The Rumour Mill, Season 2011-12

Baines's price now set at £15M

06/05/2012 |

Comments (36)

The dubious Daily Star now claims that Sir Alex Ferguson has kept a close check on Leighton Baines, as a long-term replacement for Patrice Evra and has supposedly had him 'monitored' for the last two years.

The Star claims Ferguson was hoping to snatch him for a cut-price £5million but Everton's 'top brass' (sic) will apparently only talk at £15m.

Bayern Munich are also claimed to be keen to land Baines at the second attempt — the German giants are believed to have tried two years ago to tempt the defender, who has just over three years left on his current Everton contract.

Original Source: Daily Star

Comments

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Tom Dodds
217 Posted 06/05/2012 at 18:09:22

Fuckin piss off...

But, like every travesty of truth, in this case 'journalism' the fault lies in the pea-brained cabbages that buy 'em.

Peter Thistle
224 Posted 06/05/2012 at 18:55:13

I would hope we keep hold of Baines but if we must sell him then it should be for no less than 20-25 million.

David Hallwood
227 Posted 06/05/2012 at 19:01:47

Oh it's in the Daily Star?!!....It must be right

Ian Glassey
230 Posted 06/05/2012 at 19:36:25

£20mill at the very least and better still dont sell.

The best left back in the Prem by far, but if the wants to
move who could blame him.

His talent deserves the spotlight of a big team...

Barry Rathbone
232 Posted 06/05/2012 at 19:43:46

Really think we have to accept this is where this club is now - our better players will go.

On the SKY journo show today they reckon Newcastle United have grasped the nettle accepting they WILL sell to progress and have adopted it as a matter of policy.

A much lower max wage structure than the Mancs, RS and several london clubs means their scouting system has been tasked with supplying youthful hungry players they can use, improve and sell on if the right offer comes in.

Their wage bill is less NOW with potential top 4 placement than it was when relegated.

The acceptance that Cisse, Ba or any player will go regardless of popularity and perceived importance is not only sensible but honest and brave, it attacks the financial mess, refreshes the squad and, importantly, fans know the score.

For a few years I've thought the number of players being at the wrong club at the wrong time or languishing for whatever reason must be enormous and rather than a limited pot to choose from mid range clubs like us have a huge choice.

IF

- you're brave enough to back your judgement.

Bob Willis
233 Posted 06/05/2012 at 19:48:24

'His talent deserves the spotlight of a big team... '

????????????????????????

A Rugby League Team has 13
Union has 15 ........ how big do you want?

The Eton Wall Game???

Anyway, how big do you rate his current team? Not big enough eh??

Phil Roberts
235 Posted 06/05/2012 at 19:56:04

I assume this includes Wayne Rooney as the makeweight

Shaun Brennan
237 Posted 06/05/2012 at 19:59:43

Bob I think Ian means teams that have a chance of wining something.

Ian Glassey
239 Posted 06/05/2012 at 20:00:45

Spot on Shaun.

Lets be honest does anyone think we will win anything,
in the few years.
I renew my season ticket every year in the hope that we
do. Are best chance every year is the Carling Cup,
but we never give it a go.
With the board we have we will never win a thing...

Dean Adams
240 Posted 06/05/2012 at 20:06:30

I was thinking that he would look quite odd in a big team, what with him being of the not so tall variety!!!

Drew O'Neall
246 Posted 06/05/2012 at 20:34:23

Barry 232

Spot on mate.

Difference is Everton don't admit it.. I don't think it fools anyone except some of the fans to say we won't sell, certainly doesn't strengthen our bargaining position, bidders know we are potless.

Most of us know the craic, at least if the club came out with it they would regain some credibility.

Al Reddish
249 Posted 06/05/2012 at 20:51:26

£20m plus Wellbeck.

Paul David
250 Posted 06/05/2012 at 21:02:17

Barry 232

I've been saying that for a few years... dont think Moyes agree's with you though. Yesterday I read he said "Cahill has a couple of years in him yet". He refuses to let players go.

Bobby Thomas
252 Posted 06/05/2012 at 20:59:13

There appears very little chance of Baines taking a move abroad so it comes down to the English clubs.

Quite why one of the Champions League teams ain't took him, I don't know... I think he's perfect for them. Maybe the up-and-down England performances haven't helped, although i think when he gets accustomed to it, he will show his quality. It may take a little time as it's still early doors internationally, but Baines has the respect of his peers, made the PFA team.

We get a big offer, he's going... and in reality our board will be perfectly ok with that. And as much as I rate him, he is a left back, hardly irreplaceable.

I think we could do with a little more quality through midfield and further forward. We can still look to be tight and perhaps focus on being a little more expansive and spend more on wages a little higher up the pitch. If Jelavic ever gets injured, we are fucked, we need depth or serious options at least. If Baines went for a certain kind of fee, we could get in a young left back on lower wages and that would free up some cash.

Barry Rathbone makes some very good points.

In the last few years the Jag, Cahill, Arteta, Neville and Yak have all either got old, injured and past their best on big contracts. The one time we didn't dish out a deal was to the player we definitely should have: Piennar. He is very rarely injured and was more important to us his last 2 full years than Arteta.

Now I am not saying we should have binned them all and I can understand Moyes wanting to keep his big players, some he has a bond of trust with, when the squad was breaking up. Like not wanting to lose the Jag after Lescott. Now I still think the Jag has a lot to offer here, especially with Distin's age and I honestly don't think Johnny Heitinga will do another deal here, despite me hoping I'm wrong.

But we have mismanaged certain situations, plus ballsed up the Yobo and Gosling situations.

Kunal Desai
256 Posted 06/05/2012 at 22:04:49

£15M + Chicarito then maybe...

Peter Warren
258 Posted 06/05/2012 at 22:09:31

No problem at all with selling best players (especially defenders) and re-investing in the team, like Lescott but £15m for Baines no chance

John Crook
264 Posted 06/05/2012 at 22:31:04

I'd sell at £30m ? not a penny under.

Jem Traynor
269 Posted 06/05/2012 at 22:55:12

If Baines does go, it will only be Man Utd; he doesn't like to travel and loves his home town in the North West. I don't want him to go as I think it may cause an exodus but, IF he does, it should not be for anything lower than £20 mil. Also, if I was Moyes, I would want a written legally binding guarantee the money (all of it) would go back into the team!

Sam Hoare
271 Posted 06/05/2012 at 23:11:39

As much as I love baines I think we could survive his leaving and if we could get 20m then we could buy pienaar and maybe another good player whilst clearing more if our crippling debt.

Distin has looked able and both bidwell and garbutt have had great loans. Daniel pranjic is on a freebie too.

Carl Sanderson
272 Posted 06/05/2012 at 23:27:49

Sam #271

I think you're right about Baines, although I DON'T think that Distin is a long-term left-back, by reason of age or ability.

Roberto Birquet
279 Posted 07/05/2012 at 00:23:21

Shaun, Ian, Drew, any others...
I don't see it that way. Players sign new deals most of the time at Everton and that shows commitment and belief.

I don't wear rosy specs. Don't think they'd suit. And I don't deny some players wll look to move to a CL club from time to time, but Everton can attract enough that I do not expect us to lose more than one key player this summer.

And if one of Baines, Felli, Heitinga or, heaven forbid, Jelli was to want out this summer, only one wiould be allowed to go. And the money demanded from these richer clubs would allow to maintain a squad. I'm more positive than last summer.

David Stewart
283 Posted 07/05/2012 at 01:07:01

Bob,

How big do you rate his current team? Well not that big at all at the moment. We're in a situation were the owners are useless, they really are just in the survival buisness, and my belief is it will get a lot worse over the next few years. So why wouldn't Baines go?

Some people say he's one of the best players in England; if he has any ambition, he's wasting his time here... so maybe he dosen't really have that killer ambition. In which case, he'll fit in perfect with plucky ol' Everton, best of the rest et al.

So... are we a big club? Such a subjective questio... but one thing I know we ain't is an ambitious club.

Eric Myles
289 Posted 07/05/2012 at 02:47:20

I've a feeling Gibson was the down payment.

Mick Davies
291 Posted 07/05/2012 at 04:55:11

Carrol was £35m, Ferdinand about the same, we got ripped off with Rooney so I would hope if Baines left, it would be somewhere around the 25 to 30 mill range. We could bring Bidwell in, I watched him for Brentford and he looks promising. Coleman could take the right back berth and we'd have an exciting young pair of wing backs with the emphasis on attack, with Felli or Gibbo or Nev holding the fort as they race forward, creating the chances for Jelavic and whoever to feed off. Sounds good doesn't it? But alas, while Hibbert, Distin and Neville are here, no new blood will be injected into the team.

Bob Willis
303 Posted 07/05/2012 at 07:55:10

'BIG' team ?

Did you mean - Good Team, Better Team, Winning Team or Great Team as opposed to a 'poor' team?

Paul Andrews
309 Posted 07/05/2012 at 08:36:52

It doesn`t matter that we have this kid,or that kid coming through to replace whoever is sold.

While we have an incompetent fraud of a chairman in charge we will always have to break the team up as it starts to look like we could progress.

David Stewart
346 Posted 07/05/2012 at 12:24:33

Bob,

I understand where you're coming from with the term 'BIG' team and I also believe it can be used by the WUMS to get you going. Maybe a better term would be an ambitious team, a team whose owners back the manager. It doesn't have to be millions but it should be at least enough to give the manager an opportunity to move forward.

Now this doesn't happen at this club; the manager is left to trawl the bargain bins... and yes, maybe he might find a good one now and then... but it sure ain't a recipe for success. As things stand, it ain't gonna get any better.

So have we got too many GOOD players in a comfort zone, forget the dross ? they know they're on the gravy train and they ain't leaving. So why do the what we call 'top players' stay at a club that really has no more ambition than staying up? Maybe they also don't have any real ambition. Could be easy money for them; no pressure on them, a good laugh all round...

So yes, Bob, I do believe we are a BIG club... but then again I'm a 56-year-old dinosaur but I also believe that this club is a club with no ambition.

Now I don't include all fans in this; some... but not all. Then again, we could all be dinosaurs.

Chris Rudd
367 Posted 07/05/2012 at 14:24:00

Baines worth less than Jordan Henderson? Yeah...right.

Thomas Windsor
408 Posted 07/05/2012 at 18:10:52

Until Everton can buy a lot of players outright, the only way to do it is sell and buy cheaper players and hope they work out,

I love Baines, great player... but if we can get £25 million for him and the manager can spend all the money, then so be it.

But if you sell Baines and only give the manager £10 or 15 million of it I don't think the fans will put up with it and rightly so.

Saegaran Kana
499 Posted 08/05/2012 at 03:49:38

If Andy Carrol is £30M then our Bainsey is at least that... if not, all suitors can piss off!

Jason Lam
500 Posted 08/05/2012 at 04:11:22

Sell the bottler. Where was he in the semi? Where was he when Distin was covering his left back position? He's lightweight and gets skinned by wingers. Give me a left back that can defend like a proper defender.

Steve Carter
501 Posted 08/05/2012 at 04:33:13

Think (hopefully) Jem's correct. Leighton strikes me as your complete opposite of a big time Charlie, who, whilst he no doubt likes to play football and would like to be on on a winning team more often and be paid more money for doing so, is pretty content where he is playing for his boyhood team, living around where he was brought up, focussing on his family and guitar.

Eric Myles
504 Posted 08/05/2012 at 05:16:14

^Steve, he's a boyhood RS supporter.

Tony J Williams
559 Posted 08/05/2012 at 12:26:17

Jason, you can ask the same question with nearly every one of them on the pitch and the dugout.

James Bowman
617 Posted 08/05/2012 at 19:00:38

Not every player has the same ambition and not all can or desire to play for the CL clubs. I believe if you have good players, other good players want to play with them.

For me, this was the main criminal act in letting Rooney go regardless of the price. His talent would have surely lured a better class of player to Goodison and all that brings. Lescott and Arteta dont have that lure but have been tempted by the prospect of a better class of player. Hopefully Baines doesnt see it the same way and our board can find some cash to build off the excellent January business we did.

Mark Roberts
633 Posted 08/05/2012 at 20:53:31

In an ideal world we would be looking to add to the squad without losing any our top players but if there is any truth in this story then I think we should be demanding Valencia or the Mexican goal poacher comes our way as part of the deal.

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