Fer deal stalls over knee concerns

Jim White of @skysports_jim is reporting he has failed his medical. This is being denied by allegedly the president of Twente.

Fair to say still some way to go to get this over the line.

He apparently has ties to a drug dealer called Antonio Fernández who was murdered last year, apparently there are 3 players implicated.

Nothings concrete but funny how this all comes out then the deal stalls......

I can see the club wanting some assurance / insurance if a problem has cropped up with his medical, but what can we ask of FC Twente? Not to put the cheque in the bank before September perhaps?

Unless.... Everton have tried to re-negotiate the specifics of what was agreed in the first place. Now, that wouldn't surprise me a cynic like me. But, Everton would be pretty stupid to do that, especially with the amount of media attention on the deal and the possibility of another club coming in for him.

If the club went ahead despite some obvious problems, and then those problems came back to bite us on the arse, would that not be worse?

Everton agreed a deal... something's come up... Everton aren't happy... good that we're looking after what little we have to spend!

Can anyone genuinely confirm this?

Could all be another phantom Owen bid, or was it Shearer... just to look like something was going on.

If its medical stuff, fair enough, but... fuck it.

Not Chris Samuelson is it ?

In that case, not to worry, the player will be in the bank tomorrow.

It's hard to nail it down, Sam. The site linked above carries an FC Twente copyright but turns out not to be their official website and an @FCTwenteOnline Twitter account that is pushing the same story also claims to be the club's official account but isn't either.

A handful of football writers in the Netherlands all began Tweeting at the same time that the deal has hit a snag so just waiting on more developments now.

Why, he stood in the Boys Pen with piss going through the holes in his shoes. Strange that, with Bill living in a very expensive detached house in Menlove Avenue during his childhood – I didn`t imagine he would have holes in his shoes.

Why is it deals to sign crap like Naismith never fall through?

Echo... picture... shirt.

We shouldn't jump to conclusions though – we might get over the final hurdle in this deal later tonight.

I wonder what excuses the board will trot out if this one is a non-starter?

What we do know he is having a medical, has publicly stated he wants to join. I'd be amazed if there really are any issues concerning the deal there will not be a compromise.
Still holding my breath though.

I don't believe that because surely that would have been discussed before now?

How serious are the charges – if any – he might face in the Netherlands?

It was such a bolt from the blue that his name came up, I'm not surprised the deal has hit some snags.

If he's in deep trouble and Moyes doesn't fancy him, we won't get him. If we can't afford him – we won't get him.

No-one is intentionally cocking up at Everton over every single thing every single day of the year. That sort of paranoid mindset is just ridiculous.

Oh well... back to Odidja-Ofoe!

Or maybe he thought he was getting a better deal and it's based on bonuses etc?

I've no idea so I'll hang on for official news.

We all know that having a bid "accepted" does not constitute having wrapped up a deal, as Moyes himself alluded to in his press conference today, when he iterated nothing was done yet and the medical was still on-going. So, the question is, why announce it and open yourself up to the possibilities of another club trumping your bid or enticing the player away (á la Nigel Martin to Leeds)?

My cynicism yesterday was that the Board had sanctioned the press release so that it looked like they (we) were trying to sign someone, but expecting the deal not to happen. I must admit, this did seem far fetched cynicism and even now, I'm not fully prepared to believe such thoughts, but you do have to wonder why the big news story before conversations have even occurred with the player.

I accept any issue with the medical can lead to re-negotiations, and this may well be what is happening but I've felt slightly uneasy about this whole deal since it was announced. The Coerts quote provides more comfort but this could well dampen the mood at Goodison tomorrow for a game where positive energy is required for a much needed 3 points.

If the report is genuine "additional requirements" might mean some reassurances over number of games played viz-a-viz the alleged court case coming up that they may claim to have been unaware of when they made the offer.

I know we're all anxious to have this lad signed on the 'dotted' but, until we hear that or we get to Friday morning, all theories and blame distribution is going to have to wait.

I firmly believe the deal is being stalled so that Fer can be introduced to the crowd before the game! There may be a few things to iron out on the deal but I bet we'll get it sorted and he'll sign.

[With apologies to National Lampoon.]

SkySports haven't run with any story about this yet, which may be because of the FC Twente website and Twitter feed concerned not being bona fida. Journalists on Twitter have been known to jump on stories previously that have not been verified, so this could all be a storm in a tea cup.

That said, how long does it take to do a medical? He was half way through it at 2:30pm this afternoon, so you would have expected it to be completed and the deal done by now. Does that suggest something really is wrong??

Milan announced their deal to sign Balotelli pending tomorrow's medical.

It's standard procedure in most transfers.

Intro at start at Goodison tomorrow would be good though – especially after this. Would win 2 - 0 then – in relief!

I'm gonna bet that it's a load of bollocks, scare mongering amongst the net, and if there is a glitch, we'll get it sorted.

These rumours happened when we first agreed a deal for Mirallas in the summer and there was scare-mongering across the web that he wouldn't sign but, hey presto, he signed and just in time to be paraded in-front of the crowd against Man Utd!

Same with Jelavic, people thought we couldn't agree terms with him and that he was leaving to discuss things with his agent... but instead, he was going back to his hotel to freshen up and change ahead of signing in time to be paraded in-front of the crowd at half-time against City.

I'm pretty sure we'll get this deal over the line, credible people linked to Everton are very confident we'll have him signed up before the window closes — and I believe them!

"Looks like they read the small print, Bill. We're rumbled!"

What if the alleged 'additional requirements' are perfectly reasonable? What if the whole story has been made up?

People just seem overly eager to start throwing mud at the club.

We'll intro him on the pitch tomorrow.

(God, I'm becoming sensible in my old age...)

On another note, the clip in the Echo is okay... I thought Barkley's for the U19 England side was better... Shows you.

https://twitter.com/fizzer18/status/296353269226283009

This should be a leaving present from Billy out of his personal fortune and let someone with honesty and credibility take over the reigns.

Müller
Fabrizio Ravanelli
Manuel Fenandes
Vadis Odjidja-Ofoe

Until I see his name on the team sheet, I don't believe a word of it.

Phil Neville is not 'claiming', he is stating it on his official Twitter account. Therefore it is true.

So far all we have is speculation and rumour. I'm suspecting some mischief-making going on!

You'll have to forgive me, I guess. Typically, I assume that, when someone says that their account was hacked, or that they didn't send the tweet that came from their account, they are only saying as much because they're in trouble for actually sending the tweet and their agents/coaches/managers are making them.

TL; DR: When you say you didn't send it, you totally did.

There is no difference betwee claiming something is not true and stating it is not true

Dictionary definition:

'to assert or maintain as a fact: She claimed that he was telling the truth.'

I thought it a little premature yesterday, and not like us to be shouting about a signing this early, I would have thought after the Fernandes saga we would have kept our powder dry.

If it was £3m down followed by follow-ups then it won't get them the replacements they need so....

It's all a bit smoke and mirrors but when BK is involved and it's the Transfer Window — you know it's gonna happen.

If it falls through then at least the excuses are ready made from the last few windows.

I know some like to always believe the worst. The rumour was about a tweet Phil Neville sent. I follow his account, have been checking Twitter all evening. There was no tweet! Someone is having us at it.

Apparently another rumour is Bill offered 10 top seats to a musical of their choice, or Naismith, as a good will gesture. They have taken the seats and are all looking forward to a good night out.

Like a new signing.

@grandoldteam: Apparently, talks with Leroy Fer suspended. FC Twente chairman Joop Munsterman reckons Everton threw a spanner in the works (payment method).

Although everything seemed that the transition from the 23-year-old midfielder was only a matter of details had walked the negotiations between the two clubs today still solid According to FC Twente chairman Joop Munsterman, were 'the additional requirements of Everton' who threw a spanner in the works.

Notably by the English Premier League club proposed alternative payment method lap Twente in the wrong way. Then continue to negotiate tonight proved futile, both clubs decided to provisionally suspend the talks. The parties expect to still be together around the table to sit. It is urgent, because the deadline for transfers coming Thursday at 24.00'.

Can you tell me why ToffeeWeb are basing an article on unconfirmed sources? I'm sick to the back teeth of internet bullshit and hearsay. Do us all a favour and just report on the facts — not some dickhead's twitter account.

That's the thing what does my head in about the internet — you can say something in Holland and everyone around the world can see it and can jump all over it and make it into something else.

Whatever the snag is could well be sorted by tomorrow dinner time and we wouldn't have known any better, not lashed the remote when seeing your piece, not ruined me tea and slept happy believing our new boss signing would be unveiled before kick-off tomorrow.

Now were all pissed off without knowing any solid facts.

Remember Danny Williamson and Slaven in 1997? Transfers pushed through after unconvincing medicals and the result? Both hardly played, both retired and West Ham (with a certain dodgy bastard called Redknapp at the helm operating a revolving door policy on transfers) trousered Ten Million Quid, which equated to half our annual turnover at the time! (The equivalent now would be £40m!!)

Do you expect the club to do a Rangers or a Leeds? If they've got no money, then they've got no money. It makes me wonder how some of you live your lives, spending money you have not got and then complaining that your up to your eyes in debt. Well I wouldn't want Everton to run like that.

I know it's frustrating, a couple more players and all that but no one should spend money they haven't got. If you do it's a recipe for disaster.

I feel that this deal has probably got something to do with next year's extra money that come to the Premier League. Let's just wait and see. Keep your fingers crossed because he looks very good indeed.

I was very careful not to go with anything until direct quotes attributed to Joop Munsterman were published by Dutch football writers on Twitter and on football news sites in the Netherlands and not by "some dickhead's Twitter account."

Even then, our report was very clearly labeled as unconfirmed but we wanted to post an update once it became clear — from multiple sources — that the negotiations had stalled. I am always very careful about jumping the gun.

This may turn out to be brinksmanship from Munsterman but, whatever the case, we can only go by what the president of the other club in this transaction is saying and, unless every quote attributed to him this evening is made up, he is clearly blaming Everton.

As for this particular transfer, either the deal will go ahead or it won't. Us sat here moaning about something that may or may not be true won't have any impact.

If you're going to complain, at least wait a few days until the facts of the situation become clear and we can see if there is anything to actually be pissed off about.

I don't think it's illegitimate to post the article with a note about unconfirmed reports, and it's something that's been picked up in the last hour or so by a couple of UK outlets (who are, interestingly, highlighting a problem with the medical that Munsterman has neglected to mention).

In this case, it's as much the responders to the initial unconfirmed article who've chosen to assume that rumour = confirmation of the most negative fact.

Personally, I'll just wait until the window closes and see what we have.

Steve (#239), Nobody wants Everton to do a Leeds or Portsmouth, but remember, we are already massively in debt. Income can only be achieved by selling our best players. This current transfer situation, for whatever the reasons, will have done nothing to raise the morale of the current squad or the Manager. Don't be surprised if Felli's clause is triggered on Thursday morning and he's in a different Blue shirt come Saturday.

If it is a giant cock-up on Everton's part, it might be enough to force David Moyes's hand. You say that you wouldn't want Everton to run like that; guess what we've been running like that for over 20 years.

I see that Coleman may be out for 4 weeks, so maybe the idea of buying a young right back is not such a bad idea.

So many transfers stall over personal terms and medicals yet it was reported, and received by the fans as a done deal. The Echo running with the title "New signing Leroy Fer insists his game is perfect for Premier League".

"New signing", to me, suggests that he has signed. Running an interview with a player about joining a club suggests he has signed. The fact it was reported on the official site would give the impression it's pretty much a formality.

If this all falls through then it will have been one of the biggest balls up we've seen for a while, and we've seen a few!

Having said all that, I'm still quietly confident we'll be cheering the horse loving bouncer as he's paraded on the pitch tomorrow night.

There were a couple of different quotes, Robin, and they appeared in different form on two different websites and from three or four Twitter accounts. Again, I'm very circumspect when it comes to what we report and how we present it; I'm certainly not going to go on the basis of one retweeted post.

In actual fact, if what is now being reported by Greg O'Keeffe in the Echo is true regarding the medical being the issue, I would have been more accurate if I'd gone with all the Twitter stuff that preceded the Munsterman quotes claiming that Fer had indeed failed his medical. I wasn't prepared to go out on a limb based on Twitter "ITKs", though.

Not sure why we're having this discussion seeing as we were correct in reporting the deal had hit a snag. Now Dominic King in the Mail last night... HE REALLY jumped the gun!

Well, on the bright side... at least Neville will continue in midfield!! Lol!

Looks like there has been some brinkmanship, which has backfired. I wouldn't believe a word O'Keefe writes – he is only a club poodle.

If Leroy turns out to be an injury liability, then people will forget that we should have tried to re-negotiate and say we are unlucky but, if we pull out now and save the €10m, we will have a reputation for not having any money and that would be far worse than just throwing the money away.

I mean it would be great if a transfer could go through without any fart-arseing about and he sounds a decent enough player but..he's not Messi.

For me, if he's in ANY way crocked and/or has a chance of going to prison, I'd say fuck it, save the 8.5m.

I was (like many) stunned that we could actually find that money - for me it's the money that needs wrapping in cotton wool.

People seem to think this lad could be the difference between 5th and 4th.

Can't see it myself - even if he turns out to be a genius, he'd still need half a season (minimum) to settle in.

And if Twente don't like it?

Fuck em.

Chances are, the only reason Everton (at this stage) will have made 'additional requirements' is because there IS a problem.

And (imo) as we're the buyer, it should be THEIR problem, not ours.

(experience says money on us blinking first)

Maybe we're just being oversensitive given the Mirallas and Gibson situations.

If the medical suggests a problem, even a teensy weensy one, then Everton are right to try to renegotiate the terms. Maybe it was 'let's have him on loan for a few months whilst we assess the knee', I'm obviously speculating but that's what I'd have done... And maybe Twente (quite understandably) have said 'what kind of deal is that?' and told Bill to knob off.

But if the only way ahead is to spend all our loot on a player who may have a long term problem I'd say look elsewhere, certainly if we can't get the Dutchies to play ball and let us have a good look before we buy.

So don't be pessimistic — every dark cloud has a silver lining and in our case it's called, Phillip Neville Esq.

Let's hope we can get someone else in, if not, we have to hope that our own players stay where they are at least until the Summer.

Does anyone else think that JMU is carrying out some sort of weird sociological experiment and all of us TWs are the subjects of their investigations? It certainly feels like that as Evertonians.

How would a 2½-hour medical show up serious knee problems, that would not show from scans medical records, discussions with doctors etc before a fee was agreed?. Something is not quite right about this.....

I really hope Moyes has someone else in mind.

Hopefully, Twente realise that Everton would not be willing to spend £8 million on a player who may have long term injury concerns without some sort of safety net in place.

Sometimes you have to take a calculated risk a la Demba Ba.

Every footballer has something show up on a medical so unless it's serious they are right to have the hump about trying to renegotiate.

I think you were nearer the truth when you said we knew there was a possible problem after all, it was common knowledge that he had a bad knee injury in September – but went ahead to try and force down the price, or at least insert safety net installments, etc.

Maybe this also explains DM's extreme caution at the press conference, as he knew it was far from being a done deal?

I don't know that you would get to see a player's full medical notes unless he authorised it, and even then it would probably take a while for them to be delivered, so I think it most likely that all we have to go on is what the scouts have reported and our own medical people's assessment today.

What makes me twitchy about how things stand is the feeling we could screw it all up by being too demanding, and allowing the lad to go home — rather than putting him in a top hotel and taking him to the game tomorrow night — seems like we are not that bothered about how it ends up.

There is also the issue of this rumour of Everton trying to restructure the deal due to issues with the medical, which if this is the case, the club cannot be pilloried for surely... even on the pages of the ever so positive and supporting ToffeeWeb?

Personally I think this deal is too far down the line for it to remain unresolved; Twente will get their money, it's just a matter of how long it'll take us to pay it!

Big game tomorrow, lets have a bit of positivity around these corridoors, win 3 - 0, sign this Dutch feller, finally get Moutinho and bring Wayne Rooney back!
Everton aren't we!?!

As Jay said though, since he came back from that injury the reports are he has been excellent for Twente, and banging goals in as well.

'Fickle, cynical'?

Why, because a few people suggest that we should only buy him if he's fit and we shouldn't allow ourselves to be duped?

Hardly the club being 'pilloried'.

Negotiations have been suspended but they haven't said whether they will continue... but, as usual, don't believe anything until they announce he has signed on the dotted line.

Remember this is Everton were talking about, they could fuck up a cup of coffee.

Now it seems there might or might not be a snag with his medical, and from that, the club are "a fucking shambles" "fucking amateurs" etc.etc... They fucking would be if we spent £8.5M on a crock!

My shources tell me it's the language barrier... nobody can undershtand a word Shteve McClaren's saying.

Squad building for the vast majority of clubs is done bit by bit and we may have timed this one right, with the most sought after midfielders already gone or in negotiations elsewhere and only us currently prioritising this type of player.

Go get Etienne Capoue!

If there really is an issue and they won't budge then perhaps we could go for Capoue instead. that is if Toulouse would accept that kind of fee-arrangement and will still be selling after letting Sissoko go to Newcastle. Stay calm and carry on!

Alternatively, maybe Leroy just forgot his toothbrush! (Or his nice tartan horse blanket.)

Someone asked why Twente are selling him if he's so wonderful? That's an easy one: Dutch clubs are all selling clubs, from what I understand. They have great youth academies and the clubs make money by selling young players to England, Italy, Spain, Germany - countries which have more money circulating in their leagues.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2270348/Evertons-8-6m-Leroy-Fer-deal-jeopardy.html

If we are selling a player then everything goes through nice and quick usually within 24 hours but if we are trying to sign a player it can take days or even weeks to agree a fee or do a medical.

I have no idea whether Everton are doing completely the right thing over Fer or it's us trying to save a few quid but I've sort of resigned myself to seeing this guy go on to play every game this season for Twente and then probably move to someone else in the summer!

All this has not just come to light in a medical at Finch Farm. We have got to put pressure on removing Kenwright from our club, he is ruining us and making us a laughing stock throughout Europe.

The issue for me would be the actual fee this player is valued at £6.5m, but we are reported to be paying between £8-9mill depending on who is reporting the story.

One wonders though as to whether Everton could have done this medical in Holland before announcing the deal as more or less concrete.

I'd be expecting Everton to be wanting to re-negotiate the fee as well as lowering the actual transfer fee, as well as looking for insurance of further injuries. Let's just keep fingers crossed that it all falls into place, but not at the price were we could get our fingers burnt.

For me the answer is yes, Chris.

Unless you are writing off Mirallas, Coleman, Naismith and Pienaar / Oviedo then I would say we have adequate options on the right when everyone is fit, though I would still like to see an addition in this department.

We now seem set to operate with a lone striker in most games, and don't rely on one goalscorer exclusively. Anichebe has had limited use, Mirallas is another option and Vellios and McAleny are waiting in the wings.

In centre midfield we have Fellaini, Gibson, Osman and Neville / Heitinga. Gibson is unlikely to resolve his injury problems without resorting to surgery so will be in and out until summer, Fellaini is preferred in the advanced role and Ossie and Pip will struggle to maintain the required intensity for the rest of the season simply due to their age. To me a young box to box midfielder should be able to make a big difference for the remainder of the season.

You could argue quite reasonably that we could do with reinforcements in all areas of the squad, but in terms of one decent player making a difference I think central midfield is one of those areas that would benefit immensely simply from someone with a bit of power and pace allied to average technical ability.

For a winger or a striker top ability is required to be sure of the required result and that is likely to cost even more than 10 million euros.

You can't blame anyone at Everton — players have surgery on bad injuries and recover all the time but the reason why you have medicals in the first place is to thoroughly examine the condition of the player, not just for the short term (he has played consistently since November-ish) but for the life of a 4½ contract.

Now a reason to say it!!

:-)

Forget this guy and spend the £8.5M on a less risky acquisition – let's just pray that the money isn't coming front the sale of Baines or Fellaini.

It's simple: we are a a top Premier League team who can't afford an £8m player something has to change because the wheels are coming off and watching them each week, it's obvious that we are a club that could fall rapidly this season. Let's try to enforce change now come Friday – it's a long run in to the end of season with our threadbare squad.

Another aspect could be insurance. It may be that the insurance company won't cover the player for pre-existing conditions, or they need to be more than fully convinced that it is unlikely to reoccur before covering it. Otherwise if he gets crocked the club may get nothing from the policy?

But, definitely frustrating to suddenly a deal after keeping it under wraps so successfully only to hit a snag.......... grrr....

This is evident by the fact that Moyes is happy to keep the same starting players who cannot win games and not find enough reason to start the bench players more consistently. He is obviously not sufficiently impressed with them save Naismith who is very average at best.

The next two games are very winnable and at home but if they do not produce 6 points then it's sayonara to the Champions League.

Brian Waring. Can't help thinking the same thing.

Of course, if his knee is really bad we don't want him. Mirallas and Gibson are already two crocks too many.

He failed the medical. We kept our money. He went to Spurs instead. Was injured all the time. Went to Portsmouth... ditto. Great shame for the lad, but we were right not to buy him.

Fer is clearly our second choice behind M'Vila (who choose the money in Russia). Obviously this will be a disappointment if he does not come. But we cannot blow our money if he can't play for us much because of his knee.

Why people think this shows Everton as incompetent, I don't know. Its highly competent.

If Twente are getting all twitchy because they knew we'd find out he's got a dodgy knee, then that's poor form from them.

Now I realize Moyes may have alternatives lined up, but we know with Everton everything is not straightforward because of structuring of payment terms etc we may be forced into a panic buy which will hardly be suitable...

His knee may blow up or it may not. His club will have given us their view and the agreed fee would have been conditional on that assessment being backed up by our own medical. We've had experts give their opinion on the likelihood of of his knee going and we believe that a reallocation of the risk should occur.

It's bog standard stuff whether you're buying a house, car, TV, professional service, or anything else. No need to beat up on the club – they're fighting for the right deal for Everton.

The next 48 hours will be revealing.

Think of it this way: how stupid would they have to be to think they could construct a conspiracy of the magnitude and complexity being claimed, with the intention of presumably fooling you lot... only to fail miserably on that score as you've all seen right through it!

Er.. Not.

However, on the flipside, if the concerns are enough to warrant renegotiating, should the club not pull out completely because, after all, the whole idea is to buy a player to improve the team. If there are major concerns about his injury then surely he's not going to, is he?

My simple take is that obviously it's a good move if the boy is simply a sick note. Unfortunately, this club has fucked up so much (intentionally and by accident) that they do not deserve the benefit of the doubt and I don't know how anyone can give them that at the minute.

Do I think they're scamming Twente and the fans this time? No. But at this point in their tenure, they CANNOT be trusted and therefore I can't give them the benefit of the doubt anymore. Simply put.

Not sure we need to dump £8.6M on one player, either. I'd much prefer a £4M defensive midfielder and a £4M striker... How anyone could argue that, I just don't know. We desperately need goals. I pray Moyes sees this need!!!

Like every Club bar the "super-rich", we are now a "shop-window" outfit and, sad though it feels, we just have to live with it. Much of the magic and romance has faded away but we are still the great Everton FC and we fans will never lose our fervour.

It's hard to believe the people in charge have let things get this far and this late without forethought and careful planning. How many times have I had to endure vivid descriptions of the wily, cunning, lying, cheating methods of BK and the Hole in the Wall Gang? Well, for just this once, I hope the descriptions are right.

Get out of this one now, I say!

However, you could also look at the Stoke/Ba situation, with Stoke probably kicking themselves at the fact they didn't sign him... look at where he is now!

I still would love for the transfer to happen but I would understand the club's decision if they pulled out. One question is why didn't we go in for Moussa Sissoko? The lad Neuveu Chateau signed? They're the same type of player, similar age and as Moussa was in his last year would have probably been cheaper... anyway I'm not worried, we'll get someone.

The club needs to come out and say it's off, full stop.

1. Everton scout, monitor and bid £8m+ for Leroy Fer and the bid is accepted.

2. The media run the story and Fer flies in for a medical.

3. The medical uncovers a long term knee issue and Everton begin to show concern, but still want the player.

4. To ensure they don't throw £8m+ down the drain and with the recent injury problems with GIbson and Mirallas, Everton inform FC Twente about the knee issue (which they'd have been aware of already) and demand the fee be paid based on a successful run in the team, to cover themselves in case he is a crock of Danny Williamson-esque proportion.

5. FC Twente think "Shit, they've found out the player is fucked, lets put all the blame on them in order to come out of this smelling of roses and maybe they'll still buy him anyway."

As far as I'm concerned, Everton are doing the right thing here.

If we signed him and he was crocked, we'd all be slagging off Moyes and Bill for wasting our whole budget on a player we never see play.

After all, you lot have been moaning about Mirallas all season.

If he is fucked, don't go near him Everton. Maybe go for Diame at £3.5m (release clause) and sign a striker for £5m as well.

Now if the fee was a lot smaller, it may be worth the risk, I am sure Tony Pulis is sorry he didn't take the risk with Demba Ba but he cost next to nothing to sign so it probably was worth the risk.

Unfortunately, to some Everton supporters, it seems you're dammed if you do, and you're dammed if you don’t.

I should think that there is a higher authority on that matter than that little scally Francis Jeffers.

I am not sure, but I don’t think a sports medical is perfectly straight forward, I would think that there is a reasonable degree of interpretation involved. And the mistakes that regularly get made would appear to testify to that reasoning.

I used the terms fickle and cynical as less than 24 hours previous to this news breaking the majority of supporters were swinging from the roof tops. The issue I have is with the sudden turn towards negativity now there seems to be a problem.

If Everton have concerns over the lad's knees and feel the need to restructure the deal, thus offering the club a sense of insurance, then I think we'd all agree that makes perfect business sense, not something our board have been accused of around these parts for a long, long time?

Si (#301), there is also nothing from either club suggesting the deal is dead; with less than 48 hours of the window remaining, I'd imagine there's a lot of underhand tactics getting used in negotiations all over Europe?

Moyes pretty much summed it up yesterday when he said 'Until he's here next to me, I'd rather not talk about it'.

Unfortunately in this day and age, transfers are not so straight forward now. This whole situation has caused uproar and a glut of conspiracies.

Would any of you blame-throwers spend that amount on something which was broken? I think not.

Get real people and stop this pathetic blame game. You sound just like our neighbours.

At the end of the day, since the injury the lad has played 17 games, scoring 9 goals with 2 assists and going by reports he has been mustard for Twente.

Stephen Karnes @368

Carlton Cole? Sorry, Stephen, I'd sooner take a chance on Nat King Cole. OK, you'd have to dig him up first but he'd still be more mobile than his love-child Carlton.

Just proves how right us cynical bastards were when decrying the earlier "HE'S OURS!" and "Song for Leroy" posts... Seems like a toss-up at this stage, the outcome may well determine the mood at kick-off tonight.

If the deal is abandoned, at least we know that there is a transfer kitty available, which to be honest has completely surprised me, therefore I suppose I shouldn't be too disappointed. I have to keep telling myself that.

Would you really want to support anyone else? It's great being an Evertonian.

If this falls through,then Diame would be a good buy at £3.5m.

"Everton want to restructure payment of the fee after the 23-year Netherlands midfield man's medical uncovered a problem with his knee.

"Fer was on Merseyside on Tuesday hoping to complete the deal and while Everton are still prepared to pay the full fee, FC Twente are refusing to accept the changes in the way it will be paid.

"Everton have given FC Twente until this evening to agree or they will explore other options - but so far there is no sign of a breakthrough in negotiations."

The above however just highlights the stupidity in always leaving the transfer dealings to the last minute. If we don't have to rely on selling someone to fund a transfer, why could we have not sorted this out weeks ago and so had more time to look for a replacement if the deal doesn't go through???

I am always surprised so few transfers happen on 1st Jan given the clubs would have had months to sort out the details and the player could then play for the new club for the whole of January as well.

Fingers crossed this guy still comes over and his knee is okay.

No, really. They've already briefed the BBC - the link is under the main article - and Shane has just paraphrased it above. It's a funny situation, agreed, but we're just going to have to wait and see.

I was going to suggest we pass the time coming up with other horse-related players we could buy if the Fer deal falls through, but my heart's not really in it at the moment!

The lateness of the hour is unfortunate but I just don't think that we've left it late intentionally. Unfortunately we don't have the finances to identify a top target months in advance, have the money ready and be sure of his desire to come regardless of his wage. Our deals have to be worked on and thus take time. Saying that, we got Jelavic and Pienaar on the last day last year so for people to be saying that no one good can come in now is a bit off the mark.

I'm also hoping we had a right winger on loan. Given the surprise of the Fer deal, and last Jan's dealing, I'm hoping it is not pure optimism to consider it a possibility.

When we bought Felli, it was a last minute panic buy that has worked luckily but it may well have backfired. I see other clubs signing four and five players quite quickly but we are now in a predicament of our own making. If the lad has been watched for so long surely his injury would have come to light.

We signed Mirallas quite quickly and took on Gibson who was a known injury risk. We took Saha and a shedload of has-beens so why wasn't this lad's injury problems (if true) seen earlier?

We could have been doing this business weeks ago but now we will probably sign no-one or take on someone at the last minute who hasn't been scouted.

In a nutshell, it's Everton's fault for leaving things so late and no-one else's, really amateurish business acumen demonstrated by so-called professionals!!

Look at FC Twente on the web.

Surprising, but it explains why he jetted back to Holland last night.If anything, this may weaken our hand in negotiations, as he has proved that he's currently fit. Although our doubts are more long term, I suppose.

Transfer deals also generally take a while, and we have no idea who else we've been trying to get in. Transfer deals also have domino effects, which rely on one playing going on account of another coming in etc etc... which is why stuff happens so late. It's not ideal, but it's hardly just Everton is it?

Which club hasn't signed or sold on deadline day in recent seasons? Didn't City get in 4 players last deadline day?

And we won't buy someone without scouting... what do you think our scouts do all season? There will be a list with other names on it, and everyone of them would have been scouted.

It's frustrating... but just wait and see. I'm inclined to say that, if the player wants to leave, and other players are waiting to come in, we will see some movement.

A player I would seriously consider though is Aiden McGeady from Spartak Moscow – he's available and is a terrific player whenever I've seen him play.

If you're buying, say, a house, you want to pay as little as you can for it, so you aren't going to give the vendor the impression that you're really keen (weakens your negotiating position). So you don't jump straight in after seeing the house and start to talk, but let the vendor know you're looking around. I'd guess that's what EFC do. So what some here sees as "too late into the market" is probably a wise ploy.

Continuing the analogy, if I suggest a price for the house to the vendor and that's accepted, I would still give it a "medical" (house survey) and if that reported some issues, then in England at least I'd renegotiate the tentative initial offer - price reduction, or pull out. Or in the case of a player, suggest I pay a smaller amount now and if the player turns out later not to be a medical liability, then pay the rest then.

Isn't that what EFC are doing probably?

Gibson was £500k, I'm sure Moyes was willing to gamble that probably after a friendly chat with Fergie, he knew full well what he was getting. As he did with Saha.

Paying £8 mill to a Dutch club who aren't keen on appearance-related payments is a lot more risky... hence why we can't just rush him in like Gibson.

On the plus side, contrary to all our beliefs, it appears there are a few coppers in the coffers so hopefully if fer falls through we might have other targets.

If we didnt need to sell to buy, then talks could have (presumably) been started in Dec/Nov or even earlier so the guy could have had a medical on 1st Jan etc. We don't know the full details obviously but I don't understand why the wheeling and dealling could not be done before the transfer window even opens, so the player can join beginning of Jan.

Its not as easy as we think but we seem to leave it to the last minute so often. So if Twente don't budge we have 1 day to sort something out!

We cannot reply on Gibson staying fit and we have to end Neville playing CM - its beginning to get embarassing.

BIlly Liar has done it again with his smoke and mirrors the majority now think we are actually trying to source a quality player for big money whilst the minority of us know he never had the money nor the intention of spending the money. If I sell my car on Autotrad I want the cash up front when I release it and wouldn't accept £20 a month over 4 yrs.

Love the fact that Gibson, Saha and Mirrallas passed medicals despite never being fit.

In short, if Gibson is out, our form takes dive, imo becasue we don't have a decent strong CM to take his place (Fellaini being played up top).

And also, it looks as though this is stemming from potential future problems as a result of recent surgery and not that the player is currently carrying an injury so therefore not known until he had his scans/tests etc. yesterday

If we always wait until the last two or three days there is hardly any time to get someone else in.
Felli was a last minute panic buy and he came good LUCKILY !!

Fer has starred in recent games and now he is back in Holland and playing again I don't understand how this professional board of ours could not have had this business over with earlier.
Its an amateurish way of doing business compared to other clubs who give themselves time for alternatives.

Explain the stupid way the Ofoe situation occurred, again a late deal held up by paperwork !!!!!

As I have said before; stop giving this board excuses, let them make their own !!

We need a decent signing to lift our club and find it convenient it's all falling apart unless FC Twente agree ridiculous financial terms. I hope I am proved wrong.

BUT, what I will hold EFC culpable for is if there is no 'Plan B', and we leave it too late to find an alternative. And most of us here know how shit EFC are with 'Plan B's'.....

Well Ba has hardly suffered setbacks since apparently being turned down by Stoke has he. I believe if you really want to find a problem in order to still look good and save the money you never had you can always find that problem.

Brian, I am aware that his goalscoring record, 1 goal in every 2.4 games, is clearly very good, but my point is that Bent never stays anywhere long enough to warrant buying a house. I repeat, why would Spurs, Sunderland ,Villa, and Charlton from his top flight clubs, offload him after two years? There must be some reason. In addition, apart from his knack of putting the ball in the net with what must be the highest percentage of miss-hits, knees, bollocks and elbows of any player I've ever seen, I don't think he's the most skillfull forward, do you? (I realise that the brigade who (a) Want ANY new signing and (b) the lads who adopt the "doesn't matter how you score" attitude will have a field day with my musings but, well, I don't give a toss. He's not my type of player)

This is the guy who's keeping Wesley Schneider and Rafael Van de Vaart out of the Dutch National team - he's that good.

It's not a huge fee in the current climate, but it is to Everton as we all know so it's only natural they're being cautious, especially given that we already have Mirallas & Gibson who are both injury prone (at least this season).

This kind of thing happens all the time during negotiations for players; the only difference is that it''s become public knowledge - a mistake on the clubs behalf, but as someone else said above, the fashion at the moment is to inform as soon as the fee is agreed - the Balotelli deal is all over the news, as was the RS deal for Coutinho - both before the players had had medicals or agreed terms.

All the posts on here about the club bluffing, and Kenwright not really wanted to buy Fer, are, in my opinion, well wide of the mark. It's £8m, not a small amount of anyones money to part with. Remember, you support a 'real world' club, not Chelsea, not Man City, not Anzhi, and you're not playing Football Manager either.

There are human beings involved here, with thoughts & feelings of their own, and all too often football fans forget the human element, and seem to see players as pieces of meat to be traded around like computer game characters.

There's always way more to it than meets the eye.

"Everything is happening........and nothiing goin' on"

Who is to say there wasn't a financial hitch late in proceedings, and this was an excuse to call off the deal?

Name a P.L. transfer where the player has failed their medical? They even push deals through when players are injured these days.

The fact they still want to sign him is a little contradictory, let's see if any other clubs decide he is fit enough if we don't close this deal.

The other issue is insurance - I'll wager the EFC insurers won't cover him for pre-existing medical conditions, which could also put a spanner in the works re payments.

The issue here surely is risk mitigation in that the injury hampered players Everton brought in really were low risk - Saha would not take any wages initially for instance.

Michael Owen is anything but free as any Newcastle or Stoke fan would tell you so I don't know what comparison you are trying to make there. At Newcastle each goal cost £1.3M and I think his Stoke stats are even more expensive.

Quite rightly Everton did not touch Owen with a bargepole for the reasons identified by some above, despite the fact I think we were his club of choice. I don't think the club in this case can be pilloried for conducting business negotiations in a business manner despite the hysterai which seems to be palpable in this thread.

I'd give special mention to the Michael Kenrick (374) and Anthony Jaras (390) posts as keeping the right perspective on this situation. Clearly some people on this thread have never carried out a negotiation involving significant moolah and associated risk.

If I understand it right, they want to base the payments on appearances, so what if Moyes wants to put someone else in because he doesn't rate him?

I wouldn't agree to those terms either.

My point about Stoke was that they didn't really want to spend the money on quality players like Ba whilst they can get away with spending next to nothing on big name has beans like Owen. I would suggest Owens medical highlighted a lot more problems than Ba's. Im also sure that Gibsons medical showed up far more problems than Fers.

Pulis is like Moyes backing the board even though the board never back them. This board has never conducted business in the right way but they are allowed to get away with it whilst the Joes of this world still support them.

It is OUR money because it's our club as fans, season ticket holders and shareholders.

All I do know is that, to quote the oft muttered saying... "This is the Everton Way". This saga will run right to the deadline, I am sure.

I'm more concerned now about getting three points against WBA. COYB

Fer has played regularly without being subbed and has regular mentions as playing well.
That cannot be said of many of our fist team FFS.

If BK is only playing tricks that is OK so long as something happens before this window closes
We have a whole raft of injuries to first team starters with no one to adequately replace them.
The fans want and deserve a new player who can give our team the impetus to fulfill the potential it has shown earlier in the season.
Apart from Man Utd there are no teams in the premiership playing consistently including Man City,Arsenal, Chelsea and Spurs fourth place is a realistic goal if DM is supported.
The money spent will be recouped at the gate.

Maybe a TW poll would be appropriate, once a decision has been made one way or another?

Did EFC handle the Fer transfer negotiations well? YES or NO.

Could we not sign him and take an insurance policy against future injury? I think that is standard practice in football.

We've agreed a fee, had him over for a medical, filled his head with noughts and sent him back saying we won't pay the money.

Look at this from Twente's perspective now, they've got a player who wants to move and a buyer who doesn't want to pay, their deals for the cover players are falling apart and the clock is ticking..

It could be very good negotiating on our part, maybe we never had the upfront readies..

To strengthen their bargaining position Twente need to introduce a competetive bidder to the situation to put the willies up Everton and Everton need to line up an alternative player (Capuoe please)

Mind you I thought equines with doggy legs were put down, not encouraged to do 'box-to-box' stuff.

Keep us informed on what he said, Harold. We don't all have ESPN.

If it doesn't then please come back on the forum and admit you were wrong.

Just for the record: you are saying that the Fer deal will fall through and we will sell someone at the last moment. (Also, that any money from a sale will effectively vanish into the mist rather than be spent on transfers in the following window.)

Well, we'll know in a couple of days, won't we?

During the game he roamed the middle but Twente were under pressure and he couldn't get into it. With 30 minutes left he began making threatening runs from deep and near the end he burst through and nearly scored.

Someone said he was MOTM but I wouldn't know about that. He looked ok without being particularly impressive. He certainly doesn't have the skill and mobility of Odjidja-Ofoe. However , he does have the" X - Factor " much loved by Uncle Bill and might well end up in a London show.