Lookman has a fan in Brands

Selling this lad would be a disaster and will come back to bite us.

The lad's obviously got bags full of talent but he himself needs to understand he is not yet good enough in all the required departments to expect a start every week in our first-team eleven.

He is very small and lightweight for the Premier League and only sprints in one direction, flair and skill are great as long as the basic fundamentals are taken care of first.

A top team doesn't have physical weaknesses, ie, speed strength height are basic requirement's unless you are a really special player and can score goals and create chances out of nothing!

I'd be glad to see him back in the squad but he would have to do a lot more than what he did when he played under Koeman.

When is height a requirement unless you're a ‘special' player? And how do you know he won't be a ‘special' player? The management at RB Leipzig seem to think he is. And they're a better team than we are.

You say he's not good enough to start, week-in & week-out. I agree, he's not the finished article, but looking at our squad I'd love to know who you think starts ahead of him, week-in & week-out, because I'm struggling.

He was playing Number 10 for RB Leipzig for the latter part of the season and started slotting regularly. I can't even remember who our Number 10 was last season.
He's just a kid. And if we sell Rooney and Niasse – as seems likely, he will probably be our top scorer from last season!!

Common sense at last! Lad's got bags of talent. Just needs someone to nurture him. Like our new manager, methinks!

Please let this not be a dream...

If he comes back to us it''ll be to receive a relentless plethora of aimless balls from defence/midfield, to the huge cost of his perception of his own career, that being the bottom line for just about any "pro" of the last thirty years.

And no, I can't "prove" what I've just said, but it is my instinct, sadly.

I liked the news of Everton hiring Brands. I liked him better when he started talking. Now I'm starting to move into man-crush territory.

Rock on, Marcel!

I agree wholeheartedly with your comments and usually agree with what you say with your posts.

Things I think will be changing dramatically over the course of this season and I am feeling a lot more positive about the entire setup now that Brands is here!

When are you coming over to Goodison Park again Mike? I remember reading and laughing about your last Visit!

Brands is going to have to do more than express his admiration for Lookman via the media. He is going to have to show him that he is making the necessary changes.

Lookman, after the initial action of Brands not renewing contracts, which has seen six Under-23 players leave Everton, will have his suspicions aroused that the wage-cutting policy of Allardyce is continuing at the expense of the youth development policy.

Lookman will know every one of these six players. Why were they given contracts in the first place and heralded by Evertonfc. com?

Of course Brands would like Lookman in the Everton squad, but Lookman has said he wants a transfer. Brands, by publically expressing his support, is putting the onus on Lookman to either push his transfer request or withdraw it. Brands then avoids the blame should he go and enhances the fee value of one of his few realisable value players. Niasse the other realisable player in the squad, will be next. It will be interesting to see if Silva will want Niasse or if the realisable value of Niasse will be too tempting for Brands.

Brands's initial plan is to reduce the wages bill and release funds for transfers. The public expression of interest in Lookman is only a play in this initial plan. The ball is now in Lookman's court. His decision will be the judgement of a professional footballer who has taken the correct decisions regarding his career so far.

Lookman is looking for a permanent move to Leipzig; will he change his mind?Why should he?

However, Marcel Brands is doing what he should do to make the young player make a decision. If he doesn't want to play for Everton, then that is fine...

Everton has been mismanaged for far too long and if it takes the style of Brands through the Media to get these players thinking, then I am all for it.

At the end of the day, all the players must look at the club and decide if they want what we the fans want and that is Everton winning and the respect of the rest of the Premier League!!

Under Koeman and then Allardyce, there was Zero. Now there is hope and Vision; what more do you want at this stage??

It's a ladder, and every prospect in the youth setup cannot be expected to have what it takes to become a Premier League player. So we can't keep them, but we should still thank them for having provided competition for the few (hopefully) future stars to grow better.

Lookman did not say he wanted to move permanently. He said he would be open to it if Everton decided they were going to sell. That's not at all the same as what your are stating, that he wants out. He has not made a transfer request.

And as for the players released, we and every other club release youth players every single season, to be replaced by new youth players. And no he wouldn't have known every single one of them. We signed him for what is big money for a young player from Charlton. He was in their youth system, not ours.

Lookman is looking to play top level football. That's why he refused to go to a garbage club in the Championship and challenged himself in Germany. If he can play regularly for Everton there is no doubt he'd want to do that, for an attacking manager. Lookman hasn't requested a transfer. It's Liepzig that have said they want to sign him and now Brands has come out and said we're not interested. Fairly simple really.

Obviously it is all about opinions, but I hope we don't get shot and bring in Troy Deany in his place.

That really showed the lack of forward thinking of Allardyce and most up and coming, talented young players would have felt the same as Lookman at that time. Nobody blamed him for seizing the opportunity to play Champions League football for Leipzig and he did so well that they want to sign him on a permanent basis.

Brands and Silva are not Sam Allardyce, however, and between them, I'm pretty sure they are capable of explaining to Lookman that he has a part to play in their first-team plans.

So, I don't think it was so much a case of Lookman not wanting to play for Everton, but more a case of not wanting to play for Allardyce's Everton, two completely different things in my opinion.

There is already talk of Bolasie being moved on, a great decision I think. Bolasie just doesn't cut it for me. A one trick pony who has been found out by most Premier League defenders. There's your opening, Ademola. It's up to the lad to grasp his chance and show us the type of football we all feel he is capable of.

As David said, when has Lookman ever publicly expressed a desire to stay at Leipzig, let alone demand a transfer? And then you go on to spin some convoluted yarn about Brands's motivations/machinations, when the far simpler, more logical explanation is that he simply rates Lookman and wants him to stay.

You keep throwing out these wild suppositions and trying to pass them off as fact. A few weeks ago, you were claiming that Moshiri had 100% decided to retain Allardyce for next season, flip-flopped when the fans started booing and put in a panicked call to Brands, begging him to take the job (as if he'd accept if that were true). It's nonsense.

Silva would have to be in same calibre as whiskey nose Ferguson to pull it off... who knows maybe he is, time will tell. By Christmas, we will have a good idea where we are headed. If it goes pear-shaped, stand by for the return of the Moyesiah.

It's a travesty that Lookman wasn't afforded the game time that Calvert-Lewinor even Tom Davies got last season.

Lookman for me is hands down the better of the three; maybe if we had a manager who decided to just let the lad attack and do damage to opponents, rather than worrying about why he's not tracking back, negating his attributes, then Lookman might just have backed up this claim.

Lookman is an old-fashioned street footballer with great natural ability, he can be a success at Everton if used correctly and often, even off the bench.

Lookman was not up to that task and dropped down the pecking order. If he had stayed perhaps once the defence was restored, he may have been given another go.

My hope is that Marco can effect a 25% improvement in the players we have and that Marcel will come up with a couple of 'higher class' performers.

I'll even buy 8th as long as we are only a point or two from the 'big boys' rather than the length of the East Lancs Road!

Lookman was in my team, but my boys had never seen him play. He came off the bench and two minutes later, one of my lads said, "I know you said he was good, dad, but I didn't realise you meant THAT good."

What Lookman has is the X-Factor. Yes, teams need to play to a pattern to defend and to use systems to break down teams. But no side wins anything without a player who can also do the unexpected. Someone who can surprise everyone, with a turn, a pass or a shot from nowhere.

Man City are full of those. We aren't. In his pomp, Rooney had it in spades. Other than that, where in this squad do we get that unexpected something? The answer is in Lookman.

Yes, he can improve aspects of his game. Every young player can. But please, not at the expense of his exuberance and ability to excite the crowd.

10 robots and Lookman, will beat 11 robots almost every time. And we'll have more fun watching it.

I don't really see Silva playing a team with 4-6 youngsters in the starting XI regularly.

No doubt Lookman will exasperate at times but, from what I've seen of him, he has more than enough skill and speed to excite in equal measure.

Big Fat Sam treated him exactly as you would expect – shamefully. I'm relieved to hear that Brands has a tad more insight.

Marcel can certainly "talk the talk" — lets' just hope he can "walk the walk".

COYB

ps: Well done, young Blues again in Toulon.

If he's improved again for the loan experience, make him a regular first-team player.

To Silva, Brands, and the board: stop buying the next best player, and not playing them!

If we win the FA Cup, Will Marcel Brands be going up to collect it?

Interested in you saying Lookman being small was a disadvantage?

One name: Alan Ball. l rest my case. :)

I have long held the view, what is the point of expensive academies unless it's a means to an end? At many clubs, youth are not given an opportunity. I know teams need strong squads but I don't see the sense in spending huge sums on players to be bench warmers.

Surely the whole point of an academy is so you can limit your net spend by producing players of your own. Now, if we aren't producing young players, then the people in charge of the academy should be changed.

So I hope that the new manager and DOF will make sure that the players we buy are players that will be first-team players, that we can augment with our own homegrown players.

The comments about giving young players a chance is also brilliant – not what every fan wants to hear BUT its clearly a major part of his blueprint. Imagine what that will do for Lookman, Davies, Dowell, Calvert-Lewin and the like – young hungry guys who have now been promised that they will be considered ahead of big-name signings.

I think Bolasie, Mirallas, Klaassen, Rooney, Schneiderlin and one or two others' time is up at the club. I feel Marcel has the necessary ruthlessness to get rid of them too. That means the wide men in the front three of Silva's 4-3-3 would probably be:

Walcott or Vlasic (right)
Lookman or Lozano (left) – I hope these rumours are true!

That would do me nicely indeed. With Cenk "Beast from the East" Tosun leading the line. I think we might only bring in 3 players, but guys who could go straight into the first team. A central defender, a midfielder to replace Schneiderlin (Carvalho?) and an attacking player (Lozano).

I'd be more than happy with that. Long may this new look Everton continue!

I would love to see him stay at Everton, he's the kind of player who gets the fans off their seats, but he probably won't last a full game for the moment. The question is whether we start with him, then pull him after 60 mins, or use him off the bench in the final 20 mins. His tracking back was also dubious when he featured for us, and he lost the ball more often than Barkley did in dangerous positions.

All that said, he's one we should be keeping, but there are some blue-tinted glasses being worn here. As someone once said, to the fans, the best player is often the one who's not in the team.

Lookman ''recently made it known that he wanted to transfer permanently to Leipzig.'' and ''Lookman has said he wants a transfer''.

Where did you hear this?

I have scoured the sports pages and internet sites and only seen speculation in the red tops that were no doubt fuelled by a journo wanting to fill some column inches or an agent looking for a few bob. Nothing directly attributed to Lookman. No direct quotes from the lad. Or his agent.

I think you must also be very close to Brands to ''know'' what his plans are. I'm not having a pop at you personally, Jerome, it's more a case of your post being yet more speculation.

We need him back, if not as an automatic starte... then as a much more central part of the team. That is the signal from Brands. Now it's over to the lad himself.

Lookman will need to take a look at Aguero, Sanchez and Shaqiri. They are short but strong on the ball. Some extra weights in the gym should help.

When Ronaldo started at Man Utd, he gave the ball away and looked lightweight; now, he isn't too bad!!!!

Those sent on loan sometimes come back more mature and capable of doing good things so it is always an argument between us fans about players like Lookman and Dowell but let's not remember Ross Barkley who came back, played well, and then just fell into a malaise of form.

Seamus was the one big exception.

Players like Sandro and Mirallas are no longer viable options and should be permanently dealt.

It's all about what kind of team we want to be. Bolasie was bought for his pace for the transitions and his physique for tracking back. That's why Allardyce was desperate to play him; he focused on avoiding defeat. Lookman doesn't do the tracking back. If you think we need that, let him go.

The criticisms of him are valid, but he's only going to improve when he's on the pitch. The fact that he wanted to go to Germany rather than back to the championship tells me a lot about him.

I'd keep him. If we're going to play fast pressing football, imagine him coming on for the last thirty, running at tired defenders.

We have wasted millions on expensive transfers and having blown the money are now forced out of necessity to try something different. This might well prove to be our salvation. I'd happily accept 13th place if we see some entertaining football, a few good cup wins and our youngsters given a chance to prove themselves in what will have to be a season of rebuilding. If you've completely lost your way you sometimes need to go backwards in order to get back on the right path. Thankfully Brands is prepared to take the risk of upsetting those who demand instant success.

Job done.

Silver lining. As long as he stays!

We had 3 lads start in the England U21 team that just won the Toulon tourney and all played well. Hornby played well for Scotland in addition to whom we have 3 quality centre-backs in Feeney, Holgate and Gibson, the returning Pennington, Browning and Galloway it will be interesting to see what Silva can get out of those lads, surely at least one of them will force his way into the 1st team.

Like others have voiced, I'd chose Lookman before Bolasie based on their respective performances last season.

It is obvious that the progression of many of our youngsters has been thwarted by terrible managers for the past 3 or 4 seasons. Let's hope that the club has rid itself of that malaise and that our young talent begins to thrive and play quality, high energy football – the kind of footie the U23s won PL2 with, and the kind of footie RB Leipzig play.

Fat old man tells talented youngster to take a worse job in England and not bother with those Fancy Dan foreigners, he knows what's best for him.

Youngster ignores him, follows his instincts and flourishes in the land the old man refuses to understand.

Fat old man replaced by Dutchman who says he wants the talented youngster back in the team.

Good on yer, Mola, you showed the fat old corrupt so-and-so who knew best, didn't you?

Scoring goals in Germany is great and I'm sure it's good experience but it shouldn't guarantee him or anyone else a shirt.

I just hope they can convince him that we are now Dinosaur free, and the bogeyman has been rigorously exorcised from every nook and cranny at Grinch Farm.

Like 99%, I believe this lad is a cracking talent, and hopefully an integral part of our future. Surely his stint in Germany will have made him even better.

Sense in the higher ranks at last.

We'll be over from April to season's end if all goes to plan and so you should consider a second trip; can picture Rob, Keith and us two sunning ourselves in blue speedos on Bramley-Moore Dock, watching the groundwork get underway.

Btw, having trouble finding a slot for a trip your way.

He played the full 90 against Hoffenheim on 21 April with an assist. On 29 April, he was subbed off against Mainz at 64 minutes after a poor performance in a 3-0 loss. On 5 May, he played 90 mins and scored two goals against Wolfsburg. And on 12 May against Hertha, he had a goal and two assists before coming off at 62 minutes with what may have been a leg injury. He had taken a thump in the thigh in the first half and looked a bit gimpy. (May explain his absence from the Toulon tournament.)

Dave (#34), Si at #6 was incorrect. Lookman took various positions as an impact player off the bench, but not much of that was at #10 – and he was full time at left wing those last four games when he was a starter.

And next April is definitely a go if we're playing decent footy at that time.

You may be interested in a conversation on TalkShite at the moment. They're talking about the one-way system where literally thousands of kids have come to England to improve their game (and earning power) whilst players here only really leave these shores If they are world superstars on a mega, deal or at the end of their careers.

Lookman was amongst the very few exceptions. No wonder we produce so many one-dimensional work horses.

And no rush making it down here to visit – anytime this summer is good!

Txiki Begiristain M City

Raul Sanllehi Arsenal to name just 2...

The musician Damon Albarn once commented on an England World Cup squad, "they don't look like they've travelled very much." I knew exactly what he meant.

Good on Mola for having the bottle to test himself as a footballer and person. If only more did the same.

Sterling has scored a few this season and I think Lookman can do the same for us next season.

However I hope Brands won't keep overstepping the mark. It's Silva's job and decision after all and Brands is DoF NOT the manager.

"In fact, I really like him on the right wing cutting in."

If memory serves, when he came on at Anfield this season, he immediately started to cut in and caused them problems?

The pressure on Brands and Marco Silva to close the gap is getting more difficult day by day, as Everton have too many players to offload before thinking about others to buy to improve the squad.

I think that Si [6] summed up my feelings in his response. I would like to put forward the names of Bobby Collins (5'-3") and Billy Bremner (5'-5") to add to the nominations of Charles [#78], Alan Ball (5'-6"), Lionel Messi (5'-7"), and Pele (5'-8").

I recognise the attributes that you have quoted, but consider talent is the prime requirement; however, I appreciate that we don't all see things the same way.

Secondly, he has to win as many points as possible, and have Everton in the top half of the table for the majority of the season.

Thirdly, if things go well, Everton could be in the hunt for European qualification and anything beyond that is a bonus – if the supporters are expecting Everton to be competing with Liverpool this season and constantly comparing what they do to what Everton do, then they are setting themselves up for a big fall and a major dissapointment.

Everton have regressed during a 5-year period whilst the neighbours have generally improved during that time, it's going to take more than a single transfer window to close that gap. If those heady expectations are found amongst the majority of Evertonians, Silva won't last past Christmas.

For me, Walcott leads the pack in terms of offensive wingers, but surely Bolasie needs to return to London to try to rebuild his career which has floundered at Goodison. This would leave room for two of Lookman, Vlasic and Dowell, and I rather suspect that Kieran will be allowed to move on too.

The lad is not a winger though. Played support striker role to Werner in Germany. No reason why that can't happen here as it's his best position.

And he played most of the game on the right in the home fixture against Split this past summer. Almost created two goals as I recall.

Lookman is the best young player on our books, a star in the making. The shrewd Germans know it too.

He is getting better, the loan will have matured him. He is ready to take his opportunity by the scruff of the neck and have a great season for us.

Brands is making all the right noises, the future is bright for us now with him in the driving seat as DOF and Silva as head coach.

Ever Blue
Ever True
Everton

However, I missed the Wolfsburg game, and the highlights show him getting both goals from late runs down the middle into the box, so it looks like you're right about him supporting Timo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOFvrxdh3kw

Like I said before, anywhere along the attack line works for me, just as long as he's in our shirt.

He has shown ability playing for junior England teams and in just a few matches in Germany but I sure hope he's nowhere near the most welcome addition to the squad this summer, and that's not meant to denigrate him, a very young man, in the least.

Lookman isn't the answer to all of our problems. He hasn't demonstrated anywhere near that kind of ability or consistency. We all know what happens at Goodison when a young player fails to live up to expectations.

We've seen flashes of what he can do though. He can be exciting and he certainly has a knack of chipping in with goals. Just temper the expectation and let's see him develop with more game time this season.

My point is I'm glad to see him back and I agree that buying and nuturing talented young player's is the best model for our club to take but on his last showing's in a blue shirt he looked like a boy playing against men.

He was brushed off the ball so easily, couldn't beat his man vs one, made the wrong decison's, ran into blind alley's lost the ball and did not track his opposite fullback.

I myself think he would make a better number ten than winger where he can use his quick feet and skill's to more effect and not have to worry as much about his defensive duties.

On the point someone made about a talented player will be allowed to the give the ball away and make mistake's in the first team, he won't, Ross Barkley and John Stones done it and they got slaughtered!

Goodison is a melting pot especially when thing's aren't going well basic requirement's have to be met show ponies don't last long such as McGeady and soon to be off ball juggling waste of space Bolasie.

End product is key if he comes back work's his sock's off get's physically stronger and is able to do his duties off the ball he could be great for us but at the minute I'd like to see a fully fledged international senior pro on the left wing every week.

There is no smoke without fire and the speculation regarding his future has a source. He isn't back at Everton yet, I worry that he has a realisable value and other parties are interested in him.

Brands has a difficult job and not only has to have some difficult conversations with players, but also has to make some difficult decisions. He needs to raise funds and get in players to improve the squad,

Lookman is a suitable player, but he has proved he can play at a high level and at a different club. Brands is going to have to show more than admiration to get Lookman to buy into his plan. If Lookman is in any way doubtful about his Everton future, Brands has to take the difficult decision to realise his transfer value.

He never gives less than 100% even if he hasn't regained his quick change of direction and explosiveness, he comes across as a humble and respectful guy and has been an excellent ambassador for the club in the community.

I for one remember him being a dynamic and athletic team player, doing a lot of the hard work and clever stuff behind Lukaku in his last season and I think he deserves the time and patience to get himself fit, if he can. And if he can't, a guy who's put his body on the line and represented the club like he has in his short time here, should still not be referred to as ‘the ball juggling waste of space' that he was in John Malone's post at 107.

Coaching is absolutely central to the modern game.

In total agreement with you, though – he should be starting for us next season. I see no reason why he can't perform the Sterling role for us.

The ‘Stirling' role is one he could grow into. Would this fit in with Silva's grand plan?

I agree that he has looked good (2x). He is a quick learner and even faster at recovering when he does get beaten. He seldom makes the same defensive mistake twice. Going forward he does need to work on the crosses but at least he tries to put them in.

Best thing is that he has a bit of a mean streak. He puts the knee or thigh or forearm in at midfield and outside the box to let players know he is there and to stop possible counters before they can occur.

Since Everton haven't sniffed the top five without an American in the line-up, he needs to be understudy to Baines to start the season. Chance to learn from one of the better left backs to grace an Everton jersey.

1) Keep Baines in as No 1, with Antonee as back up, chomping to start.

2) Buy an new left-back because staff at the club think he is not ready for it.

3) Send him out on loan to a club where he will play week in week out.

4) Start him as No 1 choice

Antonee has muddied the waters with his performances. Although friendly matches sometimes are not the best when assessing players. By far the best route is promoting our youth. But and it is a big BUT, doing so cannot cause a weak link or be detrimental to the clubs and fans top 6 ambitions.

It's a big call, and a gamble not to sign a proven left-back. I think we will compromise and sign a reasonably priced well scouted left-back like this lad from Hertha Berlin. If Antonee continues on his trajectory of improvement he will challenge the German lad and may take the role permanently.

It's so refreshing to read about Everton again there is a totally different atmosphere about the club.