Barkley completes Chelsea switch

If that's the way it plays out it gripes me that we have had to pay his wages for 4 months and could lose up to 㿀m when he could have done his rehabilitation with Chelsea. It's a bit of a piss take, in fact.

Come in for him in August , find out he's buggered for three months so have a quiet word with him and tell him to “snub “ moving for now and let Everton pay your wages until January plus getting fitter whilst having no intention of ever playing in an Everton shirt again !!!

A shame as I think we are missing him more this season than people realise. We have few if any players who can do what he is capable of.

One could imagine Barkley's possible mindset, and the thoughts of his management team. However crazy the money paid in football today, it must still carry weight as a measure of worth to a club, in the eyes of the players. Wild numbers but the principle is the same.

I hear what you're saying and I agree with Tony too that if Schniederlin is on more money he'd understandably be miffed. But if he does eventually go to Chelsea, the question would be why didn't he go in the summer?!

Maybe Ross wanted to recover in the familiar surroundings of Finch Farm? Maybe he wanted to see what would happen with Koeman? Maybe he wanted to see if the contract offer would be improved? Who knows?! But with Koeman gone and the board surely offering a better deal, it does look like Barkley has just done exactly what he wanted to. Used the club for the last four months and it's cost Everton a lot of money.

Of course, I'm surmising on the basis the move to Chelsea is resurrected. If so, I think Ross does deserve stick. I hope he does go to Spurs and that's the reason he rejected the move in the summer.

Many of us are not impressed with the overall stewardship of Everton by the board, as shown by numerous posts on this site. Perhaps Barkley has a similar view, Koeman's actions being merely an immediate problem that reflected a deeper problem at Everton.

As for his current situation, I still think he will end up at Tottenham. I think that is the move he has been angling for since day one. In the process, he has cost our club a small fortune in a transfer fee, hasn't contributed whatsoever, and has had all of his treatment and rehab paid for here. I wouldn't be surprised if he waits until the summer so that he can get himself a nice, juicy signing-on fee from whichever club he is going to warm the bench for. He is an absolute gobshite, good riddance.

He's not 'screwing' anybody out of anything really, is he? Certainly nothing that is 'theirs' by rights. He signed a four year contract and he will probably (in my opinion) see it out to the end. Therefore, his only obligation to Everton will have been met in full.

Why should he concern himself with whether the club can make a wedge off his wanting away? Loyalty? Some daft notion that a professional sportsman should selflessly put the needs of a team he chose to support before he started sprouting pubes ahead of his personal interest and ambition several years later?

Where was the 'loyalty' when his manager came out and said offering Barkley a new contract wasn't a priority, or when he said 'sign by some random date of my choosing or we will simply sell you', or when he said he would be looking to bring in new players to play in his position whether he stayed or went (albeit forgetting to mention they probably wouldn't be fit to lace his fucking boots), or when the club tried to flog him to Chelsea while he was crocked?

The club will say it was simply business and they were acting in their best interests (although it was a bizarre, ham-fisted, way to go about it and predictably enough backfired). Well, it works both ways.

When Barkley signed his last contract, he was perfectly happy to state the reasoning behind doing so:

"This contract means everything for me. It is my dream to play for Everton. This is the club I love and I see it as home. We've got to push on now and one of the objectives is the Champions League.

The contract says that we are hoping to push on and win silverware. It shows the club is keeping its best players like it did last season when Leighton Baines, Seamus Coleman and a few others signed new deals. That brings stability and shows we want to push on together."

Compare that to the current situation:

The team has receded more rapidly than Klaassens hairline, rather than 'pushing on'.

There is no chance of competing for, never mind winning, trophies anytime soon.

The clubs best players have been sold yet again, rather than retained, after a big deal was made about those days being behind us.

The club's 'ambitions' have undergone a complete about face, from Champions League aspirations to simply clinging on to Premier League life.

Having seen how things have actually played out during his current contract, the 'football brain' many claim Ross lacks must be roaring, "Pass! Pass!! You were a naive fool falling for that shite last time round, Ross. Don't score an own goal by making the same mistake again. Now...err... run like fuck, lad".

What's pretty plain is he wants to leave, for whatever reason. Perhaps he believes he is worth more money or that he is under appreciated. I think more to the point, he is in a position to get himself up the ladder to a better paid job with increased chance of winning stuff and playing in the champions league

Is he good enough to get in the first team of the clubs he is linked with? Who knows, but it would be a sorry indication of his mental state as a professional to not want to try. Staying at Everton would be an easy option

He will likely leave, and I don't think anything short of bringing pep in as manager would convince him to stay. Home town club argument only goes so far, the chance to prove yourself at an elite level under a top coach has to be a great motivation for a young hungry player

He saw Lukaku threaten to leave while Bobby was still managing. Bobby asked him for one more season, which he agreed to. Rinse.

Koeman comes in, asks again. Repeat. Last Summer, leaves.

What exactly is Ross supposed to think? Not so much Stones, who couldn't wait to leave and was awful with us.

But Lukaku's departure leaves Ross as our key guy. Which we all have seen and know; Ross is not THAT guy. Even a leg-less Rooney still takes on responsibility.

He'll get a thumping wage increase and play at a contending club that doesn't hang its hat on any one player. That's what Ross wants.

He'll be great one day, wandering around watching another. He'll be played and sat accordingly. And he'll be good with it.

That's Ross Barkley.

He goes; we keep moving.

It was nice not knowing you.

As you slide down the banister of life remember Chelsea's bench as the splinter in your ass.

“Loyalty? Some daft notion that a professional sportsman should selflessly put the needs of a team he chose to support before he started sprouting pubes ahead of his personal interest and ambition several years later?”

But I wasn't suggesting that he stay. Only that he shouldn't have pulled out of the move last Summer.

I can fully understand a player wanting a pay increase, better chance of trophies etc but the manner in which you leave can differ hugely. If he'd gone in the Summer for £35m then fair enough but I do feel his ‘indecision' that has cost us £20m is him screwing us; which of course he is entitled to do but I find it disappointing from one who purports to truly love the club. It's in no way surprising and I won't lose any sleep about it, mainly I'm sad to lose a player I've always liked.

Thats a fair post.
A midfielder currently performing way below what should be expected is on three times as much as Barkley.
Only to be expected he will not be happy with that situation.

Modern day football summed up.

Once there they say “Listen mate... you're injured til January.. so let's say you're Undecided! Go back and let Poor Everton cover costs of rehabilitation and recovery! Then we'll swoop in January for a paltry 㾻mil and give you a slice of the fee we've just saved/ screwed out of Everton!
Go forth and fuck yourself Ross. I hope you follow the path of Rodwell and bomb! Lukaku is being found out at Utd and I look forward to seeing the same with you!

Now Everton get a bit clever... Chelsea want it done quickly so get Batshuayi in as a part of a swap!

But in Barca Laudrup got a manager that managed to get the best out of him. He was not the Maradona or the Platini of the team but become one extremely good player in an extremely good team. He was not their leader just often their best player as a left striker.

Barkley has got some extraordinary skills. Technique, shooting, dribbling, speed. 4 years ago you saw a player who just needed a little bit better decision making and may maybe the discipline required for an attacking midfielder. I hoped it would come with experience and he would become a top top player.
It never came and Barkley still plays like he is a teenager. It is hard to understand why several managers have not managed to coach him to making better decisions and become more tactical mature. But it is so frustrating to watch because you feel he could offer so much more.

So what happens next. Will he make it in Chelsea or Spurs. Personally I doubt it. He has got the technique etc but if his last 5 managers incl England could not teach him decision making and tactical maturity then I think he just has not got it in his DNA.

Or alternatively he finds a manager and a team who will do what Cruyffs Barca did to Laudrup. Somehow played to his strengths only.

With that logic it is difficult to see Barkley move to Chelsea. I don't see Conte doing that and he is probably gone by the summer.

Money aside a move to spurs under Poch could make more sense. But somehow Barkley needs to improve his work rate dramatically to fit into that Spurs team.

He needs a fresh start. I don't think Martinez overprotecting of Barkley did him any good in the long run. A fresh start might see him fulfill his potential. But in today's football it could also mean very limited time on the pitch in those clubs.

Should Lukaku have signed a new contract, the one that was 99.9% signed, in order to help the club financially?

Should Moyes have signed a new contract despite knowing quite well he was getting the UTD job so that the club would get compensation?

Would the club fail to cash in on a player who didn't particularly want to leave if they received an "offer they couldn't refuse"?

It's business, there's no loyalty involved here either way, clubs do what suits them and players do the same.

Everton accepted a bid for Barkley from Chelsea for 㿏m. Barkley may well have felt so called "disloyalty" from the club for not offering him the contract he believes he was worth. Why on earth then, if that was the case, would the lad sign purely to make as much money for the club as he could?

In those situations a player, every player, would look after their own interests and do what's right for them, for their future.

The days of "For any club I played for I'd have broken bones, but I'd have died for Everton" are long gone. That was a different era which some don't realize was a long long time ago.

The only people in football today who have, and show, loyalty are us supporters. If you understand and accept that, it makes all the shite that goes on less painful.

It covers a multitude of bang average play , (watch our opponents tonight) and it also warms people towards you, because everyone loves a trier, and everyone hates playing against a player with talent, who never stops trying.

I won't wish Barkley well, but if he leaves Everton, and his football improves, I won't hold any grudges either. Haha as if that matters anyway!

Just about sums up what Ross is worth - we all know how good Niasse is! The sooner he's gone, the better.

But unless a huge amount of money is injected like at City or Chelsea, it's difficult to see us progressing from the cycle we're in of being an 'upper mid table' club. Until that happens, players of the quality of Stones, Barkley and Lukaku won't want to stay at Everton to win nothing.

If players didn't come out with such lines as this and "once a blue, blah, blah blah" then us fans would have less of an argument when what's happening now happens.

If they didn't make such comments we could all agree that it's just a job and it's a race to the top both in terms of finance and achievements.

I believe that 18 year old Rooney should have stuck with his boyhood club for a little longer at least, notwithstanding the argument that the money earned from his sale saved the club.

From a footballing perspective I'm not too bothered that Barkley goes. I find him hugely frustrating, although that may be partly to do with the options around him.

He's very much entitled to do what he wants as you say. But let none of us be proud when we see a fellow blue making the first team as we know that it's irrelevant. In fact, why don't all us fans just sit back and enjoy the beautiful game at its best by watching the best performing teams?

What's the point of all this following Everton lark anyway?

Shane, my Mrs asks me that often, and as I'm sure you'll agree, it can't be explained.

Klopp says he is not interested in talking about Coutinho, Everton is all that matters. Who does that tell you is going to win tonight?

Everything about this club stinks and shows that they have ceased acting like a PL club.

If I get to Anfield tonight, and see Snides on the pitch, then that will put me on more of a downer, than this boyhood blue leaving Everton today.

I will look at Tosun, and think at least he wants to play for Everton right now, which is something We can't say about Ross Barkley anymore.

The first thought that comes to mind is us agreeing a deal, Barkley meeting Chelsea, agreeing terms, and then them assessing his injury, and then deciding to save themselves half the fee by telling him to wait until January.

I cannot believe we are selling him. £15m is a lot of money, no doubt, but in the age €200m footballers like Neymar, it is pocket change. Therefore, if the club's finances allowed it, I would have told Chelsea where to go.

If this is what happened, and Chelsea and Barkley have colluded to do us out of a load of cash then Barkley is no Evertonian.

I don't like this one bit, on any level. But I am still angry that the board and the previous managers (Martinez included) did not have this resolved before he had 24 months left on his contract. When a player is young and happy, and the contract is 3/5 up, then you get a new deal sorted quick. Wage inflation in football is ridiculous and you need a new contract every couple of years to keep your best players happy.

Everything this club does both on and off the pitch shows just how small and insignificant it has become.

"If this is what happened, and Chelsea and Barkley have colluded to do us out of a load of cash then Barkley is no Evertonian."

What does being an Evertonian have anything to do with big business and huge money?

How about, for a change, pointing the finger at the collective comedy show that is Messrs Moshiri, Kenwright, Elstone, Walsh and Woods who have badly handled Barkley's contract situation? It is not like Ross' contract expiry date was a secret to them.

Koeman was allowed by the cretins who run our club to sound off and throw ultimatums to Barkely over the course of the first 3 months in 2017 - which betrayed the complacency that seeps inside this club.

Having failed to get Barkley to sign a contract in the summer, and failed to sell him against his wishes, Everton are now reaping the rewards of the pathetic mis handling of the situation.

Barkely and Chelsea will do very nicely out of this deal - even if he is sold on after warming their bench.

Everton are lucky to be receiving 15m and in age, as you yourself admit, when footballers are being sold for 100m-200m the incompetence of our hierarchy has not only cost us a good player, but in losing 30-40m in transfer fees we have not even managed to gain the market value of the player had he been under contract.

I'll bite my tongue on what Ross Barkley has or hasn't done to the club. Who really knows all the facts anyway? Suffice to say I won't be saddened (or surprised) to see him loaned out to West Brom or Watford or somebody in a couple of years time. Another case of unfulfilled potential.

He may live up to the hype, and good luck to him, no resentment to him on my part, but he will have to improve a lot to tie down a starting place at Chelsea.

This to me simply looks like a player running down his contract to secure the best personal deal for himself at the best club he can possibly get to. How do you realistically expect Mosh to convince him otherwise? Break the bank on wages? Sign world class players (love this idea, that by saying it pogba, Buffon and Ronald will jump at the chance to sign) to convince him it's a worthwhile project? He is joining the current champions. In one fell swoop he has achieved both those steps and not needed to wait for the project to come into fruition

Player is leaving. He is now part of history. Move on and stop looking for scapegoats

To those who think he is the scum of the earth because he didn't want to be sold off against his will, and in doing so cost the club money, it's business and he played his hand better than any of the comedians we have in this club. From Kenwright to Koeman, From Elstone to Walsh... tell me, who comes out of this without egg on their face?

He had a contract, he was injured playing for this club, the club has a responsibility to the player under his contract. Being injured was not his fault. If it's true that Kenwright talked him out of signing for Chelsea in the infamous last-minute phone call, then Moshiri has every right to be pissed off with Kenwright. That phone call cost £20M.

At the end of the day, it's his agent who has advised him to pull a fast one so he can rake in the wages or get a signing-on fee at the next club.

But you have to wonder about the organisation at the club in the last few years. The Dan Gosling situation was incompetent – but this one is much worse – he was clearly a valuable asset.

If this affects the players, they shouldn't be here, similar with what our new manager is also hopefully now trying to do with the players. If you don't want to be here then leave, has got to be the best policy, and I think Allardyce is working on digging out Mirallas next?

I would say big lesson learnt by the board here, never to trust even a local lad and allow him to make decisions in the final year of his contract, get that decision done before itself. We could have had a very good striker with that money. Like I said big lesson learnt here, Barkley is history now; let's move on. COYB.

Somehow I would also think he would fit in better at spurs than Chelsea. But Spurs is having a reputation for low salaries and they would be mad to make him one of the top earners.

Spurs are having a hard time keeping their top players happy. They have lost Walker. Rose and Alderweird making noises. If they offered Barkley more than some of those who brought them up in the top 4, they would create a big problem for themselves.

Ross 'suddenly decides' not to go for the medical or move to Chelsea in the summer because 'it's best to make the decision when fully fit'. Most clubs would have taken um-bridge to that and turned their back thinking "he doesn't want us". Not Chelsea.

I say Chelsea told him not to turn up as they could buy him for less in January – 㿀m less it would appear.

Spurs may come in for him but my money is now on him going to Chelsea.

Barkley had his chances as have many others. Time to Spring clean.

Chelsea's £15 million sounds about right for this sulker.

We need to focus forward onto how we improve the team.

"㿏m now and 𧴰,000 per week, or hold out until January. We'll pay half that amount in transfer fee but throw another 㾻k onto your wages fella. How does that sound?"

I love a conspiracy theory.

I personally am quite sad that he's leaving. Unlike some here, I think he'll prosper in a team that supports flair and with a manager that supports him.

I am always trying to be the optimist but if we as club cannot keep a player like that, we are fucked going forward.

Also, I don't see any of Europe's elites falling over themselves to sign Tosun. As always, we can only hope they are "missing a trick" a la Sandro etc etc etc.

I may well be reading far too much into the words, but that has always smacked to me of the club trying to get rid of Barkley in a way that will not piss off the fans, those similar to me, who will be angry with the sale of Barkley even if was what the manager (Koeman not Allardyce) wanted.

No one knows what Barkley was offered but people have said on here, that he was offered less than what the three highest earners at EFC are on. For me, that's a kick in the face to our best player. Especially if Sandro is on more than Barkley was offered.

Nothing said on behalf of the club shows any willingness to recognise financially that Barkley was our best player, or at least one of them. I could stomach him being on less than the overpriced Gylfi Sigurdsson on the basis that he is our record signing and so would be on record wages, or behind Rooney being that he is Wayne Rooney, global superstar, but not behind Sandro, Klaassen, Schneiderlin or any of them. And if that's the case, I couldn't blame Ross for leaving.

But the manner of the departure, if he has colluded with Chelsea to do Everton out of 㿀m is frankly, illegal. The only way Chelsea could speak to him back in August is with our permission after agreeing the 㿏m deal, and if they used that to come up with conning Everton out of 㿀m then that is not within the transfer rules. The fact that Everton are selling him to Chelsea and do not appear to have much of a problem with what happened would suggest that what I have said is wrong, unless the board really are the idiots some on here portray them to be.

I'm unhappy with this situation on so many levels. The board, Barkley himself, Chelsea, and even some of the fans (the idiots who booed him). At least when Rooney left, there was the angle that the club was selling it's best hope to stave off financial ruin. Here we are selling off our best player because he doesn't want to play for us, and how an Evertonian doesn't want to play for Everton is beyond me, especially when for most of the last 12 months we were 7th and pushing for 6th and beyond.

Sure he's a professional and does what's best for his career, but it still breaks my heart to see an Evertonian leaving for better, because there's nothing better than Everton for me.

After he's been sat on the bench (wherever he goes) for the next 12 months, he will probably end up at Bournemouth, or somewhere similar, on loan.

Seen it all before, haven't we?

It is just starting to sink in that we have bought three No 10s for circa £80 million quid before seemingly selling our best one for £15 million in a Black Friday super sale. Everton that.

Football has changed, I listen to Wenger, saying it won't be long before clubs, won't be transferring players anymore. He said it's going to be two-year contracts maximum, and the players will soon be taking even more money out of the game.

It's not the game I fell in love with as a child, and although I would be delighted to win tonight, until agents are phased out of football, it's only going to get a lot worse...

It's now the nature of the game, and most Footballers have become like Bankers – full of unadulterated greed.

Martinez was the one who had a "love-in" with Barkley and any contract, either new or extended, should have been well sorted then.

Unless Chelsea are planning to bin half their present midfielders, Ross may not even make the bench.

I would imagine if his temperament is what we suspect, Jags telling him at Wembley they weren't booing him, etc etc then I can't believe he'd be picked to play against us next season. He'd be subbed crying after a minute.

Shame it didn't work out but, like many before him, he thinks, maybe rightly, he'll do better elsewhere. Bye.

He's a bit of an enigma - you think he should be amazing, something special, but just doesn't show up - apart from the odd occasion.

He is a good footballer and he does have something extra, it's just that he doesn't really show it.

I wondered why Roy Hodgson didn't fancy him, why Koeman berated and criticised him, why Martinez through an arm around him? And Southgate clearly isn't interested. I could imagine that Moyes, if he'd had him at his disposal, would have used him as an impact player.

His role at Chelsea will be just that. As a player to come off the bench and have impact, perhaps offer something different.

Sad to see him go, but perhaps £15mill towards a more complete and talented playmaker, which is what we need. Someone in that "elite' age group 26/29 who can really play a bit.

COYBs.

Whether we wouldnt match the contract Chelsea have offered, who knows.

How much patience do we need, we've won nothing since 95

So what if the deal doesn't come off he can sit out the last six months. If Chelsea want to avoid losing him in the summer it could be an alternative solution.

Realistically we are likely to get more from a getting a player from Chelsea on athree year contract say that the 15m for Ross.

But this board seems to roll over and like getting its belly tickled.

Reminds me of Stones, who even at EFC was the best ball-playing English CB in years as he is now. Too many boo birds saw him doing "six Cruff turns" in his own end and ripped him mercilessly and screamed "row z." Guardiola saw Stones and thought "Damn, here's an English CB who can do six Cruyff turns, let this guy develop and he will learn the row Z part." Many here as well as English pundits wanted to turn him into a midfielder. That's like seeing a baby unicorn and saying, "hey, let's turn this one into a horse."

Everton is my club but sometimes I think we don't deserve these young prodigies. I fear for Davies. A youngster with real talent who will make obvious mistakes because he tries to make plays instead of playing it safe.

Let's move on and buy a consistent midfielder.

If (in the extremely unlikely event that) he manages to hold down a place in their midfield, then Chelsea have a fifty million pound player for a song.

If (as I think likely) he ends up playing Mickey Mouse Cup plus getting BA miles for warming the bench at CL away games, he will be off to Sunderland for thirty million.

In the meantime Ross gets a raise and a signing on fee.

We are the only losers here. However, in the past we have also done a number on other clubs with transfer fees (Lescott, Lukaku).

Let's move on. Tomorrow's chippie papers.

Oh well, makes room for somebody else.

And wait for a loan out to QPR. And not sure he is cut out for the bright lights of the Capital...

I think that's the problem with projections; they can be based on overly simplistic notions of reality. Maybe for Ross Barkley playing for Everton went from being a dream-come-true to something far-removed. Maybe his reality has become unpleasant, maybe his day-to-day existence would be better elsewhere. Maybe his new dreams will be better served somewhere else - whether they be about earning more money, winning silverware, getting into the England team, escaping Liverpool, escaping his past/present, or just getting a fresh start somewhere. I think we've all seen good situations turn sour, and I can only assume that has been the case for Barkley.

This whole saga has been handled very badly, and I would have been pleased if Barkley had decided that he desperately wanted to play for Everton for the rest of his career. Having said that, and based on his talent, he has not become the player that we hoped he would, and knowing that I won't be watching him flatter to deceive in an Everton shirt over the next ten years is some consolation.

I hope we negotiated a sell-on percentage as I can see him moving on from Chelsea within 18 months.

Not the actual move just the timing and no idea on the Tosun deal. Surely Chelsea could have been asked to keep the deal from completion till we were sorted. At least after tonight's match.

Tosun takes over 2 weeks and is still not concluded.

Chelsea come in, we roll over and Bakley is gone in the shake of a hand.

No wonder we're always associated with Man U rejects.

We are no longer a big club under Kenwrights watch.

I really don't think Everton should be allowed to get away with not commenting on this. Have we been done over by Ross/Chelsea? Could we have a statement please, EFC?

One of the universe's great mysteries... But here we all are. ;-)

And surely Barkley's personal terms were agreed back in August?

Everton knew he wasn't going to sign a new deal so have done what was necessary to get "something" for him rather than let him go for nowt in the summer.

I will be writing to .@premierleague & .@FA calling for investigation into the circumstances around the transfer of Ross Barkley between Everton and Chelsea. Agent pulls transfer on deadline day of £35 million doesn't play again transfer 4 months later £20 million

Chelsea shows Everton how to do it on and off the pitch. Tonight I'm gutted

As others have said it looks like Barkley and his agent have played the Club. Cheeky shit using the medical team to get fit whilst costing the Club 20m.

I don't begrudge Ross Barkley leaving Everton FC. If he had joined Spurs today I wouldn't care less. I begrudge that he has at best, appears to have used the club to recuperate in the familiar surroundings of Finch Farm. Or at worst, possibly colluded with Chelsea to save them money and get a larger signing on fee by joining in Jan.

Absolutely correct!! Don't really dispute he probably needed a change of scenery but to lose your team £20m in four months and the wages! He has no morals!

Especially the way he was nurtured and treated when breaking his leg as a 17 year old!

I don't care if we all say oh that's modern Football !! It's morally wrong what he has done IMO!

As for tonight's FA cup exit let's just hope the final score line is not so embarrassing..

I have just encouraged my son to find another team to support and his son too.. I'm sick of Everton FC small club mentality.. It's really is embarrassing being a blue. No wounder Ross has gone. Unfortunately for ME I was born a blue and will carry on enduring the stigma of being a fan living in the past glorious years of history, I was lucky enough to have witnessed. But why should my son who is now in his late 30's endure this crap along with his 7 year old boy..

Was we not envied years ago with the tag of the millionaires club. At 57 I have lived in hope to see us repeat the heights of the mid 80's, but I'm realistic, it aint going to happen anytime soon.

Good luck to any true blue going to the match tonight I hope a miracle happens and we beat the RS. I will say a prayer.. Even Big Sams pre match comments he sounds like a defeated man.. typical of modern day Everton.

It's not like they are all pulling up trees in the first team, as we'll no doubt see tonight with 11 men defending for 90 off minutes.

Joke of a club.

To make matters worse, Cenk has still not signed for us yet. What are we doing ?

I totally agree, when Rooney left the money saved the club. Ross leaving like this has cost us millions and for what?

He may need to get out of the city but to be talking to the world saying its unbelievable to be at Chelsea and not say a word about his time with us annoys the fuck out of me.

I expected more from the man

Everton is special , how many of us regret being an Everton fan ?

None.

When times are bad we take it on the chin , continue to support and do what we can to bring back success in any of its forms.

Keep the faith. Tell the same to your family.

Totally agree and 14 years later look who is still running the club.

Unfuckingbelieveable.

While they have obviously played a blinder saving money, they've done it above board by getting Ross to ‘consider his options'. Nothing behind Everton's back and no colluding to pull out and bid 6 months later.

In relation to the Klassen comment I'm going to ignore as you must be on ale since 11.00am this morning.

If I'm pointing the finger anywhere, it's at Ross. If Chelsea did set up this shafting for EFC, he was the one who should have said no to it.

It appears that basically screwing the club he 'loved' shows he is simply a hypocrite, a liar and arguably a thief by conning the club out of several million in treatment costs and unearned income which in itself would hardly cover the 15 mil Chelsea are paying for his 'services', so all in all EFC are the ultimate losers.

From one PR disaster to another. Does anyone remember the Mayor's pronouncement about a 2 year time line for the stadium? That was the summer 2016!

And that's why they call us the blues.

And the gap widens.

You're right though, he probably doesn't give a shit. We got more loyalty out of an Australian and people want to know why clubs don't develop more local talent. And this home grown player situation in the champions league is a big driver. People like Delph at City. If Ross wasn't English and trained at an English club as a youth he wouldn't be on Chelsea's radar.

I hope he's behind Drinkwater and Bakayoko in selection.

It is right though that he has now left us and we should forget about him. I think we're going to do ok in his absence, actually, all current doom and anxiety notwithstanding.

Rehabilitate at home with family and friends let Everton pick up the tab and you'll be rewarded handsomely in the new year.

Make sure to keep a pair of Everton pyjamas Ross, so that you can be welcomed back when you're no longer good enough to play at the top level.

That is of course, if you ever reach that level.

To be honest James I'm just pissed of in general the direction the club is going.

No matter what you think about the DM & RM era's at least there was a plan and a vision of how both managers wanted to play. We may not have liked it after a while in both cases but at least there was a plan. Looking at Koeman I still haven't the foggiest what the hell way he wanted his team to play, on top of that he ripped the heart out of the team and replaced them with some shocking signings.
Now we have Sam, stop gap of a manager and will keep us safe and in time will move us up the table. I'm trying to give him the benefit of the doubt and will do so to the end of this season as he's come into manage a team that's so unbalanced. The football however is dreadful and that's not Gona change.
So in 18 months we get another new manager I suppose who will again no doubt want to change the playing style and it's just more time wasted in my opinion.
The only positive right now is the stadium. If that doesn't come off well then I'm, actually I'm not going to even contemplate that. Anyway rant over.

I'll probably have much better outlook and life in 3 hours if we get a result. As always COYB.

Nothing changes at Everton.

Stones, Lukaku and Barkley have all left for clubs with ambition who want to win trophies, sadly for us Everton do not.

All that said Ross has still screwed his boyhood club as he and his agent will have known exactly what they were doing. However that is football in the modern era.

You wouldn't want to go for a pint with too many of the shallow fuckers.

The key positions should be occupied by the prime players. It is the players in their prime who should be booed when they don't perform,even at Bernabeu they do that to Ronaldo,Benzema,Bale but never to Asensio or Vascaz.When all the above young players reach their prime together,we will have unbeatable team but that is if they stay together.Right now identify the key positions,compare it with teams like Man City and let it be occupied by players in their primetime.I am sure we will see difference next season with Davies,DCL and Holgate who have played regularly this season.Look at Stones last season was conceding goals easily in premier league and in Champions League 6 goals against Monaco which ousted them and even Sane was poor,yet Guardiola persisted with them throughout last season and he is now reaping the rewards.It will take one or two season to see if they can actually make it.

If we have right players playing with them I am sure we will crack top 4 next season itself but midfield is somewhere we can't afford to play young players because that is the main area where the game is won or lost.Man City have De Bruyne,Silva and Fernandinho and other top 5 clubs all having players in prime playing in their.I would go for Mahrez next season to have a midfield of Sigurdsson,Mahrez and Macca/Gana. Davies/ Rooney can come on if one of the above 3 are having a bad game and in Europa league if we make it and other cup games.But I would prefer him to be loaned just like Atletico,other club which I support, did with Partey and Saul in their initial years.Rooney's age will catch up with him soon so we should not depend on him much.He is already making mistakes of giving ball away too many times in midfield.I would also like to see a Brazilian pacy forward,the last two who came in the Epl, Jesus and Richarlison,are doing quite well.So for front we can have Tosun,DCL/Niasse and Brazilian forward.In the back if we go with 2 young players in Kenny and Holgate,then the other two must players in their prime.Would like to give Keane and Mori till next transfer window to prove themselves.For the manager, now is the time to judge Big Sam,considering he has now got the striker and will bring the other required players,from the next 16 games he should get 35 points to be the manager next season,anything less and he should be out.Mahrez and another forward with pace should be priority next season at all costs.

It's yet another higher quality player sold or allowed to leave Everton, not retained. Higher salaries paid to Sigurdsson, and (if true), Sandro!

Real big club management.

The fact the normal lip service has been ignored, it's more telling he is happy to be leaving Everton/Liverpool as a city.

More than footballing and financial reasons here I feel.

Can't wait for his book when he retires in 15 years to explain this whole thing.

BTW I loved Ross, but Holgate's attitude of “I'll play football if I want to Big Sam, and I'll push a Red S***e into touch if he asks for it” is awesome; let's welcome him as one of our own.

A: Shitty Board and Billy Bullshit.

Good luck, Ross, get yourself some tweezers. Those splinters will need plucking.

I really think Koeman is to blame for the initial breakdown between player and club. I think Barkley was genuinely hurt by being singled out – especially in public. With Koeman gone, I thought things may work out. I even thought that's why he dismissed Chelsea previously. Evidently not.

I don't think anyone begrudges players the opportunity to progress, but this transfer leaves a very bitter taste. Paying his wages for 6 months, paying for and managing his rehab, all so he can fuck us over and get himself a nice big signing-on fee.

It's hard to love football sometimes.

I'm certainly interested to see how he develops in the future.

The contract was likely the same, if not bigger due to the savings they made. Not much to think about really.

As for him being underhanded, are we surprised? In fairness, it's not his job to make money for Everton. Same with Moyes who was criticised for preventing us getting compo for him by not signing up.

It's a multi-billion-pound cut-throat business and those that think otherwise are naïve.

Another poster made the point about him not wanting the responsibility of being the main man, and this maybe a fair judgement. In a side surrounded by quality he may find consistency and flourish, when he actually gets on the pitch!!!

For us at least it's over now. Sigurdsson is finally finding his feet and has some goals, Bolasie is back, Coleman on the way, a striker has been signed. A midfielder who hasn't played for 7 months (arguably hadn't played for 2 prior to that) has left.

If we could just get Klaassen playing as he can we would be in a much better place.

I honestly don't believe that the board hasn't done all they could to keep Ross, and renew his contract with the best wages possible.

And the reason is simple: they could then get a shit'load of money selling him after a world cup.

The fact Ross hasn't accepted shows he has no interest in stay and play for EFC. You could say he is entitled to, and the same applies to his decision of not signing for Chelsea earlier, but the fact he has failed to do so (intentionally or not) have hurt Everton.

Many of you say it's business, but that's not, in fact in business what drives business and produces wealth is trust and good personal and business relationship with your business partners, which I don't see in all this story, and that in the end will hurt Barkley if he doesn't fit the bill in Chelsea's midfield, and no other big club would touch him, making him a squad player in a mid table team.

As for the on-fieId play, I honestly doubt he has the quickness of thought, and pace, to play at the highest level, which (we all know) leaves him to poor decision making, but he does show the odd brilliance in the highlights, and that is enough for the big clubs and greedy agents to get him a move, and give him the chance to prove he ain't that good.

Like Hungarian coach Bella Gutman once said, and I'll try to translate it the best way I can: "A player who sometimes does great things, may not be a great player, but a player that does it right everytime is certainly one"

Good bless all Evertonians (except Ross Barkley)... Ohhh and glenn keeley, though im not sure he is/was one ( just joking about glen )

We also do cut-glass sherry decanters complete with six glasses on a silver-plated tray that your butler can serve you drinks on, all for ٢.95. People say, "How can you sell this for such a low price?", I say, "because it's total crap“

Cheaper than an M&S prawn sandwich but probably wouldn't last as long.

Barkley had great individual skills but poor awareness and judgment.

Talked about as great potential to the end because we wanted a local lad to do well but what that really meant was he never really progressed.

No longer has the protection and love of his local and boyhood club, I guess we we finally see what he really is – my bet is he becomes Jeffers Mk 2.

He who laughs last laughs loudest. To be honest I'd much rather be getting splinters in me arse at Chelsea for a massive wedge than getting dogs abuse in a sea of shite turned over by Bournemouth, But that's me. And Ross too I guess.

Very sad; I hoped the Stones / Ross / Rom axis would be the catalyst for a return to the glory days, or at least a win or two against the RS. It has to come down to management doesn't it? All three of have left, and they have moved to the top three teams in the Premier League. Oh for a manager and not a dour Scottish bottler, a Catalonian naif, a don't give a fuck Dutch mercenary...

That's why I've done a Eugene and Jim Bennings and many many more's routine. You don't stop being an Evertonian but, like all relationships, it needs to be a two-way street. Being an Evertonian has been a far too one sided thing for 25 years - and counting.

I follow a lot more on here and reading the papers than I do watching them, and unfortunately, I haven't missed out on anything really. In fact, it's saved me fuck knows how much anger, pain, money, and whatever else, as reading about the fuck-ups is far less trying than actually watching them.

It's a self-defense thing for me at this stage; I can't get my hopes up because there's no point.

How anyone can pin the blame on Allardyce for Barkley's decision, baffles me. If I remember right, he was off to Chelsea in the summer and why he ducked out of the medical is a mystery. He didn't fail a medical, he just left before the medical took place, as I understand it.

The club offered Ross a massive increase in is wages and he didn't accept the offer. So it seems he was intent on leaving before the appearance of Allardyce.

I don't blame any player for wanting to go to a club where he thinks there's more chance of silverware and both Stones and Lukaku agreed to stay an extra year, then went. Fair enough, everyone knew they were off and we got a good wedge of money for each of them (though it surprised me to learn we got 㿷 million for Lukaku, rather than a figure nearer a 𧴜 million.) Though I forget that Kenwright's magical negotiating skills came into play.

Barkley didn't give the club the chance to get a better sum, so to me, that shows he might be an Evertonian but he's acted like a spoilt brat. We were left with the option of selling him now or seeing him leave for sweet Fanny Adams in the summer.

As for Allardyce leaving him out of the England squad, Moyes, Martinez, Koeman and three England managers all decided not to play him at times, or even have him in the squad.

As for his football ability, well, Filipe has explained it in better English than I could.

It's all the players and his agents fault. We all know that Chelsea will have been able to say to him that if you come in January then we'll give you some of the money we'll save by not buying you now.

What would you do if the offer was put like that to you? And what do you think your agent would recommend you do!?

In my book he was by far the best footballer at the club. It must have taken something for him to leave his boyhood club (yes, I accept it may have been only money).

Let's face the facts: incompetent, unprofessional management from top to bottom, policy to sell the best players, incompetence in the transfer market. Barkley knows this – he sees it every day. Anyone connected to Everton sees it.

The club is a mess and Moshiri has failed to change it. He has accepted the tutelage of Kenwright and paid the price of keeping all the dead wood, ie, Elstone, Walsh, etc etc. Now we have a 'project' to just stay in the Premier League.

The truth is, we haven't progressed since the Moyes era... in fact, we have gone backwards.

I would have rather left him in the reserves till his contract runs out that way he would never get the chance to go to the World Cup this summer. We would still have received between ٦ and 10 mill for his development at a tribunal. But it's done and dusted now. I feel we should just look forward... far more positive.

Barkley is probably too stupid to understand, but I figure he must be getting an extra bonus from Chelsea for costing them 㿀 million less!

He can never be let to forget that he shafted his “boyhood club” – obviously doesn't mean to him what it means to us!

I don't often get angered by football transfers as I've realised them all to be over-paid over-rated mercenaries but, with Barkley, it almost feels personal!

Maybe someone whispered in his ear; maybe not... but the fact remains that he is gone. If things go pear-shaped for him in the future, I hope Everton are in a far better position than they are now and can say to Barkley "You made your bed... so Fuck You!"

For me, plenty are getting it completely arse about face when blaming only Ross and exonerating the club. The club and the previous manager were fully aware of Ross's waning contract. They should have been fully alert to the risk of losing him for a low fee, or nowt, the closer it got to the end of his existing contract without renewal.

They should also have been alert to the fact that when he turned 24 last year, the club also lost the right to claiming a 'development' fee for the player should – as has happened – he left close to the termination of his contract.

Now I am not completely exonerating Ross Barkley in this. But legally, he has fulfilled his contractual obligation to Everton. You have not heard a peep out of Ross about the situation, other than a short statement in August saying he chose not to undertake a medical at Chelsea at that time because of his hamstring injury.

Rather than vent your anger on Ross, shouldn't you be asking more searching questions of the club's custodians that yet another of our best young talents has been allowed to leave?

How can anyone seriously expect the club to progress and return to former glories with this working model?

I'd rather we concentrated on some of the obvious young potential within the squad now, especially after last night's Cup exit. We wasted far too much time on Barkley.

At the same time, he's watched Jags and Baines, in their primes, stay at lower wages, with a Best of the Rest contender. Both now playing out the string at a confused, struggling, mid-level Club.

It has been said, and repeated, on these pages that Ross might not be the clearest-thinking footballer out on the pitch. But he's not stupid. Or blind. Of course he left.

Starting with Rooney, then Lescott, the names listed above, and thru now to Ross Barkley, the only constant is Bill Kenwright; Mr Plucky Little himself.

As long as we have a 72-year-old musical theatre impresario pulling any strings at Everton, we will not be for real or taken seriously as a Club on the up.

I'm still disappointed with Ross though, I thought something would be worked out and he would stay.

I'm in the camp that Barkley can fuck off; his antics cost the club £20 mil and this was solely due to his actions. I don't give a shit about his career going forward and I hope he gets dog's abuse whenever we play them, if he actually gets a game for them in the Premier League.

Not many people know that.

Sorry but it's the board's fault, over and over again.

I reserve judgement on his summer decision because, until someone enlightens me, I haven't got a fucking clue why that happened.

The endless futile debate about his talent is finally over, thank heavens!

If he wanted to leave, which seems clear (and he has every right to do so of course), then he could have at least left in August and ensured his boyhood club 㿀m more.

If Chelsea suggested that he wait out his injury and that they'd come back with a lower offer in January, is that legal? The whole affair has an unsavoury aftertaste to it for me which is a shame as I always thought he was a very good player who I enjoyed watching and we have missed him this season.

In Ross's case, he does seem to have stuck the knife in for whatever reason, maybe legitimately. All I know is this club has stood by him at many points in his career, through the youth setup, his bad injury as youngster etc.

Does this mean he owes the club anything? No, but I do think he owes the fans something, most of whom loved him. To me, it all shows one thing: football isn't what it used to be.

It appears he was only ever offered an amount less than Sigurdsson, less than Schneiderlin, and if rumours are true, Sandro. I don't know what Klaassen "Earns".

There has been ample time for Barkley to see how the players seemingly valued and paid more highly by the club, have performed. What would anyone expect him to read into that?

Instead, he purposely ran his contract down to make Everton lose money on him. So much for an Everton blue. These situations would be difficult to come about if there were no football agents, who for one reason or another are allowed by FIFA to exist, yet, are killing the game with their greed for money.

I disagree – Barkley was far from the best talent we have. He was inconsistent and has limitations in reading the game which never improved since the day he made his debut. That's why he never established himself in the England team and was only a bit part player for his country.

His loss is nothing like loosing Rooney in his youth. He's talented but with limitations – but far from the best.

Barkley? Meh, never in that league. Losing him just shows our position in the modern game.

I have said it before and I'll say it again, Ross does mot have the cerebral capacity to conjure up the deceit surrounding his protracted/delayed transfer. Someone is and always has been working him from behind. Whoever that person is, has engineered the move since the close of the last window, possibly/probably in league with his new masters to save them 㿀m.

It stinks to high heaven and Ross is the puppet in the middle. I would welcome an investigation into the why's and wherefore's surrounding the whole saga.

Sorry, Ross, but in my opinion you will live to regret the decisions you have made during the last 6 months of your career. Don't say you were not warned!!!

We'll all know soon enough won't we whether Ross was all that? If, in the next five years, he plays 20+ games in a Championship-winning side, or forms part of a Champions League winning team, presumably all those who weren't having him will come on here to eat humble pie. As if.

٢M, according to the Everton website.

From my perspective I think these were the best technical players in both teams. Unfortunately, Liverpool have the players to fill the void and the money now to buy a decent replacement. What can you buy for £15M these days??? Mr Walsh, you certainly have your work cut out!

Everton have been slipped a fiver and a patronising pat on the head from the player and Chelsea. The board does my head in.

Add to that the calamity to get the Tosun transfer done. The lack of proper publicity, half-time at the derby, ffs. Allowing Barkley to be announced on a game day.

Just a shower of amateurs in that office at Goodison.

And the bastards move to replace him, before he's actually gone, with Mahrez!

While I may be naive to think that footballers these days should show at least a scrap of loyalty to the club that signed them up, fostered their talent, and supported them through injuries and loss of form (and he's had plenty of that!), at Everton we expect and deserve better.

We are not and never will be soul less clubs like Man Utd and Chelsea. We are supported by real people with a real love for the club, who bleed blue.

Shame on you, Barkley, and your advisors... and enjoy life on the bench at the Bridge and watching the World Cup on the TV!!

The future of the Club? The docks? No no. Not Bill's money.

But the day-to-day of players in or out? Kenwright's a player.

And he needs to go.

Potential

Failed Potential

Failed

May have a brief career Indian summer down the track in the manner of Huddlestone / Hull FA Cup final.

Depending on your point of view, he's been either very cleverly or very poorly advised.

Everton That.

"Ross Barkley to be Chelsea's new Lampard!" From within the media somewhere.

To mention Barkley in the same sentence as the best attacking midfielder I've seen is frankly so funny and an insult to Lampard's talents. Not in the same sphere, those two.

He also seemed to be shaken by his experience in a Liverpool night club some months ago; this may have affected his decision. Sure, we probably could have got more for him but realistically his limited remaining contract took a few noughts off that.

Ross will probably play a few games for Chelsea but will end up being transferred to a lesser team. Good luck, Ross, and no hard feelings.

I can't suggest I wouldn't leave for the money but accuse another Evertonian of doing the same. My guess is they know well before we do that they have a certain great value and the club wants to make use of it.

On the contrary, he will be an automatic choice now he is with one of the Sky darlings. Phillip Neville got 50 odd caps whilst warming the Man Utd bench. I don't think he got many caps when he was our ever-present captain.

"All I know is this club has stood by him at many points in his career, through the youth setup, his bad injury as youngster etc."

Of course the club did. Ross was a very promising player. What is the club supposed to do? Not develop a good young talent, thrown him out after his injury at age 17? Christ, it's the business of a club to develop and rehab players.

"Ross should have got the club £20 million more."

The club let Barkley's contract run down and then Koeman constantly singles him out for public criticism when many on the club were underperforming – and the club backs it.

After letting his contract run down and the public criticism, the club offers him a contract and he says not enough. Koeman then gives him a public ultimatum of sign it or we're getting rid of you! No one does this. The club makes no counter offer and he's supposed to work to get the club more money?

Sorry, but at this point it's about business for me. The club set the take it or leave it terms so Barkley owes Everton Football Club nothing.

Lastly the supporters. These things were being said when he was 21 years old: "No football brain", "lacking in mental capacity", "inconsistent", "not improved since he was 17", etc etc, ad infinitum. If I was taking years of abuse from supporters like he got here, I would want away too. Just like Stones and Lukaku.

Look, most of the anti-Barkley commenters here have been ripping him for years. You got what you wanted – he's leaving. He owes us nothing.

I have a theory as to why players get picked for England, which backs up why the majority of players picked are at the top clubs: viewing figures! The TV companies want as many of the top supported clubs watching, and what better way to pique their interest than to pick their clubs' players.

TV companies must have some sway – especially with the amount of money they now put into the game!

Not many Evertonians must watch England every game – I know I don't! I stopped watching when the likes of Stevie me would walk through a brick wall for Liverpool, but barely broke a sweat for England!

As to Barkley leaving, it's a shame it has turned out this way. One of my favourite players over the past five/six years. I cannot bring myself to wish him good luck, as he is now one of our competitors!

If it is all about money, then it's just as much the fault of the club.

Barkley's just proven that to be bullshit. Money-grabbing, selfish, unthankful, greedy man.

I, as a life long blue, hope he ends up sitting on his fat overpaid arse on loan at Barnsley!

[Awaits tirade of uncalled for abuse😁👮👦]

Ross has gone quietly out of the black door now, and I just hope that Allardyce, starts playing Sigurdsson, in his right position. Overpriced he might have been, but it doesn't mean he's not a very, very good player?

In an Everton shirt, amazing skill one minute, totally frustrating the next. He will be exposed at Chelsea. I give him two seasons at best before he is sold on.

£15 million? Would have been nice to have got more, but better than going on a free in the summer. Chelsea can't lose on the deal really, whether he cuts the mustard or not. The business side of football stinks, full stop. Get over it. Sadly no such thing as loyalty any more. Agents hold all the aces.

To speak of him in the same breath as Coutinho is laughable. It's like comparing Peter Beagrie to Alan Ball.

Why haven't the Barcelona's and Madrid's been chasing Barkley for years? Because they could see right through him, that's why. His shortcomings and deficiencies have no doubt been well documented by Europe's finest teams.

Except where money is concerned. Speaking of which, I suspect others may be right about his little change of heart last transfer window and I wonder how much of that £20 mil he has pocketed. Hard to think of any other explanation.

One guy is class; one guy is trash.

Thank you to everyone for the well wishes and messages of support 💯 it's an amazing feeling to have signed for Chelsea and I'm excited about the future at Stamford Bridge 🔵

Chelsea are a massive club with brilliant fans and I'm looking forward to working hard here and showing everyone what I know I'm capable of in the coming years âš½

Despite a challenging few months I've loved every minute of my time at Everton and would like to thank everyone at the club, coaches, players and members of staff I've worked with for everything you've done for me over the past 13 years. I will always look back with fond memories of my time at Goodison Park and playing for my hometown club in front of my own people has been a huge honour for me. Everton will always have a special place in my heart 💙

We've probably all done it at some point jumped in with both feet I mean, but calling Ross Barkley "trash" is out of order anyway. I feel the same about anybody connected with Everton who gets regularly roasted and accused of all sorts from theft to deception (I think you know who I mean) when the people making the comments don't know all if any of the details but simply make their minds up from media shite and the good ole rumour mill.

Yeh people have made mistakes, we all do, but some of the things some people are accused of are way over the top, IMO. Too many people just need someone to blame, again IMO.

I was on another forum and a so-called Evertonian on there said "I want Ross to stay and if he does he'll be a hero, but if he doesn't he's just a rat!" Translated to me as "If you don't do what I want you to do, you're a rat."

Fucking ridiculous.

We don't know why he left, and may never know. But in the absence of the full facts can't we give him the benefit of the doubt?

There doesn't have to be any under handedness or anything. The lad, after 13 years here, may have just wanted a change, ffs.

Nice one, Dave for apologizing, almost unseen on here, mate! ;-)

I hadn't seen that statement anywhere and in the wake of my disgust at our (in my opinion, unnecessary) £20 million loss I saw the Zmist.

Man City £1.26 billion
Chelsea £924 million
Man Utd £811 million
Liverpool £780 million
Spurs £548 million
Arsenal £444 million.

The numbers are eye-watering and pretty much parallel the finishing positions in the league in that time.

Superficially on those numbers, you could conclude that for money spent, the 'poo have not had a good return for their money in comparison to the others.

The message was on his instagram account I believe.

This was a tweet from Chris Sutton the ex Blackburn and Celtic player he was just re tweeting an article from the Sportsman which is a paper I think. It only included the teams listed so I am assuming they were the top 7 in regards to money spent.

It would be interesting to see what the figure is for Everton, which might be an indication of what we need to spend in the future to get consistent top-6 positions,

Reading the article and checking the comparative numbers now.

I think the teams that spend the most win the most. I know Leicester proved the exception to that but that won't happen again in a hurry. When compairing us to the spending of the top 7, we can't compete, even though we have Moshiri on board.

I posted a couple of weeks back the only way we would be able to compete is if Usmanov joined and used his wealth and that of Moshiri to challenge for a top 6 spot.

Now it's Man City, Man Utd and Chelsea who are the equivalent to that. In contrast, Liverpool, Spurs and Arsenal are mere 'nearly clubs' who compete near the top but aren't at the top. They want to be the top, but they'll need a lot more money to do that.

We'll need even more, to achieve that from our current position. Only someone 'mega rich' like Usmanov can sort that out.

Doesn't mess about like!

They can attract the very best with big wages and transfer payments to their clubs.

It means they can have a squad of over 20 top class performers so that when they have injuries they do not suffer, always having a starting eleven difficult to beat.

The rest of the clubs have 2 or 3 top performers, relied upon heavily, and when they get injured , more often than not the weaknesses are apparent in the
subsequent results.

That's just the way it goes and as mentioned, Everton had some of this good fortune back in the sixties although the amount of games played was far less over a season and the World television revenue and Euro big cash lure was not a big factor.

However, Leicester proved that this can be overcome with astute purchases and the right coaches at the helm albeit not every season.

Top-tier:
Man City, Man Utd and Chelsea.

2nd tier:
Spurs, Arsenal, Liverpool

3rd tier:
Everton

4th tier:
Others

The 2nd tier are made out by the media to be 'elite', but they're not, because they win domestic cups at best, like the other tiers, but don't win the league. They get into Europe, but seldom win anything.

The 2nd tier are trying to be top-tier, but failing. The 3rd tier (us) are trying to be 2nd tier, but failing thus far, although some might say it's early days under Moshiri (come on Usmanov, you know you want to).

The spend figures @318 reflect (roughly) the top and 2nd tiers, whilst indicating fairly ineffective use of a large spend at Liverpool.

We're third tier ahead of the rest. We were near the relegation zone not so long ago. Does that suggest that we're favourites for seventh place?

I see Conte says that Ross in pretty good shape. Sure isn't he well rested up and his hamstring looked after? No wonder he enjoyed every second at his boyhoood club.

I am very much in the camp of Brian at #315 in regards to Barkley. With the added thought of my previous post that Barkley owes the club and supporters nothing.

If true, that might point the finger towards who may have had a hand in the summer transfer falling through!!!

It would appear that Barkley's agent tried to use Barkley's contract extension situation in order to push through a move to Chelsea for Stones. He "allegedly" intimated that if Stones was allowed to go to Chelsea he (the agent) would get Barkley to extend his contract with Everton.

Now if the reputed ٥m the agent received for Barkley's transfer to Chelsea is true, it makes you wonder how much his cut would have been for Stones to go there and makes you wonder whether Barkley's last minute change of heart in the summer was payback on Everton by his agent as Stones was not allowed to go to Chelsea but went to Man City instead where his cut may have been a lot less!

Agents eh? Can't live without 'em, can't hang 'em either!