Europa Cup proper. Again, I’m not positive if this is the case and am clinging to any straws I can at this point. Anyone out there know how the qualifiers are treated in this regard?

Fran Mitchell
18 Posted 22/08/2009 at 15:10:20

Gavin, in reply, work permits do not last the length of a contract. work permits are not leave to remain in the country but visas. Therefore these have to be renewed once a year. Thus Nyarko was not granted a work-permit as he did not play enough games. The situation of work-permits is a Home Office issue, not something to do with BK or anyone else at Everton.

Ray Said, it would not be possible for another club to hijack the deal in the way you mention. If any other club was to try and hijack the deal (within the UK) they would have to apply for a new work permit. Work permits are based on the agreements of employment; if employment is to change, then a new work permit is required e.g. Adebayor required a work permit to sign for City, despite holding one that was valid for him to play for Arsenal.

Ray Said
19 Posted 22/08/2009 at 15:39:35

Fran Mitchell, thanks for the reply — hopefully we will box the deal off without a problem then.

David Gallant
20 Posted 22/08/2009 at 16:02:23

I have a funny feeling that Ever Banega will be the quintessential ’rabbit from a hat’ from Moyesie this season. He ticks all the boxes... great potential as a youngster but with a career that hasn’t quite gone to plan as yet... a loan deal with a view to winning a permanent place... still relatively young...

Think Mikel Arteta. Think Steven Pienaar. Think Manny. Er. :)

Seriously though, this one is getting me excited!

Keith Glazzard
21 Posted 22/08/2009 at 16:41:00

Adam - the Mercafutbol link we has the other day about Banega (which brought the name of Fernandes up) gave a very strong impression, in the original Spanish, that coach Emery wanted to keep the player. This might account for his use of him in the Europa game. In any case, if someone was offering serious money including a non-cup-tied condition, he wouldn’t have played.

In the matter of the work permit — well at least EFC got it right this time. It's a complex business, and no doubt legal advice costs a small fortune, but this is the sort of thing, like marketing, that a top club should be able to get right. Progress?

Chris Jones
22 Posted 22/08/2009 at 17:20:22

If Banega is indeed cup-tied it makes sense to the owning club. Valencia are themselves hoping to qualify for the Europa League, why would they loan out a player they paid €15m for last season with the risk of his playing for another side in the same competition?

Jason Broome
23 Posted 22/08/2009 at 18:14:07

I have a funny feeling David Gallant could be right. I am beginning to believe that this kid could well be the missing link.

Alan Clarke
24 Posted 22/08/2009 at 18:38:46

Is this Banega deal being done over the Valencia manager’s head? It’s the manager who’s said he doesn’t want to lose him. For the Valencia manager to deny all knowledge of him leaving is nonsense especially after Moyes has spoken publicly about the deal. Like Fran says, work permits are granted on the agreement of employment. The only thing I can think of is that Valencia are threatening to pull out because Everton are offering their usual staged payments which won’t be to Vaencia’s liking.

Has anyone noticed since Jorabchin and Pini Zahavi’s names were mentioned with regards to the Lescott deal, we’ve been linked with all these Spanish players? Guti, Gago and now Banega? Now it’s being reported we’ve agreed a deal for Lescott to leave. Does anyone else think those 2 leaches have offered Moyes and Everton players providing they agree to sell Lescott?

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