Everton set for Mandanda talks

Refreshing to be linked with Mandanda, hope this falls through. COYB.

Good keeper, nicer to be linked with him rather than Stekelenberg. I'd love for us to go for a younger, longer-term solution at GK though (even though I know Mandanda at 30 isn't old for a keeper). Maybe Loris Karius, German keeper at Mainz. Highly-rated, only 23 and with just two years left on his contract, we might nab the next Neuer for a comparatively bargain price.

Or, if we go Dutch, Zoet at PSV would be a good buy, but he just recently signed a long-term contract so could be expensive.

Bad news for you Craig, Karius doesn't play for Mainz anymore, he was signed for less than ٣ Million by a certain team.

If you want a German goalkeeper, Leno or Timo Horn is probably the best place to go now.

Not convinced that signing Mandana will put us on par with United, Arsenal, Spurs, Southampton, Leicester or city, basically the top 6 in the goalkeeper department, meaning that we will have to sign players of top top quality in other areas of the park if we are to catch the big boys up.

Adding Chelsea to the above group, who also have a top keeper, along with a top manager and big funds, this means the signing of Mandana doesn't fill me with enthusiasm.

Id have thought Ronald would have looked to make a marque signing for his number one, as he did at Southampton with the signing of Forester.

Maybe Koeman thinks there isn't a top level keeper available, so signing Mandana on a free will provide us with a good enough keeper with vast experience.

You never know, maybe he will come in and become a Nigel Martin style signing.

I expect the days when the phrase " but could face competition for his services, with Crystal Palace reputed to be interested" meant we had no chance, are long gone.

Craig#2 - a bit late for Karius mate! He's already signed for the shite!

Damn! Thanks Michael - I am behind the times! Shame, sadly I think he'll be a real player in the making.

Stupid, isn't it? A year ago I would have been excited by the prospect of signing Mandanda. An arrived player, chosen best keeper of the French league four times including last two seasons. But these days I feel we could do better...

Recovering from injury or not - I'd love us to go for Butland, who is an outstanding young keeper.

Don't watch enough French footy but worry a bit that he's not on the big side for a GK at 6ft 1. Maybe he's got a good leap on him but the PL is so physical and being a dominant force in the air is a bit part I think of being a strong keeper.

Butland and Forster would be my first picks. Then Leno. Perhaps the Croat Kalinic who's had a good couple of seasons and is 6ft7!

Who is Bayern Munich's No 2?

Sam, Leno is one inch taller than Mandanda, I doubt that's enough to make a difference in any game.

Hope someone from the Club monitors TW and that if I and others mention Timo Horn often enough they'll take a look. OK, wishful thinking but at 23 years old and 6ft 3ins, he's a good keeper who can only get better. Wouldn't break the bank either.

Elvind, in my experience one more inch can make all the difference!

You Hoare, Sam.

I would like us to make a statement and go for Butland. He makes so many saves that go above and beyond what is expected of even a good keeper.

Ive got on my list:

Butland
Jose Fonte
Schneiderlin
Gameiro

Isn't Butland out injured for several months yet? I doubt anybody will take a risk on him this summer if he is.

I stand corrected, he's been cleared for pre-season training.

Butland won't be cheap as Stoke no longer have to sell, but something north of £20 mil might convince them. Butland is the best keeper in England and it's only a matter of time before he's the country's No 1.

Butland would be a great signing, definitely the best English keeper around at present, certainly better than old head and shoulders fingers!

Butland wouldn't be cheap by any means but he's young English and already close to reaching De Gea's level. Those two earn their teams a substantial amount of points on their own and are the best in the league. Stoke cannot match what we can offer anymore so why not.

I think Butland should be a priority, it seems he's got it all and who cares if we have to break the bank for him, we've got a bank to break!!

In other news, I see Vellios has joined Notts Forest, that's interesting.....

I would love Butland to sign for us but I think that in today's market Stoke will ask an obscene amount of money. If Google is correct, his contract runs till 2021. I can see Stoke asking above £50 million and I don't expect us to pay that kind of fees, even with Moshiri on board and all that.

For £20 mil, sign him.

Martin (#12), even if they are, the news coming from the media isn't promising, linking us with everyone else that we don't want. I guess Timo Horn is now less competed for with RS already signing a young goalkeeper.

I wouldn't be too concerned with Mandanda's age. How old was Van Der Sar when he signed for United? He went on to have some great seasons for them.

I think with the potential of having a rebuilt backline, an experienced keeper would be a good idea to help the backline build their stability. Mandanda's is definitely not too small either. Very athletic.

I see Ronnie is moving forward, first from the back..... I like this.
With Schneiderlin also being muted, this is an excellent start.

Not Timo Horn. Decent but overhyped, I watched him and he didn't seem big and certainly wasn't dominant. Joel has more presence, seriously. This one seems like a real 'the grass is greener' hankering on the part of some TWers.

Butland will be England's keeper for a long time now, sign him. Mandana is the perfect age for a keeper though, plenty of experience already and years left at the top level.

We may have money, (100 million being roumered) but when you see that Belgian lad go to Chelsea for 33 million - 17 goals in ligue 1 - then you realise it really won't go as far as we want.

A 30 year old, top quality keeper on the cheap is a dream.

Maybe we replace him in a year or two with someone else even better, but this seems a smart move if we can pull it off.

Whilst his stock is low after a decidedly iffy euros , we may as well try a cheeky lowball bid for captain dandruff at city.

Mandanda would be a not bad addition, certainly better than Robles and both Dutch keepers we have been linked with. I would prefer we went after Scuffett if we are looking at potential, or Horn.

Sam (#14), when you put it like that...

One of the main reasons why Mourinho went to Manchester United as manager is because of their excellent goal-keeper De Gea. Every team that Mourinho has managed always had great goal keepers. So did the previous manager, Alex Ferguson.

Mourinho is now adding goal scorers to the formula of having the best goal keepers and strikers to win the league. Everton at the moment are way behind Manchester United in securing the best.

I believe the £100 million quoted is a minimum and more will be available. I also believe we will have a good amount every year from now on. I know it is all speculation but I believe someone else will follow Morshiri to Everton.

Robles out!

My first choice would be Butland & Mat Ryan in (alternating - with Butland playing in the prem & Ryan playing in the cup games & hopefully in future European games)

But someone like Mandanda/Forster/Begovic could replace one of them - most likely Ryan - with Butland as my first choice.

Fran,

They general feeling amongst football pundits is that EVERY premier league club would have at least £50 million to spend this season with the new TV money.

So that really should mean (if true) we would have at least 150 and more if we sell a player or two.

Time will tell....

There is one big problem though fellow blues and it's called fair play. We can only spend a parentage of our income or restrictions may be imposed upon us. This means we may have to sell either Stones or Lukaku.

£100million to spend is pure speculation. So far as I am aware there is no foundation whatsoever for the underlying rumour. We might spend more, we might spend less.

100 million isn't what it used to be. Getting less so every minute.

In 1990 terms, it's a lot, not so much now. 3 or 4 quality players...maybe.

I agree with Dominic #30, after a few poor performances at the Euros Russ Abbot will be going for a song and the rumour is that Pep doesnt fancy him. He is a class keeper but a bit of a beaut.

I agree with Fran, to be able to pick up a good experienced keeper for zilch is not to be sniffed at.
We have plenty of cash available to spend but if we get Mandanda for free we have more to spend elsewhere.

Can we really rely on 1 season where we spend $100m without knowledge of that spending being sustained? We might spend more than before but that will be capped by the financial controls.

Cheaper options will be the theme of our transfer season I fear, so as much as Butland is highly rated, he is unlikely the one we will be going for at a desirable price.

Look, we are supposed to be making a big statement well we could not make a bigger statement than buying Buffon. He may be 39 but he is second only to Neuer and a season out of him would be monumental.

This Mandanda deal, if it comes off, makes good financial sense.

Joe Hart at £40M (not to mention his inflated wages) is simply not worth it. Not at that price.

Yann Sommer has well impressed me a few times.

Going to Palace.

I agree about the rating of Butland but, if not, I will be willing to go with Robles again; after all, he did nothing wrong last season and I am sure playing regularly will see him get even better.

Whilst some started to blame Howard for Everton's problems, I disagreed as I thought the whole team was under a malaise last season but Robles was not a problem.

On SSN that he has signed for Palace.

see 45

That's got to suck for Wayne Hennessey. Preparing for his biggest game of his life today and seeing he's potentially going to lose his starting spot a club level.

Sign Hennessey.