Barry deal close

Barry had a good solid season for us last year but I’m a little worried he’s had his last big season.

A 3-year deal could be a little excessive. Rodwell (if passed fitness test) may be better option, although anyone is better than getting Samaras.

I think it’s clear that going into this, both sides and the player had some kind of understanding that Barry would likely stay at Everton to end his career.

If you woulda told me last year at this time that we’d get Barry for 2-3 seasons at that price (£2.5M) and his play would be as high as it was at times last year, I’d take that deal everyday.

He’s a great role model for James and the younger members. He’s always come off as a professional to me. Good stuff.

As far as I am concerned, this is great, though not entirely unexpected news!

I can’t understand the £2.5M figure mentioned all the same, as he is a free agent! I can only think that as a loan player (Everton paid half the player’s wages during the spell with us) which allegedly, he was on £100k per week, and we paid half, as is usual in loan arrangements, that this is what is being referred to!

Either way, we have secured a player who was more influential for us than almost any other, in our first season under the tutelage of Roberto!

The experience of Gareth Barry, is not only beneficial to the unit, but the fact he can also pass this on to the younger members of the playing staff, is almost priceless!

I just hope that more new additions will follow, and still believe that this could be one of the pivotal points in the transformation of our team!

Yes, he’s 33 but he never relied on pace at 23, his game is about intelligence.

Hope the signing is announced asap.

I cannot fathom how this £2.5M keeps rearing it's ugly head. If he is a free agent then he has no contract governing his conduct. The £2.5M must surely have been a fee we agreed with Man City as a purchase price exclusively available to us during the loan. Now the loan has ended we no longer have the exclusive right to talk to him...but, like every other club, we have the option to take him on without paying a transfer fee.

Either that or Everton are setting a precedent as the first club to ever pay another club a fee for a player then do not own.

The sooner Roberto gets a move on in the transfer market the better. Our close rivals have signed good players and are likely to sign even more.

Pre-season starts in less than four weeks and so far we have unconfirmed re-signings of Lacina Traore, who on first glance has a poor first touch, and Barry, who definitely lacks pace. Lukaku and Deulofeu have not yet been replaced while Kone is starting a month long Ramadan.

I am not panicking yet but I would not like to see another two weeks pass without the introduction of several new faces.

Hope this one is true.

No club was coming in for him at Man City wages. With Everton, he'll finish in a top Side. And must believe, having the Energizer Bunny McCarthy in front of him was a consideration.

Let's hope this is true! As others have said, I'd like to see Rodwell signed too, as depth in the midfield is very important (especially so considering Barry's age). Still, if it's true it is great news, even if three years may be a bit of a gamble.

Announcement in five weeks then.

I always believe that having an experienced senior player in the side brings a lot of maturity and 'wisdom' to a team's play. We had Phil Neville for a number of years, and while we all know his limitations, he played an important role in those years. Barry is now our senior pro, and surely he is a major step-up from Neville, and could become our very own Pirlo.

I'm very much with you, Ant Dwyer, the reliance on Barry, Distin, Howard, Jagielka, Pienaar, Osman gives Everton a very (pick your own word) mature, experienced, old, team.

I had a feeling this might happen soon after Barry's Man City deal expires on 1 July.

A very solid first signing as his passing, composure and intelligence form a good partnership with McCarthy's dynamism. Hope it happens.

Great player, always had a reliable fitness record right throughout his entire career which is important.

Like a few people, I can't understand the £2.5M fee either but whatever – we just need to get this deal done because you get the feeling Barkley needs this to happen as much as anyone. Barry really helps Ross develope and gives his more license to try things high up the pitch.

Let's just hope for once the papers are right and it is complete in 48 hours and doesn't drag on; we need others with Barry.

Great business. With Darren Gibson and hopefully Baines slowly moving to that position, it should mean no need for Rodwell.

Rodwell is a lovely lad blessed with all the natural athleticism, with two good feet but – as positive as Martinez is – Rodwell's self-belief will always be the issue. If he's only fourth choice at defensive CM, then sadly lack of self-belief could always prevent anybody really seeing the best in him.

Knowing Kenwright, it is more likely that will sign Barry Chuckle from the Chuckle brothers.

"I knew he would fit into Roberto's passing style as he assured me that was very good at one-twos. Well, he keeps saying... 'to me, to you'."

This would be a good start to our summer transfer business IMO!

Yes, he's 33 but his quality and experience will be invaluable. Not sure about the 3-year deal though, I think it could be 2 years with an option of a third but I think we'll get a good couple of seasons out of him if we use him right and keep him fresh throughout the season.

Good signing; as said above, he is an ideal replacement for Phil Neville as senior pro except he is also a very good player as well. Obviously the loan deal was claused that, if we took him on after his contract expired, we owed the £2.5million, which if we effectively get Barry for 4 seasons is a bargain. Try before you buy.

I think Lundstram and Ledson will benefit from him being around as he has all the experience in the world... and I believe, if he'd gone Brazil, England would still be there. He is the new Reid, Parkinson or Carsley.

Does anyone really think Rodwell is going to come in, nail down a place, and take us to the next level?? — NO!! Me neither... so why is there such an interest in re-signing a player who's never put 5 games together in his entire career??

Can we not be happy that we basically mugged Man City of £12 million and move on?? I can't understand these constant comments about him being a good signing?? How??

We already have Gibson, Traoré and Koné who are going to be in and out of the side with injuries; what we need is a quality playmaker in the Arteta mould!!

I just hope we sign players that will take the first 11 up that next step, not 6 players to basically bulk out the squad to leave us depending on the same side as last year.

Shaw to Man Utd, Costa to Chelsea, Lillanna to Liverpool — players not bought for the squad but bought to go straight into the first 11 and add instant quality!!

This would be great news. For me, the win over Chelsea kick-started our season and Barry's last-ditch block typified the effort and commitment a loan player gave us.

My only concern is that I have a feeling Barry was trying to play his way into the World Cup squad... what has he got to play for this season?

On the plus side, if he does sign, he must have had reassurances about what other players we will be looking to sign.

Now that Roberto has his MF general guaranteed, hopefully we can now start improving the squad in other areas.

Wouldn't bet on it Colin. I'm still expecting us to go after players after the bulk of clubs have done their shopping. Can't afford to get in any bidding wars.

I'm preparing to be somewhere between disappointed and mildly satisfied with our total transfer dealings, mainly on the basis of not having sold one of our stars this year.

And don't forget, Koné, Gibson etc. will be like new signings.

It's the BK way. Has been ever since he bought us hoping to make a killing, I mean selling the club to someone better able to take us forward.

I had thought Roberto was looking to the much younger Rodwell to take on the Barry mantle. Now we have the prospect of seeing them both return.

Might be a bit pedantic in midfield if that happens, I think.

I imagine we'll get another couple of players in soon and the rest will no doubt come in on deadline day as per usual. We were fortunate last season our 3 late signings hit the ground running but we shouldn't have to rely on this sort of luck.

Hopefully Belgium will get knocked out the World Cup and we'll get Lukaku at a sensible(ish) price and before start of the season.

Next priority is a winger to replace Deulofeu then, after that, a bit more depth in squad would be useful and any player leaving needs to be replaced; however, I'm hoping the only player that will be leaving in our current squad is Junior.

The club had better get a move on if they are to actually sign these 6/7 players Martinez says we need to compete next season. The clock is ticking!

I would have been disappointed if we hadn't signed Barry, our most influential player last season. I thought Deulofeu showed great promise without fulfilling that promise most of the time, and for me I am still undecided on Lukaku. To be honest, the lad who has replaced him in the Belgium team has impressed me.

So, for me, signing Barry was more essential than signing Lukaku... and as for his age, I don't see that being a concern; he doesn't rely on pace and he his always fit – unlike Rodwell who is quite the opposite. When you have a limited budget, you can't risk spending money on someone throughout his career who has been injury-prone.

If this goes through and we have Gibson back from injury, we could have a very strong midfield next season.

I think we should get Rodwell as I have no doubt that we will be looking at 3 centre backs in the not too distant future, with Rodwell being the perfect player to play in the middle of the three as the ball-playing centre-half. This is a role that Martinez used McCarthy in at Wigan a few times. It'll be Stones on one side, Jags or Distin on the other and Rodwell in the middle, with Duffy pressing for a place, too.

Everton need to get their finger out and buy some players. Barry to me is only making up the numbers. We shouldn't be relying on the likes of Barry – he is too old and, if it's on a three-year deal, far too comfortable.

Rodwell? Let's not go there, he seems to tweak his hamstring just watching football!

I reckon getting Barry is a must!

I also feel Rodwell will become a very good central defender along with Stones in the very near future. Roll on the new season.........!!!

Well, I have just heard from a little dickie bird who works inside Goodison that the "arrangement" with Man City was that, if we signed Barry before the start of the 2014-15 season, a £2.6 million fee would be paid to them; however, if we sign him after the first game has been played, that the fee agreement is "non iure requiritur consensus" (no longer a condition of a legal agreement). According to the source, the agreement between player and club is in place but the clause is the cause in the delay in his signature... sounds plausible to me.

Tony Twist,

A little unfair to Barry. He was the lynchpin for the team last season. Everything went through him.

Barry was desperate for someone to come in for him last season at times, as he was all we had alongside McCarthy, that will be even more evident this season as he ages another year.

Yes, we do have Gibson coming back but we signed him for such a nominal fee based on his fitness issues and I'm not sure if he can cope with the demands of the Premier League this season.

If this season Gibson does not maintain his fitness, we should be trying to look into his contract. We don't want to burn out James McCarthy either. Europa League will take its toll.

Joe Edwards

But how can Man City be having a say on a player who is not contracted to their club? It honestly makes no sense. Once his contract with City has elapsed, how is it possible for them to still be calling the shots?

Barry is definitely a player I want to see back here this season, but I'm struggling to come to terms with the £2.5m fee and the reported 3 year contract. How can a player of his age warrant a 3-year deal?A 1-year rolling contract would be a more sensible deal, but I guess Barry will want the security of a longer deal. One thing's for sure, Old Father Time will catch up with every player eventually; let's hope Barry has similar genetics to Distin and has plenty left in the tank.

For those that are impatient for new signings, it takes two to tango.

Roberto will maybe know who he wants to sign, but negotiating with their club, their personal manager & the player himself will often be a long drawn-out affair!

We will end up with a strong squad of players, I'm sure.

Patience lads. Patience.

Roberto will have an A-list and a B-list. Dependent on how they perform at the World Cup and how much their prices go up.

It seems obvious that part of the terms of the original loan from Man City included a clause that, if Everton FC wanted to take him on a permanent deal, then they would have to pay a 'fee' for him – albeit a token fee. How much would we have had to pay for a player of his ability in the first place – £5m to £6m?

I'm not particularly happy that he has a three-year deal but I suppose it's a way of giving him the security he requires without breaking the wage structure. It's an okay deal but it shows how hard it is for Everton FC to cope in the hyped-up market.

Anyone expecting the Blues to break the bank and be out there buying £15m to £20m players need to lower their expectations – we just haven't got the money to spare.

Rodwell is not a centre back! He has not played there since he was about 16 and has never played there in the Premier League. Perhaps he could be moved there but it's a big piece of speculation for someone who hardly excelled in reading the game and making tackles!

I can't believe people on here actually think re-signing Rodwell is a good idea. The lad was constantly injured when here and has been at Man City. What makes anyone think he will miraculously stay injury-free if we re-sign him?

Let's be honest, he was no world beater, even when fit. We well and truely pulled Man City's pants down getting £12 million for him. Rodwell should be left well alone. Keeping Gibson fit will be hard enough.

Barry is Roberto's lynchpin in MF so I suppose he is important while younger players are coming through and developed.
Like everyone else, I'm checking the gossip pages and nowt! But Roberto will have his targets, it's just a case of if BP Bill will open his wallet.

With a very tough opening few fixtures, I'm hoping we can complete the bulk of our business before the start of the season rather than the end of August.

I don't fancy Kone & Naismith as our only source of goals against Chelsea and Arsenal that's for sure. I think Martinez has been clever though after he made a statement saying he had already identified his targets.

Sort of a "Don't blame me if we don't sign anyone until 31 August." It's still only June, so I cannot see the need to worry just yet.

Everton are still not the elite big spenders for obvious reasons and so taking back Barry for another season seems a good idea.

His form of last season indicates he has another good season left and to be quite honest (and biased), I think he may have been a better bet in Brazil than some.

Rodders, because of his injuries, has not been able to progress and of course getting into the Man City starting eleven is difficult with all the talent they have. I am not sure he would suit the RM style.

The stupid transfer window should close the day before the season starts. That way, lazy chairmen would have to get off their big, fat, lazy arses and do their job pronto.

I'm not sure about this deal? Too old for me.

He is 2 years younger than Pirlo. No reason why he can't keep performing at last seasons level for another 3 years.

Great news about Barry. Superb player last season. Hope he can repeat that form.

Rodwell —The most overrated player I have ever seen in 24 years of going to Goodison.

Colin, 614, Correct, I've been and advocate of that for years. Why wait until the season has started? Imagine if we'd have had all our squad in place before the first kick last season?

As for Rodwell, not enough pace for a CB in today's game. It is made worse this year due to the money the other shower are spending, with, according to the Times, deals for Lambeth, Llalana, Origi, Emre Can, and possibly Sanchez already done or more than likely. OK, Sewer rat will probably go, but there are some talented players there waiting to arrive.

I would love us to sign Barry this summer, but this is almost certainly bull. We would not offer a 33 year old a 3-year contract (unless he was a keeper); I would suggest RM would be happy to offer him a 2-year deal max.

Also, this nonsense about having to pay Man City £2.5M or whatever, is silly. Even if Man City wanted to add a clause that, if we wanted to make the deal permanent, we would have to pay a figure, we would simply refuse, in the knowledge that his contract ends in the summer and there's no chance he'll renew. He is a free agent, and it means just that — FREE!

BK has always sought to save a month or two's wages by signing players as the bell tolls on the window. I don't think the change of manager will deflect him from that tactic.

First teamwise I think we are in good shape – particularly if Barry stays – but the cover seems thin. Perhaps the likes of Koné, Gibson and Traoré are to be regarded as three of the extra seven Roberto talked about?

I hear we are likely to take Man Utd's Wilson on loan to play up front.

Hopefully Gibson will be fit to play more games this season so Barry can share the work load unlike last year.

From what I understand, the original loan agreement between us and City ran from the day barry signed until the day after the first game of the 2014-15 season. There is a clause in that contract that we have to pay £2.5 million if we sign the player. The contract is a legal agreement between the clubs and has nothing to do with Barry's contract. It is not that different to Deulofeu's contract where we only paid if he didn't play.

Now, when Barry's contract expires, there is nothing to stop him training and playing pre-season with us and signing on in August. I wouldn't be surprised if this isn't what Bill is looking at.

PH#615, he's younger than Pirlo AND Paredes who've both been great in this world cup. He's also (3 years?) younger than Distin. Maldini and Sheringham played until they were 40.

AC Milan won the European Cup with a team of oldies in 2007, so I wouldn't worry too much about a 33-year-old who's in excellent health and looks after himself.

I can't understand why many are calling for the return of Rodwell – the bloke is injury-prone. Now we have been linked to Muhamed Besic, a much better option – this boy can play!!

Greg O'Keefe in the Echo, reports that there is no deal settled with Barry and that, although Everton FC are working hard on a deal with him, Barry has other offers on the table to consider.