Everton deny Deulofeu has joined AC Milan on loan

Hope he dazzles and comes back a better player – for Everton.

I just hope (and pray) that Koeman has players ready to sign of sufficient quality to improve the squad.

He can be a fancy Dan, but he can also have tremendous impact.

Wish he wasn't heading out of the door at all.

Sadly I agree. Wish him the best and there's still hope he may realise the potential and it's only a loan.

That's not to say Gerard isn't going to be a top player, he clearly has a lot of talent and pace to burn, but if he lacks the stamina and tactical discipline all he can realistically expect is impact sub appearances every other game and that's not good for his career and not good for our investment.

I hope he really shines in Italy and either comes back a more complete player or at the least boosts his price tag, though how that all works out with Barcelona is anyone's guess.

AC Milan are a huge club (I remember the days of Rijkaard, Gullit and Van Basten on Football Italia) and will raise his profile in the game. Balotelli's move to France seems to have got his career back on track, perhaps Gerry's move to Italy will do the same for him.

Can't rationalise this at all, other than the above. Had little or no time on the pitch.

Seemed to get the Everton vibe and was a flawed genius who needed a bit of attention.

Daft.

I've a lot of time for Deulofeu as he can be great to watch and is clearly a very nice lad but at some point Koeman needs to get more output.

Koeman seemed to make his mind up very quickly about Deulofeu, almost from the start of the season.

I watched him away in the cup at Boro last season, and he tormented their defence all night, and then scored a wonderful solo goal.

Sadly, as with a lot of out-and-out wingers, it just didn't happen enough times.

I can't quite understand though why he was almost banished from the match day squad in the last couple of months, yet Lennon was tried on a number of occasions?

Over to you, Ronald.

Or maybe it is the 7 or 8 step-overs he does before occasionally crossing the ball which must require the stamina of being in a Michael Flatley show?

Now Ronald, go and grab Traore from Boro.

I would've thought to be labelled inconsistent you'd require a necessity to be actually playing.

Hear, hear!!!

There! There!

It may move to where the whole squad is thus composed. No flair, no variation, no foibles, nothing "different". There was a period in the '70s where players like Duncan McKenzie, Frank Worthington, Stan Bowles and others, were coming under pressure as "luxury" or expensive to the team ethic. It stunk back then.

I'll console myself with the possibility that Gerard himself wants out for regular football. I simply cannot accept that he is of no use to this club, even if to allow tactical and team shape variation, depending on opposition, at times as a sub and so on... if he'd accept that.

Ross has played great lately. However, I still get the feeling if Koeman sees him having so much as an extra biscuit in the canteen, he'll be down the road too.

Let's be honest 𧹈k gets you an unproven lad that won't make it out of the U23s, so a meaningless amount – a couple of months of Gibson's wages I just can't see Milan stumping up 㾻.5m in the summer either.

In any case, I'll be interested to see how he gets on at AC Milan. If he fails there, it will probably confirm that he will not fulfil his potential. If he does well, though, it will only reinforce my view that he is a useful player.

To be fair the fact that there is no option might work for us! I can still hope!

Cleverley, Niasse, Deulofeu out so far. Hopefully a few more gone before the window slams shut. Gibson, Lennon, Kone and Jagielka spring to mind – assuming we bring in a couple more as well. Koeman wielding the axe well so far.

I still cannot figure out the Gibson extension. I wonder who's getting some of his wages via the back door.

Now for my personal grievances about Deulofeu: Just one, really, he was usually running/thinking too fast to get the ball to come along when he started with it at his feet!

Unfortunately, that is half of what I'll remember him for; running into the right place, leaving the ball behind...

Gibson's extension makes good sense, it was a contract as a cleaner at USM Finch Farm!

Yes, he's talented, but he's lazy, mentally weak, appears to be unfit and is not a team player. I'm not a great fan of the less abled Lennon, but he generally does try to contribute.

I don't think he wants to go to Middlesbrough!!

We've got players like Kone, Gibson and Lennon who have barely contributed anything still with us and we've let go a player who we all know can create a goal out of nothing!

How many assists did he get last season... that through-ball for Rom at West Ham was sublime!

Yes, he's obviously got stamina issues, he's the typical 'inconsistent winger', etc. He's also very talented and appears to be quite a decent young lad who always makes himself available for school visits, interviews, etc. His attitude can't be THAT bad?

We're paying Koeman top dollar...he should be providing top dollar coaching! Geri has far too much potential to just write him off after 5 starts.

I m absolutely gutted about this transfer... I was reared on Limpar and Kanchelskis so I've always been incredibly biased towards wingers. I also acknowledge Koeman knows far more than me.

What also gets me about this: Not so long ago, a fair few people were calling for Barkley and Mirallas to be shipped out. Again, exceptionally able footballers. Now, it's apparently Geri who should be shipped out.

Maybe I'm missing something here, but unless Geri actively doesn't want to play for Everton, what the hell are we doing even thinking about getting rid of him? Surely he's too good? If there's an attitude problem with him, is it beyond the wit of a ٤M/year manager to sort this out?

Soton at home 3-0... I'm sure there's more. The stats don't add up for him being the star some are making him out to be!!!

I'll get my coat, hat, scarf and gloves

It just seems to me it's always walking on thin ice when you get rid of players like that. You lose something. It's usually something that differentiates a skilled side from a side of carthorses.

He's not alone in that but when a player can't be relied upon to give a decent performance, week-in & week-out, he's bound to come under scrutiny from the manager and staff, particularly when the team fail to win games.

Compare the comments that the manager and others have made about young Davies, eager to listen, willing to take on board their advice and then put all of it into practice out on the pitch and then ask yourself why Deulofeu often seems to drift out of games or fails to deliver regularly enough.

He is doubtless very talented but appears workshy and 'happy go lucky' in his approach. He doesn't have to become a work-horse, he just has to realise that he would be more effective if he was willing to get himself fit enough to last more than 20 minutes and that the other players in the team sometimes need his help in certain situations.

There was a young winger from Barca
Whose play was part genius, part farce-a
Now he's been benched by Ron
And he prefers Milan
'Cause they won't leave him sat on his arse-a

It appears Geri hasn't listened.

Hope he bangs in a few more.

Similar with Barkley. But Geri hasn't been given that game time, he hasn't been persevered with, and that's what I find troubling.

A few more well placed crosses would be an improvement. I still reckon he has what it takes but would like him to lift his head a bit more.

Deulofeu simply doesn't like the physical side of the game and his constant moaning and throwing himself to the ground probably made Koeman's mind up that he would not be in his first 11.

Some say he needs a run of games; I don't know if Deulofeu would be able to guarantee himself a first team place even if he was allowed games to convince the manager. He obviously can be dangerous and very tricky but is just too inconsistent. I trust Koeman!

Regards Kone and Gibson, I know for a fact that the latter is looking out but only if there is a decent contract on offer. Leeds, I believe, have asked about Gibson, but can't or don't want to pay his £40k/wk wages.

If Ronald doesn't want him, then he has his reasons; ship him out and let's move on with a rebuild.

There was a man from Tyreme
Who invented a football machine
On the 31st stroke
The fucking thing broke
And scored against his own team

I would be very surprised if there is a club in the Championship that would take a chance on offering him a contract over two years with his injury record.

I know there are all types of scenarios with contracts but we could be stuck with him!

That feller scored in-offs from Bobby Latchford. I think it was Bob that said that. Bobby Latchford walked on water.

Spot on. His former manager at Barca didn't want him, and he didn't excel during his loan spell at Sevilla when he left us after his first stint. Move on.

Because the "being pretty good" mentality needs to be permanently replaced with a winning mentality and furnace-like hunger for success.

"We think he's got potential, he's not fulfilling it, let's sell him...but give ourselves an option to buy back if he does happen to progress as a player."

That doesn't mean that they were in any way sure he would make it, just that he had the potential to. And lots of players with potential just don't quite make the grade. To date, that seems to be the case with him.

The reason we still have Gibson is us trying to protect ourselves and get a few bob!

I hope he does well in Italy. Perhaps Continental football will be a better fit for his skill set.

Albert Einstein couldn't define this logic to me any more convincingly than the Krankies.

I love Geri, but he does give the ball away a lot and loves a whinge to the ref rather than getting up and trying to win the ball back.

Mirallas on the other hand seems to have picked up the challenge and run with it. Barkley too.

I like his flair, but he's probably history.

Well, this is Everton, it's the transfer window, and we haven't had a soap opera/saga yet...

He is not being sold, there is no guaranteed buy out fee involved at the end of the loan – not even an option to purchase.

So, when it is all summed up, it is a loan to help him develop, before he returns to Everton at the end of the season.

Why all the histrionics?

If he comes back a better, more consistent and stronger player – great.

If not, we will need to look at the options then.

Now his new coach asked him to get fitter
So our Geri drank two pints of bitter
He then tried to press
While in his Mum's dress
And if anything he just played shitter

I'm hoping if the deal does go through then it's just a loan and Geri will return in the summer.

That sums up the situation!

The only problem to that is Barcelona still have a buy back clause for 㾸.4 million at the end of this season. So maybe there will have to be talks between Everton and Barcelona before the deal can be finalized.

There are quite a few, but a prime example being Phil Jefferies opening paragraph in posting 87.

I've said similar elsewhere and yet here I am attempting to delay progress. Assuming that Koeman's plan does come to bear fruit at some point. So maybe we all just need to accept that in combat there will be casualties.

As an aside. Please let us not crown Tom Davies king just yet. We know only too well what happens when we do that. He had a great game last week so let's enjoy it for that.

Barca loaned him to us and he looked pretty good. Even scored some good goals, especially the one against Arsenal. Then he went back to Barca and was loaned out again. Now he's back with us and after a pretty indifferent spell we are loaning him out. See a pattern here?

Then there is Lookman. Only 19 but has been in the Charlton 1st team for a while. Up against bigger, stronger players he has developed his game in the heat of 1st team battle and it has paid off. We bought him for 㾶 million quid and he scored on his debut.

Now I have said this many times on these pages. Young players should start their careers at smaller clubs with less cash and smaller squads. If they are any good they will get plenty of 1st team action and a proper chance to show what they can do. If they have what it takes the big clubs will come to them. As happened with Stones, Holgate, and now Lookman.

Young players at big clubs are in an uphill battle against the clubs bigger squads and their ability to buy more players. Lookman and Holgate have already jumped ahead of most of the young players Everton already have simply because they had more 1st team experience at their previous clubs and haven't played their early football solely against other young players in the same boat at other clubs.

I doubt loaning Geri out will make him any better at all. It obviously didn't for Barca so I don't see why it should for us and I seriously doubt AC Milan will pay 㾼 million for him come the summer. Would any of you?

Geri needs to be loaned to a lower division club where he will get games in the 1st team. Roughing it for a bit won't do him any harm and could do him a lot of good. If he goes to AC Milan the same thing will happen again. He'll be just another youngster in a big squad up against senior pros. his chances will be limited and he'll be back at Everton in the summer right back at square one.

With Nathan Holland going to West-Ham, I am beginning to see cracks in the facade here with this faulty transfer policy. Give Deulofeu the same chance as Barkley and then we can talk about loaning him out.

By the way, does Koeman know Bolasie is out for a year? Sending out Niasse before he has even given him a chance up top like he did with Valencia.

What's all this about us getting Ivanovic from Chelsea? He'd be decent cover for Holgate I suppose.

My thoughts over the last week as well. Love the lad's performances to date. I just don't want him to be bigged up only to see him fall.