Williams set to be unveiled as latest Everton signing

But let's hope it's true this time...

Let's hope:

A) He joins us;

B) It's a 3-year deal;

C) He stays fit;

D) He's brilliant for us.

Stones out, closely followed by Rom...

Going from Koulibaly and Witsel to another Kone and Williams?

Mata to Bolasie...

Why wasn't Bony and or Hart included in the deal with Stones? The less money involved, the less we give Barnsley. And, according to the Dutch media, we're in for Bony anyway...

See ya, John Stones!!

The two lads coming in today (Williams and Kone) are big imposing players and Williams isn't afraid to shout and ball at players not doing their job. Williams is a great improvement on Jagielka (even though Jags has served us very well) and Kone is a much cheaper option to the silly money Naploli wanted for Koulibaly (£34m).

Now can we get shut of Lukaku the sulker and bring in Javier Hernandez and Islam Slimani?

I can deal with a move like this for an older player this one time since there's no doubt he'll make Everton better. I just hope we don't make this kind of signing a regular thing. We still need to focus on young players with a bit of resale value.

He can play in a 3 or a 4 at the back – my guess is we will operate with 3 central defenders and Baines / Coleman as wingbacks. This explains why we need Kone. Holgate will act as cover. Oviedo will be okay as cover for Baines as a wingback. Will Lennon become the cover for Coleman?

I see Bolasie deal may be on too – funny how the ball starts rolling when the dosh from Man City rolls in !

We got Holgate and Galloway who could well make it at CB in the coming years.

I agree £12m is a bit steep for a 32-year-old. But defenders tend to last a bit longer than your average outfield player. Remember Richard Gough was immense at near 40.

Williams is a massive upgrade on Stones. We need immediate improvement and he brings that. We have future potential in Holgate.

Ashley Williams is an excellent player, said it last year when he completely marked Lukaku out of the game. One of the best defensive displays I had seen for a long time, the fans will love him!

We so so needed to get players in who haven't been poisoned by the football drilled into the them by Martinez.

By the end of today we could have 1 out and 3 in?

Di I mention bringing in Javier Hernandez, Islam Slimani and Kakim Ziyech?

Exciting stuff

http://www.croydonadvertiser.co.uk/crystal-palace-accept-25m-bolasie-offer-from-everton/story-29602005-detail/story.html

A Peter Reid type would be handy too – shame their are not many of his type around.

At least the Williams money is a relative drop in the bucket compared to the rumors of £25 million for Bolasie. That's completely ridiculous in my mind.

That really is silly money!

Scott #14. I thought it was a 2 year deal. But if it's 4 years as you say, then £3m a year in transfer costs is peanuts if he can do better than Stones. Absolute peanuts.

Williams is a great signing, even at that price.

LET'S ALL CHILL OUT, TRUST IN OUR KOEMAN, AND GET BEHIND THE TEAM. COYB

Remember Richard Gough? People moaned back then and he did a great job for us. The BIG difference is we're not skint anymore; if we were, Koeman would never have come here. He's bought into Mr Moshiri's vision and I think Ronald knows exactly what he is doing. Let's stop worrying about who gets paid what because we don't have any say in it anyway.

For me the months years ahead are going to be the most exciting times for decades, I'm 53 now, I remember fondly the fantastic glory years, I wore out a VHS tape of the history of our club, especially the bit when Sharpy scores that cracker on 20th October 1984.

This is only the start, if we have to use a few older players so be it, I believe within the next 3 years we will win something and if I didn't I would give up football.

The norm for the majority of top level athletes is start degrading physically at around 31-32. Defenders in particular can make up for this degradation through intelligence and experience but eventually it catches up to everyone.

Can Williams stay at the top level until 35 years old? It's possible but I wouldn't bet on it.

Regardless, he absolutely makes Everton better this season and maybe that's a good calculated risk since we need to make our mark this season so that next season we aren't stuck having to massively overpay to get players to come here.

Compounding the amount of change at center back by selling the club captain, who is still a very good defender, and leaving the somewhat sketchy Funes Mori as the only center back to have played for the club would be ridiculous.

Jagielka and Williams will be a very good partnership.

If we spend 㿅 million on guys like Bolasie, that's 㿅 million we might not have next year when a truly impact player comes along.

Scratched record time; a central defender is at his peak around the age bracket 28 - 34; perfect time to be buying someone like Williams.

Stones one day will be brilliant if he develops into the defender he can, but that is years away yet.

We've done very good business today. How you spend, not what you spend.

Liverpool spend that money to remain competitors in the eyes of other players and their own players. They nearly won the league a couple seasons ago.

And going into this season, they're expected to be very competitive with a lot of young players to grow around.

Anyone saying they wouldn't trade our situation for theirs is being disingenuous.

Liverpool have only had a little success in recent years by throwing massive amounts of cash around. They're like a blindfolded kid trying to pin the tail on the donkey. Occasionally they get lucky but mostly they wind up face-first into the donkey's rear end.

We don't have the resources currently that Liverpool do so we need to be smarter with the funds that Moshiri gives us. That's all I'm saying.

Now that is funny money

Williams is a top defender and just what we need ATM to stop us shipping goals from set pieces and crosses. We will ship less goals than last sear with these guys on board.

Great additions if true; let's get Kone from Sunderland, who was fantastic against us, and another keeper; then the defence will be sorted.

Now for a midfield maestro and another forward...

To Scott Goin, Everton is a football club, whose purpose is to win football games.

A key element of that is to find good players, who can perform in the Premier League. Williams may provide us with 2 years only, and this may mean his transfer amortizes over a short period (6m a year).

But so what? I don't support the club because they have a better P+L then the opposition, I support the club because I enjoy them putting one over the opposition on the pitch.

Now, if spending 12m on Williams is some kind of opportunity cost for acquiring someone better - as you infer - then I would politely ask who you have in mind that Everton's scouting team have missed?

Koulibaly's price range is not far short of Stones. An 18m bid for Lamine Traore was rejected. On the assumption the bid is increased and Traore is signed on a 4 year deal, he is likely to cost 5m a year, having made only 15 PL appearances.

William's transfer fee appears par for the course for a proven PL defender who happens to be captain of his current club in country. His transfer is pleasing as we bought a solid performer to fill a gap. That we also taken the captain of a fellow PL club, having taken the manager of another PL club, in the same summer is a bonus and not something I have seen us do in a while.

There are no guarantees with any player (incl Pogba) but what I've seen of Williams and the general..um.. 'cut of his jib' (type stuff) has impressed me a lot.

Physically big and knows how to use it (ie: doesn't suffer from Anichibe-itis). He has a mouth and is prepared to use it. He gives us a bit of a threat from corners and gives us a presence in defence that (imo) we've been missing.

(if he just screamed at the others to 'concenfuckingtrate!' when they do their 'let's all switch off' thing, it would be an improvement).

If we stick Sunderland's Kone next to him, we'll start to look like quite a handful at the back (didn't think such a thing possible a couple of days ago).

By the way Scott (14) - 'Definitely too much for a 32 year old with no resale value.'

Too much eh, I imagine you were going to go for a few pints at the weekend but can't afford to now because Everton...paid 12m for Williams.

(the money thing, I just don't get the worry)

Great buy though, sad to see Stones move on as I loved watching him play when he was on form but Williams improves us instantly.

Looks like Koeman wants some height, pace and power in the team with Williams, Kone & Bollasie. I'd love for us now to get Mata, desperate for a brain in the team, especially in the forward line.

What an eventful day, love it.

Also another great defensive Welshman in a proud history!
Over the moon Brian!

Did he ever help us to win a game for all his carrying the ball out of defence? I am quite prepared to be proven wrong, but my memories of him are more likely to call up glaring errors. And I love cultured football.

Get Kone in to partner him and we've got a very strong CB partnership, a base to build on for this season.

I like Stones and think he's a cracking talent but IF we get both Williams & Kone in, we'll be much stronger than we would of been if we'd of kept Stones and gone with him and Jags at the back!

Very smart purchase. Feels a little like moneyball... Gueye now Williams. Both high level of stats and performance without the fee from coming from glamorous countries.

No's 9 & 10 next please.

Shame about Stones but as we now know he didn't want to play for Everton, get over it. Turn the page...

This is the opinion of my match-going Swans friend:

"The last two seasons he's been error prone and quick to bollock others, rather than himself. A quality leader, but I heard the dressing room was getting a bit tired of his leadership. And he was awful on corners last season. He wanted a four-year contract, we only offered two, so your deal makes sense to him plus we've had eight years of him and cost us 𧸖k."

I will sleep better. What a difference a day makes!!!!

Peter Reid didn't have one, neither did Alan Ball, didn't stop them running games though and/or keeping their teammates from losing concentration.

Lets get rid of Lukaku and get somebody who can control the ball and turn with it...also someone with a decent first touch and who is not doing what his dad says all the time.

Could be a decent season this time now there is no Roberto!!

Become a Goodison Legend.
Welcome to the Greatest Football Club.

Williams doesn't have any 'potential'. It isn't all about the here and now, it is all about the what ifs and maybes years down the line. And another obvious downside to this deal is Williams may actually want to play for us. Worst day ever!

Hope she takes her shirt off every time we win.

It was reported, even before Koeman had been confirmed as our new manager that Stones wanted to leave for Man city, so Koeman was unable to convince this young player to stay and learn from him , one of the best defenders of his generation.

So once again , amid all the headlines of Moshiri investing in the club Everton have cashed in on a player we bought for peanuts – it's what we do.

I will not be surprised at all if Lukaku is be next to go.

Seems most on here are in agreement: we've exchange a defender who can't defend for a defender who can defend. Makes sense to me.

Kone seems like a good buy IF we get him. Not seen much of him but all reports are positive.

Bolaise may be overpriced BUT look at it this way: the players we are buying are at their peak. We're taking the better players from clubs in and around us to make us better. It's been ages since we've bought players at their peak. And as others have said, it's not your money so don't worry about it!

Bolaise.

Good enough for me.

I am pissed Stones has gone, but onwards and upwards.

Here's hoping Funes Mori turns out to be Martinez' best signing, he has quality and has an eye for goal (good defenders who score are worth 6-8 points a season) but needs to cut the lapses (something Martinez would never work on).

Let's also play Holgate in the cup games and a few times in the league, loan out Galloway and get Pennington fit and a a good loan spell (to a Premier League team ).

The idea is make Everton better now and those massive signings will begin to fall into place. We desperately need a creative midfielder next. Who would you rather have on your team Stones and Sterling or Williams and Bolasie.

Williams has proved to be a true leader on the field and personally I think defenders improve with age — just look at John Terry.

Now we need to sort out this Lukaku bollocks; either stay or go but stop pissing us around... and, if he decides to stay, pay him by the assist! He will end up paying us!!!

Mind you, another centre-forward and a creative midfielder would be nice.

Do you not remember that some of our better defenders in recent years have been well over 30? Gough, Stubbs, Weir, Distin, Jagielka... and what age did Watson, Radcliffe and the great Brian Labone play on too??

Williams (barring injury) will be a very good signing for Everton... gaps in a very flaky defence are now getting plugged. NSNO...

A good article to read, pretty much sums up what a lot of us have been saying.

If Lukaku does leave that's going to be a headache for Koeman though. Rom has faults but he can stick the ball in the net at a decent rate can he not! He's going to be very difficult to replace in that regard, we need another top class striker anyway so I'm expecting that to happen if he goes or not.

My only concern is that we have some cracking young players that were on the brink of the first team, it must be very disappointing when established players are bought, in their positions. They will get time on the bench no doubt and will have to bide their time and hope to make the breakthrough and become first choice.