Good article and totally agree. Since Lescott left, our defence has been weak and always liable to concede. This is in contrast to when Lescott /Jags provided a defence that was sturdy and tough to breach.

Gutted when he left and the manner in which he left BUT I'd welcome him back for sure

I'd have him on loan so long as Man City pay half his wages. Baines, Lescott, Jagielka and an improving Coleman would be a useful back line. Part of me would rather we tried to find the next Lescott, whoever that may be...

I kinda agree with the comment above. Bringing Lescott back would be costly and it should only be done if its a loan. It would make more sense to bring in the next Lescott/Jags on a long term deal

No thanks. A dishonorable man who left for money and made winning trophies an excuse. He let Moyes and the club down 12 months after agreeing a deal. He played to get away after Moyes put his trust in him. I can't forgive as easy as some.

Agree.

Agreed Dave Charles - wouldn't like having him back, even if on loan. Lescott made his bed....

Dave, 315, 'made winning trophies an excuse'...what a bizarre statement?!?!

Is it inconceivable to you that winning trophies was actually a sincere reason to leave? When I play football I play to win matches and win leagues and cups I.e. trophies. Why would that be an excuse rather than a genuine reason?

And, as has been borne out, he was right to leave if he wanted to win trophies. Can't you see that?

The way he left was dishonourable and left a very nasty taste. Ultimately tho, if he helped US win a trophy, I'd be over the moon.

I've supported Everton all my life and am DESPERATE to see us win a trophy and I don't give 2 sh1ts about how JL left us if at the end of the season Phil Nev/Jags is holding aloft some silver wear

I agree with Kase. He said he left to have a better chance of winning things.

If he said he'd left for any other reason I'd be questioning it and it's a safe bet that most, if not all of our current squad would do the same if the opportunity arose.

Torn... I think that when a player leaves us we should send a message to the current squad that you don't get second chances with this great club.

But he's quality and we could do with him. Football seems to be sapping my principles.

I, like most, have no idea if there is a chance of Lescott returning but, if it happens, then I think it raises a few questions:

Obviously there is firstly the salary issue; yes, maybe Man City will part-fund his wages while on loan. But, if the loan is successful, we will have to pay all his wages plus a transfer fee. Now seeing as we have 3 International centre backs and a very promising youngster in Duffy, is this a position we need to strengthen?

I would have thought getting reinforcements for the position of striker would be the most pressing. Jelavic is having a rough patch and his only replacements are 2 young players in Anichebe and Vellios. Also with Kevin Mirallas out and no quick sign of a return, I would think David Moyes would be looking to bring in another forward rather than another central defender.

It would be great to have him back. Excellent cover at left back too!

I'd definitely bring him back... I don't like the way he left us, but for me, the fundamental question is whether he would improve us? I would say that he would. City would part fund his wages, as they did with Adebayor. Similarly, the wage cut the greediest(?) man in football took to join Spurs (potentially as the result of a City pay-off), may yet suggest the potential of a permanent deal.

We have a great chance to get into the Champions League this season... and an England international centre back may be available on loan in January. For me it is a no-brainer. I would of course love to find the new Lescott, but we don't have £5-6M to spend on one at the moment. If we get fourth, then maybe we will.

I am with Jim, get him back if we can afford it. No one will like the way he left, Moyes played hard ball very well and got us a fee miles ahead of expectations, JL trebled his wages and went on to win the Premier League, if he had not wanted to go I would have thought less of him.

The Arsenal game was simply diabolical and God knows what was said before or after the game. That there seems a chance we could get him back challenging or covering for two positions where we are short of bodies can only help. His added experience of winning at the sharp end may also be valuable.

Pienaar left, not in the best of circumstances, for more money, trophies, etc... realised he had made a mistake; returned... and now is playing out of his skin.

How does anyone know whether Joleon regrets it or not?

Once you've been touched by Everton...

I think if he came back and scored a winning header against the shite in front of the kop, no one would care about how he left!
He was great for us and we need some more quality in the squad. With part funded wages, it's a no brainer.

As all the above, he left in circumstances which I didn't like but we all have to move on. If he comes back and he helps us win a trophy cos it's been nearly 18 years since we won anything.

Brian #330 - I believe City continue to part fund Adebayor's wages so not impossible with Lescott.

"The reason he left was to win trophies". Maybe, but the trebling of his wages was also a factor. If he'd marked Drogba properly he might've won that first trophy at Everton (ok I'm being slightly churlish there, maybe).

I wouldn't say no to having him back on loan, if a deal can be done. See if he can rediscover his form with Jagielka. Anything permanent would need to be on reduced wages, obviously, and that would be a problem. City subsidised Adebayor's move as the greedy twat threatened to sit out his contract. Not sure they'd have the same problem with Lescott. If they did, then I wouldn't want him. I'm frankly surprised Tottenham went through with that transfer.

Yes Ernie, I've heard similar stories, or rumors of a pay off to part fund Adebayor's wage drop. Something happened for sure, because Adebayor was not going to Spurs, because his wages were far too high. They then suddenly agreed a deal...

I suppose it comes down to Lescott as well. He has 18months left at City, and from the looks of things, will be spending that time out of the first team baring injuries. Come summer, he will be heading into the last year of his contract, knowing a World Cup is on the horizon, and thus his last World Cup, the greatest competition in football, as a professional footballer. Now I am aware of the financial motivations of certain footballers...but I expect that if Lescott had the opportunity to join us on a 2-3 year deal on 50,000 a week, or sit on City's bench for one more year on 90,000? and probably miss the world cup...that he'd join us.

Of course, if we are interested, six months may suffice, before we sign a long term replacement. But given Distin's age, I think signing Lescott, who has a good 2-3 years left in him, and fits in well at this club, makes alot of sense. Certain managers, from pride, refuse to accept certain players back into the team. I think Moyes is big enough to forgive and forget, if it benefits the team.

You lost me at 'better distributor'.. No sorry, he's a donkey. Good defender but no ball player.

I'd have him back, swap for Heitinga.

As it's that funny "inbetweeny" time of year, and I have more time on my hands than I know what to do with, I thought I'd do a little statistical digging on this "we were better with Lescott" theory. So, since he debuted with us at the start of the 2006/07 season (and incidentally only missed two league matches over the three full seasons he played for Everton), here are the bare bones of the final league tables :-

2006/07 finished 6th F - 52 A - 36 Pts - 58
2007/08 finished 5th F - 5th A - 33 Pts - 65
2008/09 finished 5th F - 55 A - 37 Pts 63

2009/10 finished 8th F - 60 A - 49 Pts - 61
2010/11 finished 7th F - 51 A - 45 Pts - 54
2011/12 finished 7th F - 50 A - 40 Pts - 56

I realise there are a zillion other variables that can influence these figures, but it seems to me a fair conclusion to draw that we had a better defence with him in it, than subsequent seasons. I actually think Distin has been a good replacement, and clearly Heitinga was outstanding last season, but a Jagielka-Lescott axis would be the ideal for the second half of this season.

So, should we get him back ? Certainly on loan, but it's not our most pressing concern. For me, that's got to be a new goalkeeper, with presence and confidence.

Oh yeah and he went for the money and shafted Moyes and the club..

Lescott left for an extra £60k a week primarily, he has a league winners medal to go along with it so while I'd love for every Everton player to scoff at any reward earned outside of royal blue and I was annoyed at him agitating for a move, he was only looking after himself and he owed us nothing. So I would have him back with no grudges.

Two flies in the ointment though, his massive salary would have to be cut to shreds before it would work and I think there are a few clubs who would like to have a player of his caliber, we'd be no shoe in and the bad blood at his departure may be a reason he'd prefer to move elsewhere.

All in all, I would agree with the idea of finding the next Lescott or Jags for £5 million.

Would love Lescott back, he was a brilliant player for us and I completely understand why he left. We got £24 mil as well so it was good for us too.

Talking of the 'next Lescott' — anyone seen Kieran Clark at Villa? He's going to be a top player that kid...

Not going to happen. Like Aidan says, his wages are too high, and there are probably other teams who would be interested and willing to pay more than us. I don't see that he has any specific affiliation with us that would make us a such an inviting destination for him to choose us over any team with more $$ to offer.

In any case, we're not a team who can afford to spend a fortune on proven english PL talent. Moyes and his team need to do their job and keep buying players with potential on the cheap, or maybe, just maybe, develop our own.

Unless anyone has forgotten, we have Duffy waiting very patiently for a game. When he last played for us, I thought he was MOTM in one game, and one of our better players in the next. He was dropped after a few superb performances so Hibbert could play centre half against the mancs and I don't think we've seen him since.

I'd be happy to sell heitinga, use duffy as backup for distin and jags, and perhaps get another young centre half on the cheap as 4th choice. We've got enough defenders in the management team, so they should be good at developing these players.

Peter Adkins, I agree — a new keeper for me. The goal we conceded against Wigan was for me Howard's mistake, he should have come flying out of goal and cleaned them all out to get that ball; he made to go then hesitated. And they scored.

I found this video quite interesting:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlsqjDpLf2s&feature=youtube_gdata_player

It seems Joel is still very friendly inside the Everton camp.

Save the money. It's time to bring on Duffy.

Sadly I don't think Duffy will make it with us. Like Wallace he needs to grab the nettle, drop a league and start playing games. Playing in the stiffs is a waste of his time.

I'd prefer to sign a younger Lescott version if I am honest. His move was a disgrace, but we would be a better team with him in it, than not. Clean sheets help you win games, and we get too few of them. Mancini doesn't rate him so a deal could be done.

Heitinga out, Distin to Sunderland? Lescott back – 2009 revisited?

Rumour today that Man City want to sell Lescott for £8M. That would rule us out. He'll probably go to QPR if that's true.

Sam – I suspect he will want to go somewhere better than QPR given their position.

QPR look like they are going down and play Liverpool next at home (a win-win game – Liverpool drop points or 'Arry Redknapp gets closer to the trap door. :-)

I'd have him back. He's got to be an improvement on Distin / Heitinga, and our defending has been diabolical this season, and for much of last season too.

Take St James Park the other day. Cisse's goal was atrocious, Heitinga was ball-watching for Ameobi Senior's chance – which Ba would have probably buried – and Neville got skinned at least twice. Don't even start me on Distin's back pass in the semi....

The last time I watched Citeh, they brought on Lescott late as a defensive substitute for one of their dozen strikers. (Tevez maybe?) They eked out the win, then as they were going down the tunnel, Joleon ripped his shirt off, gave it to a kid in the crowd, and headed down the tunnel. Greedy bastard or not, that's class, and I'd love to see him back,