Most internet sources link it back to sport.co.uk but it actually appeared in the Daily Mirror yesterday; see the link and story added to our Homepage.

Nice if true... but it carries a huge Lescott caveat... as in "Ho Hum... does this not sound all too painfully familiar?"

Perhaps we can add it to "Appy 'Arry basically saying the "the price is too high", along with Steven Pienaar's head shrinking back a little closer to its proper size after his, er, performances in the World Cup, although the outcome could indeed be good for Everton. However, no chicken counting possible yet... until he signs a contract, at least.

Yeah, was about to update but Michael got there first.

http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/Everton-transfer-news-David-Moyes-warns-Tottenham-off-Steven-Pienaar-article526657.html

It's all just words though, ain't it..... ;-)

Mirror yesterday. The quote contains absolutely nothing we didn't know already.

Wouldn't it be better (and less tedious) if we waited until something actually happens either way regarding this saga, rather than having another "will he/won't he","keep/get rid" thread?

Pienaar was no world beater when he came to Everton ? his reputation had been sullied. He was no world beater when he first started playing for us either. As I recall, he was actually bought as cover for Arteta. However, at Goodison he gradually slotted into the system, responded to the management, regained confidence, and became an effective performer. It is interesting how, away from the mother ship in South Africa, he went backwards again.

I would marginally prefer him to stay. But if he wants out, then go quickly, please. Then there will be time and money to get in a replacement (Defour, for instance.) We don?t want a repeat of last year. The trouble is, and no-one seems to have alluded to this, he jerked us around for ages over his last contract, leaving it unsigned for months. I am not confident he won?t play brinkmanship games again.

Tony ? "Pienaar was no world beater" & let's be honest, who else was? IMWT!

I will be bloody furious if we keep hold of Pienaar without securing a new four-year deal with him. We cannot afford to lose quality players or the fees they command.

If we had the choice between keeping Pienaar for one year only or sell, and use the cash to buy a Donovan, and a bit left over, from a moneybags club, for a backup to Baines, then we should do the deal.

It's shortsighted to say keeping him no matter what is good for Everton. And don't give me all that "selling club" twaddle.

No 1, get him on a new deal; No 2, if that fails, sell to the highest bidder. Get a bloody grip, Everton!

It's interesting the player most-considered for "Who gives a fuck/Dump him for cash/no big deal he leaves" status has generated the most response this off-season.

Can't see why a routine, mundane desire for a player to increase his salary degenerated into a ToffeWeb mini-series.

I'll say, as always, he don't want to leave (and never did) and will settle for the pay increase DM offers.

Peanuts knows what his teammates know: 2010-11 will be big and he wants in.

I'll take that as a 'no' then.

I'm starting to develop massive respect for our manager and the club.

Pienaar might be staying but it looks as if Arteta is going, unfortunately, If we keep one of them and manage to make a suitable buy to replace the one that leaves, I still think we are on for the top 4.

If I had the choice between Atreta and Pienaar, I'd sell Pienaar, give every penny to Arteta and start begging!!!

Ian, just because City say they would like Arteta if they can't get Milner doesn't mean he is going.

The fact that Milner isn't kicking up a stink to leave Villa, and that other players have turned City down already is a positive indication that the draw of their money is not enough for the top players.

I CANNOT STAND the way people use those shit Bluekipper nicknames!!

Peanuts?? Give your head a wobble, mate!

There is no Lescott-type caveat in any way. Nobody is offering to double Pienaar's wages and pay us £24m.

City aren't after him. Arsenal couldn't afford a fee that we would find remotely acceptable. I've previously argued that, if he REALLY wants to go then we get rid pronto, for £20m, and get someone in quickly.

I've now changed my mind. I don't think he REALLY wants to go. Nobody is offering him or us the money. Settled sides, especialy good ones (which we are) usually enjoy strong showing in the league.

My view is that we do everything to keep this team, even if it now means risking the loss of Pienaar next summer. If Arteta is showing signs of wanting to return to Spain, then perhaps try to comproomise by improving his terms and promising him a free transfer after 2 more seasons.

If we can just shore up defence, back to what it was like 2 seasons ago, then this team can have a pop at the title. There isn't a team that we can't beat, home or away.

The 24 years are up. It's time. Wondering what the odds might be on Everton winning the Champions League in 2012. Nice roll up around 100,000-1?

He had a shit World Cup, therefore I think no-one else will want to offer him big wages. Also, if it wasn't for Everton, then no-one would've heard of him....

Sign up, for the love of God!

Mike Grundy (#13)... gotta say I totally agree with you. They are fucking stupid... And none more so than "Peanuts".

Hmm, hasn't everyone in the ground called him Peanuts since he came? Most who sit near me do at any rate.

I wasn't aware that I was sitting in the "fucking stupid" stand.

I'll come and sit in the "high and mighty" stand with Messrs Kenrick and Grundy. ;-)

..and I don't even visit Blue Kipper!

I've heard people around me call him Pukka (Pukka PIEnaar...get it?)

Or was it fucker....???

I'd rather have Peanuts though....Sahalted ones are the best!

The two Mikes (#13 ) are you taking the Mike? What's in a nickname and it's better than the usual football nickname that normally ends in Y (as in Bally, Labby, Sharpy etc) or even Amokachi. Yes, silly season is in full swing.

David, I think it`s to do with a bit of bitter web rivalry, I have never heard him called it near me in the Park End and it is a bit kopiteish, but so what, everyone to their own.

I admire and appreciate the talents and professionalism of both Arteta and Piennar. As Everton players, I also support them, regardless, as long as they play for us. The start of the season is fast approaching and I feel it is now time that both players decide their futures.

I would be overjoyed if both committed to us but if they are not happy I would be overjoyed if they let us know now rather than the day the season started.

Speculation is as what it says but we are naive to believe that it does not affect the team, the Lescott saga is a point to prove it. Remember this time last season, everyone at the club, including the players, said it did not affect them, but they all backheeled that later.

Mikel and Steven, sign now, or go with best regards.

So, in reference to #21, can someone explain to me exactly why this is so imperative? Contractually, they are both Everton players with respectively one and two years still remaining to run on their contracts. They are still and will continue to be Everton players until the poiint when something changes. This is true of all the players.

Yes, there is some imperative to sort things out before the end of said contract, but the key dates appear to be:

(a) January of the final year, when players are free to discuss contracts with other clubs (only? in other countries?);

(b) Mid-May of the final year, by which time, the contract extension/revision needs to have been put in writing and/or signed.... otherwise... well, well all know what will now be called the Flight of the Gosling scenario!!!

A basic tenet of this post appears to be that by signing such contracts, the presence of these players in the Everton team is guaranteed for the foreseeable future. Not so: Lescott signed a bountiful four-year contract extension in March 2008 but was nevertheless gone inside 18 months.

Talking of Gosling, is not that story all the more remarkable, considering his contract was allowed to drift as it did? Surely the contrast with the abject panic to get star assets like Pienaar and Arteta signed up could not be stronger. The inference being that getting Gosling's new contract sorted out was a very very low priority. Or they really did think it had one more year to run.

Wayne Berson (#17)

Do you sit in the Family Enclosure mate? If I stood up and called Pienaar ''Peanuts'' where i sit in the Gwladys Street, I would get laughed out of the place!

Just makes me cringe a bit, that's all mate!

I apologise for calling him Peanuts, I didn't realise it would cause such offence!!

Michael,
So, in reference to #21, can someone explain to me exactly why this is so imperative? Contractually, they are both Everton players with respectively one and two years still remaining to run on their contracts.
----------------------
Money.

Peanis...?

This is now verging on the ridiculous.

In the last few days Mr David Moyes has stated:

1) Pienaar is an Everton player and he expects him to remain so.

2) We have no money to bring anyone in before the start of the season.

Two statements which just confirm the position as we already know it, and which sound very familiar to comments made in previous close seasons.

We have also been told that Mikel Arteta is, erm, attending his own wedding.

Then people come out with stuff like "Mikel and Steven, sign now, or go with best regards". (Just one example.)

FFS we have learnt nothing new in the last few days. Are some people going to dissect every dot, comma, and apostrophe of everything said which just re-iterates what we have been told before, and which we already know?

The position has not changed. Arteta has 2 years left on his contract, so it is not a disaster if he has not yet signed a new one. Pienaar is still on his jollies, so nothing will be sorted either way until he gets back. At least the Gosling story was something new and interesting to discuss, and we haven't heard the last of it yet. Basically, what I am saying is can people stop shitting themselves please?

If it sounds like I am desperate for the new season to start so that all this nonsense can stop, well... I am.

Unless we appeal to the FA soon, we won't even be gettting Peanuts for Gosling.

I must be bored.

As a regular Everton fan of 40 years plus (yes, I'm an 'ald git'), I've watched many players over the years grace the blue of my beloved team. Some have never quite made it (Brett Angel, Stuart "Jigsaw" Barlow, Richard Wright); some were great but never stayed (Rooney ? you may hate him but he is a great player, McMahon, Lineker) and some started slowly and just got better.

The latter category can of course apply to lots of our more recent players as we can't afford the very top prices any more... so that most of our 'buys' have to be for players with a bit of a problem ? be it reputation, history, injury etc.

We all love Arteta but do you remember when he came in? It was to replace Gravesen, who had gone to Madrid at Xmas with us hot onto 4th place at the time. Arteta had loads of skill but was booted out of game after game at first; however, in the following seasons he just grew and grew. It helped that the league changed in that free kicks were more likely to be awarded for fouls.

Well now we come to Pienaar. He came to us only because he couldn't cut it with his previous clubs, so we got him at a knockdown price of about £2M or so. He was slow to start with, tried his best, ran around a bit (like the proverbial headless chicken) but gave the ball away a lot. In fairness, we weren't used to his passing, and vice versa (no-one moved to receive).

Moyes rescued him from a terrible spell and probably saved his career. Make no mistake, though Pienaar had loads of talent and, when you couple this with his work rate, which is just phenomenal, he is a truly great player.

Last season, while Arteta was injured, he stepped up again and was just superb, coupled with Fellaini's great run of play. For me, him and Fellaini ran the show for us and helped get us moving upwards till the others returned ? Arteta, Jagielka and even Neville.

So where are we now? Pienaar clearly wants more money or a move, although he may stay but does not appear to be making a dash to sign any contract with us. We really only have two choices:

(a) Give him a time limit to sign the new contract and if he fails then sell him for what we can get (perhaps £10 to £15M). This MUST be done quickly so a replacement can be found (and maybe we already have negotiations in hand).

(b) Alternatively, let him run his contract down so he can leave for nothing and hope that we get a top four finish so that he will want to stay!

It's this last course of action that worries me. Moyes may think it's a good negotiating tactic but to lose someone of Pienaar's ability for nothing so that we can't replace him (and we've already run out of money after spending £2M this year!) would be shortsighted and catastrophic. Even if we do finish in the top four (and I honestly feel with a bit more defensive strength we can finish in the top three or even two), there is no guarantee he will stay as he could still leave... but then for even more money!!

So I suppose he is a Prince of a Player. It will be hard to replace such a great player who works so hard for the team (and Donovan is a totally different type even if we could get him...) but, within the world of football he's a Pirate of a man, after all he can get because, 'sob, sob, it's a short career' and how can he survive on only £2.5M a year over 5 years (total £12.5M)?

So give him the ultimatum NOW to sign by 24 July or we will sell him.

We are EVERTON ? bigger than ANY player.

I spoke to Steven Pienaar at the Waterfront in Cape Town three weeks ago. Basically, he said he was staying at Everton.

The club offered him a three-year extended contract at £55,000 a week, which he felt was pretty good. He'll be here next season, unless someone comes up with a ridiculous offer.

Which is unlikely, said he,

Ha ha, no Michael (23), we must be neighbours, I'm in the Lower Gwadys. :-)

I just thought it was a funny for the moderator to edit the OP's post as he was offended by the allegedly childish (though commonly used) nickname for the player and then used foul and abuse language in his post.... which is even more childish and a hell of an overreaction!

Speaking of overreaction, I'm not arsed really ? it's Friday, the golf highlights are on and there is beer to be drunk! I bear no malice to either you or MK mate!

This part of the thread is getting a bit daft now, let's just leave it at that. Roll on the new season, and the end of silly season so we can have sensible conversations about Everton ON the field.

I think Moyes knows we've a good chance of achieving something this year and Pienaar's contribution will be more valuable than any money we'd receive for him.