Silva ready to 'attack the market' this summer to strengthen Blues

But it's time to stop the endless droning about keeping Zouma. There is no way in hell it's gonna happen. He's gone, successor already in place, end of subject. Move on.

With someone like Zouma we might be waiting for Chelsea to see if their ban is overturned and they buy new CBs. It’s all very well planning to move quickly but any transfer will involve at least 3 different parties and aiming high means looking at players who are likely to have a few options and might feel they deserve European football.

I think Silva is growing more and more into this job and I believe that mid-season crisis we had has actually been the making of him, he appears to have come through the other side stronger.

So we have just under three months to sort out getting Sandro, Niasse, Bolasie, Martina, Besic and company new clubs whilst trying to coax Gomes and Zouma here and shopping well for a more potent attacking player.

Silva and Brands will go up again further in my estimation if they pull that off successfully.

I expect that they initially will try to offload before buying. The priory will be to secure the services of Gomes and Zouma, though this is going to be difficult. The alleged situation that Mina has got himself into doesn't help. Any other signings will be late on, when Moshiri releases more money, UEAFA rules permitting.

The good news is Brands and Silva have a framework in place and know what they want to improve things.

No doubt there will be other players linked, but two options I wouldn't be opposed to are Calum Chambers (Arsenal) or Fikayo Tomori (Chelsea, again!).

Chambers had a good second half to the season, albeit playing CDM at a doomed Fulham. He could be a good 3rd choice CB and an option for CDM if required.

Fikayo Tomori has received good reviews at Derby, is strong and quick and could be another shrewd loan signing if we can't get Kurt.

We can’t seem to keep a team together and have a history of getting to summer and letting players go. Then next season we will have some new signings that will take time to gel and we will call it ‘a transitional’ season. Then next season’s summer transfer window comes around and again we sell. Gets pretty boring in my opinion. We have to start thinking bigger. After how good the champions league has been this season I’m hardly surprised players want to play in it, Everton need to start really pushing for it now. The time is now.

We should have a decent relationship with Barca. We should well be in advanced talks with them over Gomes. If he goes to Spurs or another team in our league then Everton have well and truly messed up. We need to become an attractive place for players to come instead of being the place where loanee’s come, build up their career again, then leave us for apparently bigger things. When are we ever going to be successful.

This season has made me think more and more that we’re never ever going to get onto the Liverpool/City level. Wouldn’t surprise me if Richarlison and Digne throw in transfer requests for good measure. Why would they stick around if we can’t even secure players like Gomes.

I want to see us have a positive transfer window and have a good go next year. Straight from the off. We have to start well in the league. We need to go out and try and buy proven players and not players like Tosun who scored 20 goals in Turkey for Christ’s sake. How about Jovic or Belotti. Surly we are bigger than Frankfurt and Torino.

I would love Gomes to stay as he has been so graceful in his play, very Arteta like but some horrible feeling inside me says he’s already made his mind up. London living, big stadium’s, European football, at the moment it’s all things we can’t offer. Does my head in.

A selling point to attract and keep players is to promote our uplift in form in 2019. We can keep that momentum going.

I don't know the stats but in 2019 alone we would be definite top 6 contenders and maybe more.

With the retention of Zouma and one or two other quality additions we can challenge the top 6 next season and win one of the trophies.

A selling point to attract and keep players is to promote our uplift in form in 2019. We can keep that momentum going.

I don't know the stats but in 2019 alone we would be definite top 6 contenders and maybe more.

With the retention of Zouma and one or two other quality additions we can challenge the top 6 next season and win one of the trophies.

If you are off, and you are not playing, then why come on and do the lap of honour? You don't have to be at the ground and you could skip it? Why do extra fan stuff for the club before the same game?

If all of this is because you are a decent guy, have some love for Everton and it's fans, but find the lure of Spurs and CL final too much, then surely a soppy farewell message on twitter or IG, both of which you are an avid user of?

For me, all the signs point to him staying.

As for starting again, in the summer window. If Gomes and Gueye leave, then I would expect Joao Mario to arrive. Inter are offering him to us on the cheap. He seems desperate for the move. Remember this lad played his best football for our Marco at Sporting. He then moved to Inter and had a loan spell under Moyes at West Ham. Silva knows the lad inside out and if he comes in then it will be because he thinks he can improve our side. Joao Mario and Sigurdsson would offer a lot of creativity and could be complemented by the resurgent Schneiderlin behind them.

The reason that Gomes stayed for the last game of the season is because he was under contract so had no choice, also if he had gone back to Spain with 1 game to go what message does that send to prospective buyers. Also if he definitely wanted to stay he could have simply said if Everton and Barcelona can agree a fee then I will be at Everton next season but he hasnt.

Now I am not saying he might not stay but if Spurs are in for him then surely the lure of Champions League football could be a clincher, also its rumoured that Erickson is off to Real Madrid in the summer.

Reminds me of a golfing quip. Standing on the 1st tee. Expensive driver in hand designed for distance & forgiveness. Brand new ball on the tee - designed for distance & forgiveness. Trees on left. Water on right. Expansive wide lush green fairway straight ahead. Sun shining in the blue sky. Birds singing.

Q. "What could possibly go wrong" ? A. Everything.

If you look around at other clubs in the Premier League there's been plenty of other players posting thank you messages to their clubs. Not so for Gomes. He doesn't think that the door is shut.

I just think he’s off myself.

Ok, so Erikson may well be off but that's been a close season rumour for 3 years now, nothing new there, plus Gomes is a different type of player.

They've signed no one this season, their only sale was Dembele to China and they still finished 4th and have reached the CL final. My gut says Levi is more concerned about recouping some of the money spent on the stadium with the team continuing as before rather than digging deep into his pockets for players he feels they don't really need.

I'm with Steve on this one, I believe Gomes will be our man. My only concern is if the club see him as a new signing rather than the permanent signing of an already important part of our squad... signing him adds nothing we've not already got. Same can be said for Zouma but I feel Sarri has plans for him.

Someone mentioned Jovic, (Graham?) maybe his team mate Haller would be more realistic as the former is already being media linked to City.

If we are looking at the Bundesliga though nothing will happen until June, I think they've still got 3 or 4 games left to play.

Have you seen much of Carvalho at Forest, possibly the best midfielder in the EFL? I have a feeling he won't be there for long.

I was under the impression that was the case with Andre Gomes, and I was almost convinced that I had read somewhere that price was £23M. I can't find any track of that, so maybe I dreamt it.

As astute as Marcel Brands is, I'm surprised that he didn't do this with Andre Gomes, maybe he did, at least we wouldn't be in this situation where 'interest' from other Clubs could potentially elevate the price.

I hope we find an answer to this soon so we can either officially welcome him as an Everton player, or move on.

Zouma will probably go back to Chelsea and who can blame Gomes after seeing the new stadium and the promise of CL next season.

Brands is going to have to be creative and Silva realistic. We are probably not going to get our first choice targets so we’d better have a B and C list ready.

Like I said, results have consequences. A mid-table team playing in a dilapidated stadium is hardly an attractive proposition for elite players to consider.

As for Carvalho, I only saw forest once on TV this season. So I can't offer an opinion, though I've heard good things.

Many players are not loyal to clubs but the big money and that's okay because careers can be cut short by injury so making hay while the sun shines is a priority.

However, these days, players agents are instrumental in stirring up the pot to engineer many deals from which they can line their own pockets.

Everton are down the pecking order until they can match teams like RS who can pay the kind of money they paid for Dick Van Dyke.

Until then they have to buy or take on loan players who are not regulars elsewhere but still get big wages.

Sadly they have had poorer players like Tosun and Niasse that are not top class strikers and I see them being off-loaded soon along with a few others.

But your flipped midfield triangle is a headscratcher for me. Do you really think Silva is going to abandon the use of a defensive midfielder if Gana leaves? Remember Schneiderlin is a holding midfielder, not a ballwinner at all. Seems to me that having him back there alone in front of the back 4 leaves them very vulnerable.

As for flipping the triangle, that's what Silva prefers. He's used it more often than not. One player holding, in the Schneiderlin mould and two mobile players scurrying around ahead of him, whilst not tacklers like Gueye, they were always players who could get on the ball on immediately make something happen. So Sigurdsson left and Joao Mario right.

The ball winning comes from these two advance midfielders and the closing down and work ethic of the team, rather than being dumped on the shoulders of one (very able) player. With Schneiderlin excused of closing down duties, in order to properly hold position, the back four is not quite so vulnerable.

However, what’s the work permit situation with Onyekuru? He’s been on loan for 2yrs now, so what’s the hold up? Can anyone enlighten me as to why this is dragging on!!!

Why did we buy him in the first place? I guess our recruitment department didn’t do their homework?
Was this a pre Walsh signing?

I'm as big fan of the 3G midfield we have, Gana, Gomes & Gylfi. We can have our triangle nice and pointy and inverted.

Remembering of course he is not the quickest of players to start with, and will be 30 when the new season starts. Personally, I hope we get a decent offer for him (not easy or probable I know) thank him for his time with us, and breathe the biggest sigh of relief imaginable.

The other thing to bear in mind of course is that very few of the many we have on the books, are Silva's players, or even in the mould he likes, so I would imagine, ultimately he wants 'his team' and if the money is made available, and we can offload a few, I can see a 'few new faces' arriving.

They'd cover a Gana sale and a Gomes return to Barca.

If Gueye does indeed go, we will surely be in the market for a 'ball winner' - hence the link with the lad from River Plate.

Our effective form.in the last quarter was due to the fact that Siggy, Gana, and whoever partnered (Gomes/Schneiderlin) pressed the opposition, they didn't have time on the ball to tear us apart like they were having in the winter.

The high press, hard running for 90mins, that is the key for the moment, i'm sure Silva sees this.

If went with a trio of Sigurdsson, Joao Mario and Schneiderlin, then the pressing would need to come from the former two and the forwards. Schneiderlin's role is to protect the back four, then to recycle possession. He also drops into the back four to make an extra defender and allow the centre-backs to split when we have possession very deep in our own half (ie goal kicks).

Gueye has been playing further forward with Schneiderlin in the side. He's not lined up alongside him, like he did ineffectively under Koeman, but ahead of him. I would expect Joao Mario to play even further forwards with Sigurdsson working in tandem with him, so dropping back a little himself. So not a million miles away from the those three games where Gomes was missing (Burnley, Palace and Man Utd).

We need to cultivate good relationships with the top agents maybe even putting some on retainers to help us move on the unwanted and get us the players we want.

Once the players are off on their summer breaks some will be inundated with approaches. We need to be in the market for the best players not some South American kid with "potential".

We have had over 2 years to identify a proven goalscorer and all season to prepare for this window so as the statement goes "There are no excuses".

Personally I am not fussed about Gomes but feel it is essential we do all we can to keep Zouma. The likes of Chambers and other top 6 rejects should not be considered.

We need to go balls out for the 3 or 4 quality additions that will allow us to compete with the top 6 not the "best of the rest".

Lacazette and Aubamyang have got Arsenal were they are the rest of their team is pretty average. We have a decent 11 but are toothless in front of goal which more or less means we will struggle again.

Gomez has talent and it would be nice to have him, but if he does go we won't miss him too much, he looks like a confidence / prima maddona type player to me (I might be wrong though)?

Spurs can afford to keep a player like him on the bench and play him when he's feeling good, we can't, we need every player available.

Interesting transfer window coming up though, will be very interesting.

Silva has had his one bad season as far as i'm concerned, he should go into this transfer window knowing he has to get the right kind of players in to make an impact next season or else!

As said previously the dross needs to be moved out.

I wrote that before my coffee yes. I'll admit there is nothing to substantiate my comment, it is just I sensed a disturbance in the force. I saw many Watford fans crying out "hahaha welcome to the club.". Hopefully it was just a bad day dream

Rob #45, yes, there is one huge reason why we can't loan Zouma again (and my apologies to those bored by my multiple posts on this subject) -- Chelsea need him desperately. Sarri has a CL campaign coming up that will determine whether he keeps his job. He has two healthy CBs: David Luiz, who is 32 and can't be counted on for another 49-appearance season, and young Christensen. Rudiger won't be back to full speed for maybe six months -- meniscus surgeries can take a long damn time to heal. Cahill is gone. So unless the transfer ban is overturned, Sarri has absolutely no choice. He must have Zouma back.

Thanks for the explanation.

If we really want him, we would have made more of an effort to appeal special circumstances.

I do wonder at times!

The fact is, we aint got the money to buy ready made stars, nor do ready made stars want to join us. City just nonchalantly spend 50 million on that guy from Sporting, we just can't assume such risks.

Signing young lads with potential is Brands' memo.

Talking of South Americans, with the Copa America and African Cup of Nations this summer, it will be interesting to see what effect both have on transfers and player form early next season. Some of these guys from Brazil, Uruguay and Colombia have had near year round football for the last two years. The RS have Salah and Mane who had 60 odd game club seasons, two years and a row followed by international tournaments. We are relatively unscathed with Rich having last summer off, Mina having most of this season off, and only Gueye really having a mammoth couple of seasons.

No, just kidding.

I'm open to nominations but the one that has stuck in my mind all year was Siggy at Leicester.

Other than that, I fear this will be a window of rebuilding, since we could lose up to five of our best six players by August 8, and not enough of our worst six players.

Our first goal of the year in three years that wasn't from the halfway line!

Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Duffy, Doucoure from Watford, Fraser and Wilson from Bournemouth all in. All of the obvious dead wood out (and I would throw Walcott into this category as we could still get a decent fee for him) DONE... simples!

Perhaps I need to stop playing Footy Manager!

But there's an excuse already. We wait until the end and Chelsea say no. We start with Keane and Mina or Holgate next season.

Gomes will have plenty of options so even if he wanted it his agent would get more money from a team playing in Europe. So another '99%' excuse just waiting.

I do like his over use of the word Attack. Let's hope we do get a top quality striker that fits in.

I'd keep Besic over Schneiderlin all day. McCarthy hasn't proved his fitness so probably best we sell him. Bolasie is what he is. He could actually still do well for us as an attacking squad player.

On what rationale or reason should the club retain Besic?

So presuming Silva wants to retain and improve the teams pressing and counter attacking play he's a better fit.

Lower age, salary and hunger to win and improve could also be used as an argument.
However I take a one season at a time view on retaining current players.

We have younger and cheaper options but that's not the way to improve the team and squad for next season.

I'm more interested in keeping the best players for next season and to me Besic is ahead of Schnides and an unproven McCarthy who may or may not be able to play week in week out for a full season.

So, you would retain Besic "from what I have seen of him" and because you want " to improve the team and squad for next season [by] "keeping the best players".

Where have you been watching 'what you've seen of him'? Because he hasn't been playing PL football for three seasons now, and one of those whilst at Everton included ZERO appearances due to injury.

He has been on loan at Middlesborough in the Championship for the last season and a half. Brands and Silva wanted to sell him in August, but we lost the sale because the player himself didn't agree personal terms with 'Boro in the closing hours of the transfer window.

You consider him "younger, more mobile and a better passer" than other players on our books. Such an assessment suggests to me you haven't been watching him as closely as you claim.

Other than one or two games in an Everton shirt - moments, even - Besic is a serial offender in giving the ball away and a liability as his poor positional play and lack of game awareness frequently exposed his side to danger.

He has neither the skill nor the discipline to fit into what Silva is trying to create at Everton. We'll be lucky if 'Boro (or anyone else for that matter) come back in for him in the summer so we can generate whatever funds we can from his sale.

It depends who your comparing him too but I believe he has more skill and the same discipline as Schnides and MaCarthy. Only he can pass a ball forward .

I have saw him live once earlier this season for Boro in which he played very well. Other than that just a handful of game's on TV. He's still a little ill disciplined but energy and effort a plenty.

On the subject of Squad that is what Silva mentions. Bringing in players to improve the squad. Other than wanting to retain the two loanees he doesn't mention bringing in first team players which I think should temper some of the positive hopes we all have of getting 4 or 5 top class players.

So thank you mr Ferns for a alternitive soloution and food for thought..

Its going to be hard for this club to move on to the next level the reality is it will ve hard enough to remain were we are..

Lets hope any new players are bought in time for a good pre season.

Silva is no Pep with all the money at his disposal so every season is going to be the same until we get lucky with a number of key players punching above to get us into top 4...

If Liverpool lose the Champion leauge cup thats going to hurt thier confidence for next season...

However I feel the gulf between the two sides will take years if ever to come closer unless the RS start going backwards...

On that point, some are suggesting that without serious investment we may be no better than we have been and that 8th will beckon again. However if Silva can recreate those last 8 performances and results on a regular basis then (even allowing for defeats at the top six - which hopefully may not happen) we would be up to 68 points pro-rata which would have been good enough for 6th place (2 points off 5th or 3 off 4th). I'd take that as progress. By the way a cup run wouldn't go amiss.

Big question is: can Silva deliver the recent improvement on a consistent basis? As I say I'm not convinced, but I hope so.

It is possible next year for the following reasons. Firstly the other teams.

Arsenal they have an owner who expects an income from his club he does not want to put any real money into buying new players.

Chelsea have an owner who is in dispute with the British government and he might not want to plough any more of his money into a team and country that is not exactly putting the red carpet out for him.

Man Utd in total disarray confidence is at a low and although they are willing to spend hundreds of millions it will take time to for the players to gel, (remember Koeman and his disastrous attempt to play a large number of news players from the beginning of the season).

Wolves, already people are targeting some of their players and they will be in the Europa league so that might tired them out.

Leicester need a few player but Man Utd's plan to disrupt other teams by buying their key players or stopping them buying players like Youri Tielemans might affect their chances next year.

The second reason is more important there is a plan to try and change the CL. It will stay as 32 teams but 24 of those teams will automatically qualify for the following year. Effectively turning the CL into a 'super league' and making sure that the Europeans stand a better chance of getting their hands on a large amount of money every year. This year nearly £170M (86M + 81M) will be paid to the English teams in the final of the CL and about £34M (18M +16M) for the Europa league finalists. (https://inews.co.uk/sport/football/europa-league-prize-money-2019-winner-how-much-chelsea-vs-arsenal-final/).

Next year 4th place will not be worth 1.9M more than 5th place because of entry in the CL the top four teams will automatically receive a payment of 15M Euros. So 4th is worth almost £15M.

So how do we qualify?
We picked up Gueye cheaply because no one else fancied him if he had turned out useless would he request a transfer to a lower division and lower pay? Loyalty and contracts work both ways. We have seen Liverpool (Suarez), Man Utd (De Gea) and Chelsea (Hazard) all deny their players transfer requests only Everton seem to shoot themselves in the foot by allowing their important players to leave when they want.

Last season we beat every other team in the PL for the number and quality of crosses so we need a player who is great in the air to capitalise on those crosses. ideally 2 attackers.

Midfield, lots of players have been linked and I think we will have some great surprises and great players. Hopefully Gomes stays but the formation works with him and without him. We can expect Spurs to try and take him because they hope we will be weakened by his loss. They did the same thing with Pienaar and Moyes, Andre should remember he gets a game every week with us but just like Barcelona he may not get a game for weeks at Spurs.

Finally defence, At long last we have serious competition for Pickford if he does not shape up he can have a rest for a game or two. He was the only player to play all PL games last season.
Zouma is a massive loss for us and a huge gain for Chelsea. Even if Chelseas's ban is removed there is no way they will sell him to us he is now very very good. We do have returning players with good but we might need another defender.

Realisticy challenging the top 4 next season will remain a dream. Yes we would all love it and I will keep hoping to the end but..

Our biggest challenge will be to remain ahead of Leicester & Watford etc who will both buy and improve. It's good fun to poke fun at Brenda but I think he's a better manager than Silva.

Silva is not the long term answer to consistently break into the top 6, never mind top 4. I'm happy with him, the football is a massive improvement in terms of watchability but his faults and limits remain.

It's partly for this reason I'd like to keep some of the promising young players as I believe better managers / coaches would get more out of them.

The other main reason is he seems able to attract top talent. I don't think Ric, Bernard, Digne or Gomes would be here otherwise. Player's who I believe are very good, have improved the team and are good to watch.

Link

Be interesting to know any stattos out there can name big money signings, from any of the Turkish clubs, and I do not mean outgoing transfers.

Re Gomes: In 1900 minutes: 1 Goal and 1 assist last season - whoscored.com have him strong in dribbling but weak in crossing, finishing and tacking and rate him 6.65 for the season
Compare him to Sigurdsson: in 3100 minutes - 13 goals and 6 assists - rating 7.16.

Point is: I know stats can be misleading, but Gomes needs to have much more influence on games if the club are to shell out the numbers being reported for his signature

Zouma fairs better but not by much: 2600 minutes: 1 tackle per game average, 3.8 clearances per game - rating 6.78

Would be good to get both, but are they going to take the club to the next level.

What constitutes a tackle? One tackle per game average for Zouma? I can imagine when I was in high school how the PE teacher would react if our defenders commited to making one tackle per game... I realize the game is heading toward non contact but I didn’t realize tackles were virtually non existent already.

I'm just relaying that from the stat's site - I didn't count his tackles myself, but to be fair to Zouma, the game is changing and midfielders are more likely to put in tackles these days than defenders who are more about clearances or interceptions.

Point is - neither one is pulling up any trees. Zouma, like the rest of the squad had a hot(ish) streak after the mid season self-enforced break, but didn't cover himself in too much glory during the (winter) slump.

I wasn't doubting the info I was just staggered at the stat. I remember when George Graham was at Arsenal and according to Nigel Winterburn, training for the back four consisted solely of tackling. The bag four just stood about in the box and tackled each other back and forth over and over. I get that we don't want a return to the days of two footed leg breakers going unpunished, but there was an art to the tackle. In thinking about it, these days the center backs seem there just to shepherd attackers into the channels and pick up loose balls. I do think it is a myth though that you have to sacrifice defending to have "beautiful" football. Everton in the 80s had the best of both worlds.

Galatassary's biggest signing was Jardel for 15 million back in 2001. That is also the current record transfer fee paid by a Turkish club. That apart Fenerbache seem to spend about 9 million every four years or so whenever their chairman gets out of prison.

On another note see Shandy Andy is singing the clubs praises again:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-7049407/Ex-Everton-winger-Andy-van-der-Meyde-brands-club-s-urges-El-Ghazi-not-join-them.html

I saw that. I think AVDM makes himself look worse than Everton. He just draws attention to the fact his career went down the toilet because he spent three years out on the piss instead of training

the old adage always applies- when in the wrong, blame someone else !