'Homebird' Kenny spreading his wings in Germany

Personally though, I think we need to be looking for better quality than him if the club is going to reach the top 6 places and compete for trophies.

I think, given the chance, he could be our long-term answer at right-back!!

At 23, he is still young and hopefully will have a good career in front of him, whether at Everton or elsewhere.

I admire his spirit of adventure and ambition by making the move to a new league and country, it's very commendable.

I saw him 3-4 times at junior levels and was very impressed with him. Not just for his playing, but for his leadership. For the first team, he has come in and done pretty well, but not without the sort of flaws to be expected from someone taking a major step up.

He has gone to Germany, he will have learned a huge amount about the game and about himself. I reckon there is a player here we should be looking to keep.

Jonjoe Kenny is a team player. No team has the best players in every position. The sooner this lad comes back to us, the better. Certainly a better bet than Sidibé and as good as Coleman for heart, determination and work ethic.

If you don't rate him, fair enough, but if you put Calvert-Lewin and Holgate beside him, where would you put the rest of our first team?

Ridiculous comment. Personally, l'd keep Kenny, and forget about Sidibé.

Have neither of you considered the possibility that Kevin posted his comments with his tongue stuck very, very firmly in his cheek?

Very astute judges like Dave Abrahams disagree. I hope I'm wrong, but I would not keep him.

"[Wagner] gave me confidence to do that and make different kinds of runs, not just straight down the line, and it all came together. I just needed the belief."

We've had a few youngsters, some sold and some still on loan, who have looked promising but don't seem to cut it nor get the opportunity and raises the question (again): How good has the coaching of youngsters been at Everton?

Last time I saw him do this, I accused him of being a Liverpool supporter. Come on, keep up! :)

I think Kevin at 6 said that totally tongue-in-cheek.

That's the way I read it anyway?

Trust me, folks, he was kidding.

That said, however, I don't actually believe Kenny is in the same category with Holgate and Calvert-Lewin. Like Tony, I just don't see quite enough talent or pace to go with the obvious heart and grit. Assuming Sidibé's gone – which seems certain, with the loan expiring and no transfers currently possible – we may need Jonjoe back as Coleman's deputy, but I don't see a long-term mainstay in him, and the rumored Emerson is miles better.

Kieran #14, perhaps, but that would mean we've produced lots better players in the even years than the odd ones.

I think Kenny may well get a shot next year as right-back is not a priority and we might not have the finances to cover all the bases.

I suspect that long-term it may transpire he's not quite got the tools to play right-back for a team with top 6 aspirations but he's certainly not lacking in work ethic and team spirit.

Availability of transfer funds, the current format of FFP rules (although this may now change due to Covid-19) and the after-effects of said Covid-19 will mean that the transfer market is going to be a very different place, at least over the next few seasons.

Therefore, seeing as in reality we need two new right-backs, in pretty short order, I believe Jonjoe Kenny will return and we will still be in the market for another right back (I don't think we will keep Sidibé).

Sam (21) - Just saw the last episode of "The English Game" last night. Excellent series and an impressive piece of co-writting for Episode 4. Keep it up. Is a sequel planned?

Well done, Kev, I like to imagine you sitting back, reading such comments whilst sipping your cuppa, eyes narrowed with glee. :)

He tends to pass inside for the one-two or to move the ball forwards into midfield as opposed to the classic (but not very constructive) full-back pass down the line.

Hopefully he is using his greatest attributes (good attitude, willingness to learn) to turn himself into a more accomplished footballer. I guess that was the point of the loan move. Even if he's got his drawbacks, I'd rather have him than Sidibé (far from perfect also) and he's definitely earned a shot at making the right-back slot his own. He'll never be Trent Alexander-Arnold but he could be a very reliable servant.

He will be on less money than Sidibé, worth more in sell-on value, is a blue with passion and, whilst not Cafu, most importantly, he's as good (slightly better defensively imho) as Sidibé.

It's great he has pushed his comfort zone by going to Germany but would like to see him back here next year. His comments suggest he is exactly the type of character we would want in the dressing room. I don't see right-back position as a priority and signing one established and better will likely cost circa £25M+, money better placed elsewhere if available.

I’m obviously biased in favour of Jonjo, watched him grow up from Everton’s U16’s and always liked what I saw, got into the first team, where I think a lot of fans form their opinion of him, and had to start with a team and senior first team players were fighting for their own places and didn’t have the time to look after a young player just starting in the game.He did okay and was improving without being given a good run in a good team.

He elected to have a go in a foreign country and try and prove himself, so I hope he will be given the chance with a good run in his own city with his own team, after all he really is one of us, and I think he is definitely good enough.

Tony (12), I understand your point of view, one of us will be right over Jonjo, I hope, for Everton’s sake it is me !!!

However, if you want a player who has that extra bit of quality that could help hurt the better teams and push Everton onto the next level then I don’t think Kenny is the answer.

He's probably better off out of it until better quality is brought in. Hopefully Brands has a few irons in the fire.

Before his move I saw enough to believe he had a chance, his attitude and commitment were second to none. We desperately need those attributes in the team. He had his failings too, he needed a bit more composure maybe ,but the experience will have matured him and benefitted the mental side of his game and he will come back a better player. It will be especially helpful coming back to a more stable team under Ancelotti, with a more organised defensive unit in midfield.

I would embrace him coming back, ring backed by the manager and being given a continuous run in the team to prove himself. Funds won’t be unlimited this summer and quality recruitment in 3 other positions, Gabriel, Allan, Lozano, would be money better spent.

Robert @26, just a little something to fill in the time while I'm waiting for you to respond to our discussion about whoever the latest transfer target is. Ha!

If it is a choice between Jonjoe and Sidibé I'd go with Jonjoe anyday.

Let's face it, Everton can play well, but can too often play woeful football, with all the ingredients that such a performance is made of. This is not a great springboard for a young player.

I'd go back and look at Seamus at the exact same age. He was already on his way to establishing with Baines one of the best, if not the best, attacking corner-back duos in the league.

I think Mike (20) has it right: "I just don't see quite enough talent or pace to go with the obvious heart and grit."

But I thought that was pushing it!!!

Nurse more, tablets.

We were lucky to be able to watch the likes of Rooney and Barkley in an Everton Shirt, 1 who had his head turned and I who was ruined by the club.

I totally agree with John Keating that the lad is the best of the current 3 right-backs and could enable us to spend all available funds on a world-class defensive midfield and a goalscoring midfield player.

He has the desire and energy to be a top team player with a desire to win and would not be out of place with Holgate and Calvert-Lewin as the basis for a very good Everton team.

BTW, Ash Coakley, are you any relation to John Coakley?

For me, I would like to bring in Aarons as he offers something different to Seamus (now). I would like to see Kenny play a year in the Premier League on loan and then replace Seamus the following summer, assuming he progresses.

Should be here when the next season starts.

However, you're absolutely right that our top spending priorities right now should be – must be – in midfield.

Good luck to him. NSNO.

Kenny is now 23, we have to make quicker decisions as to who will make it at the top level. If he's good enough, he should be in the team, if not get rid, it's as simple as that.

We'll never move on if we can't tell who is good enough and who isn't.

So, the jury is still out for me, but I'mwilling to give him the benefit and hope he comes good. As many say above, good players surrounded by better ones can make a great team. So it's not about having the best player in every single position as long as they can contribute to making a quality team. Any great team of the past didn't necessarily have the best 11 players in the land or the world and many factors contribute.

And, he has suffered, not just through the players he's played alongside, but some of the coaching and management has endured since breaking into the first team. I was at the Emirates in February 2018 when we got thumped 5 - 1 by Arsenal; 4 - 0 down at half-time. A mate who had coaching connections to Arsenal got us tickets right behind the dugouts (literally the first row behind). Some time in the 2nd half, Kenny got the ball and looked at options. Allardyce screamed at him to "get it forward". Jonje followed said instruction only to see his aimless punt forward (as instructed) roll harmlessly out of play. He then got an absolute rollocking from the one the Sky cronies love to promote, berating him and asking "what the fuck was that"?

I couldn't contain myself. I informed the one I am ashamed to acknowledge was ever our manager that JJ had just done "exactly what you just told him to do, you fucking luddite". He seemed somewhat surprised to know an Evertonian was sat right behind him.

So, I hope the experience improves him. Quite refreshing to see a young player talk about wanting to play football above all else. There have been too many examples in the modern era of chasing the big move only to spend years in the "stiffs" to the detriment of their development and longer-term career.

So, due to current circumstances, it's unlikely we'll be 'letting him go'.

I don't think Kenny will want to come back to be second choice. He's played a season as first choice RB and he needs more of that. If we spend £15m+ on a RB then you have to assume he will be first choice with Seamus able to back him up. In that case Kenny will be moved on or maybe given another loan. But I expect out transfer fund to be concentrated on other positions so see Seamus and Kenny slugging it out for the RB spot next season.

That's how I see it as well. There are other areas in the team that need strengthening first.

I would prefer to bring Kenny back than buy Sidibé for £10+ million as this could be used to help bring quality into the team in other key areas.

However, if that was to happen I would expect to see a Kenny really kick on next season if he is to become a mainstay if the team for future years.

By the end of next season, he will be 24 and, if he's not forcing his way into the team then over a 32 Coleman who is past his peak, then I think we would need to prioritise right-back and move Kenny back to back-up or sell him on.

That may sound harsh but, if we are ever going to reach the top again, we need to be more ruthless.

Then, when he returns, we have Kenny and Sidibé fighting for a first-team place with Coleman as back up for his final year.

Problem is that Kenny's contract also expires in 2022 so he either has to be good enough after his next loan, or we sell him.

I‘d like us to have a look at Maehle from Genk. Bit untested at higher levels though he's done okay in Europe. He's 6 foot and absolutely rapid. Great at getting up and down the flank.

You could get him for £10M or less I reckon and though he's not excellent defensively he's only 22 so could be coached to better things and has a lot of the raw ingredients for an excellent modern full-back. Reminds me a bit of a young Coleman in terms of dynamism, maybe not quite so determined though.

You'd expect some level of fire sale. Players that were once assets, are expensive liabilities on unsustainable wages.

They're all in the shit, but any league that can sort their shit out quick, have a big Bank balance, and ambition, could get a big leg up.

I just can't see how for example the Championship etc can survive when wages are 110% of turnover, and turnover has collapsed with little prospect coming back for the remainder of the year. Best case: they can sell their top talent at distressed prices... worst case: they collapse into administration and the whole lot leave on frees.

That could well eek into Champions League dependent clubs in minor leagues. I just can't see how the Champions League will be coming back. Crossing borders looks way off. So again you've clubs like Celtic paying £30k+ per week without the domestic TV rights to support it = fire sale.

For the Premier League some of the older players aren't going to be moving anywhere if the club can pay – that much is true. But for the weaker clubs, it looks a massive problem.

He dives into tackles when he should stand up and is always out of position. Why anyone would pick him ahead of Coleman is beyond me. Christ I'd rather have Tony Hibbert back... at least he could defend.

I'd send Sidibé packing and let Kenny and Coleman fight it out. Kenny will fancy himself over a 30+ Coleman; if he doesn't, then he's in the wrong game, frankly.

I think Football is going to have to take a long hard look in the mirror after this.

Aarons and Maehle may be better than Kenny (still remains to be seen, mind you) but Kenny has good pedigree. In fact, if he wasn't on our books already people like Sam and I would be singing the praises of a young, intelligent right-back doing good things in Germany who'd be a good fit as a Coleman replacement.

In a Fan Article before Xmas it was correctly highlighted the lack of depth at the back; age, injury and performance considerations. Nothing has changed regarding these concerns. The backline needs to be reinforced, unfortunately, the midfield and forward line are another problem. Forget about the goalkeeper – there are already too many problems to sort.

I'm down the middle on Kenny. Think he has some very good attributes but also lacked a bit the last time I saw him play (which was for Everton).

I'd be keen to have a proper look at him back in the Premier League (not sure you can know for sure watching only Bundesliga games) before making a decision one way or the other but I'd be very surprised if he has yet done enough to make him our automatic first choice.

I also disagree with Sam that right-back is not a priority and others who believe Seamus and Jonjoe can fight it out. Neither are good enough offensively now and I believe it needs rectified.

Some argue midfield is a priority but that depends on the progress of Gbamin. We would all like another central midfielder or two but, if funds are tight, I would much rather worry about the first eleven with right-back and a wide goalscorer as priorities. Then another midfielder, centre-back and winger should be looked at depending on availability.

Much will depend on getting players out but I hope the club may be at an advantage as I think cash isn't the issue and FFP may be relaxed in the current climate.

I would be ecstatic with Grealish, Aarons and Zouma as my shopping list.

His positional horrors are obvious, but he's no worse than Coleman was when he came back from Blackpool, and Seamus learned up and turned out pretty damn good. I think Sidibé would have been worth keeping, though obviously that won't happen in the current market.

Conor #70, Zouma? Really? No recycles for me, thank you. I like the guy, he did a good job for us, but Chelsea's defense hasn't exactly been airtight this season, and he's made some really ugly errors. Pass.

So the player is still in a win-win situation if he doesn't want to move.

I understand he is not top four material but anyone thinking Champions League next season is being unrealistic. We need to be thinking top six and our depth is similar to many like Wolves, Arsenal and Leicester but they have better elevens and possibly better balance.

That's why I think Grealish would be such a coup as not just for his brilliance but also that he could play in about five positions. All three of my desired players always seem to available which is untypical for would-be Brands signings.

I agree that Seamus had positional problems but always was at least competent. This idea that Sidibe is just poor positionally and will learn is pie in the sky. He has no awareness, constant brain farts and lacks focus. He will never improve defensively and his tackling stats are a symptom of his poor defensive awareness.

We had the opposite in Hibbert, who could defend stoutly & doggedly but his delivery in the final 3rd often ended up heading towards St Luke's.

A tricky balance getting a full back who can both defend and support forward play in equal measures. We had it with Baines (eventually) and likewise, Coleman. As mentioned above, not likely to happen with Sidibe now as he's past the age of learning; he is what he is. Unfortunate because I also agree, there was a lot of talent in him had he been coached properly in his formative years. That said, the guy has a World Cup winner's medal, so I'm sure he'd point that out to me!!!

He definitely got caught in no mans land, many times last season, but that’s modern football, especially for fullbacks, who are expected to attack, just as much as they are expected to defend nowadays.

He actually showed a lot more discipline when he played right midfield imo, but I’d have tried him in the centre, instead of the snails, who struggled to inject any pace into our team.

As to whether he could have been coached up by Carlo to improve his RB positioning, or perhaps even moved to DM, we'll never know. Under the current financial circumstances there is no chance the club will exercise his purchase option. So he'll be gone back to France in six weeks regardless.

Re your comments at #73, if you're right that we have no chance at a CL place next season, I'd far, far rather bring in a young talent like the oft-rumored Gabriel and get him up to speed next to Mina or Holgate. I'd also rather give a youngster like Gibson some pitch time. We wouldn't even be mentioning Zouma if he hadn't played for us previously -- as you say, he's not what we're looking for long-term.

Some defenders like Pearce or Dicks had to make a lot of tackles because they lacked pace or were testing mentality. Sidibe has pace, power and all the attributes not to need to tackle.

I agree that he is a very good ball winner and he does make aggressive tackles early and high which puts us on the front foot but the amount of times he loses his man and has to tackle to make up for loss of concentration is huge. Go back and watch the opening twenty minutes of the second half versus Brighton and see how many tackles he made that day and why he had to make them.

The latest one talks about getting the balance right in a team. That if you have a team that plays well defensively but not so well offensively, or the other way round, that is the sign of a bad manager.

Ancelotti considers anybody and everybody can learn to defend well.

That if a team doesn't defend well it is because either the manager allows it to happen or the players choose not to defend well.

The following is his most telling take on tackling in particular.

"Great defensive play is mostly organisational and positional in the modern game – it’s not so much about tackling any more."

The earliest recall I have of players being bewildered that tackling NOT being employed was when Holland eliminated Jackie Charlton's Ireland in a play-off at Anfield for the Euros 1996. Post-match, an Irish player complained that Holland didn't engage in Ireland's physical game: 'They didn't tackle us. They just jockeyed us."

The great defender Paolo Maldini said "If I have to make a tackle, I have already failed." And of course Pep Guardiola was ridiculed when first arriving in England when he said he was not be coaching his team to tackle.

I'm guessing Ancelotti is very much aware of the pros and cons of Sidibe's defensive positioning versus his tackling stats.

Since Sidibé came on for the red-carded Seamus at Burnley on 10/5, Sidibé has started 17 games at right-back. Coleman has started 3.

And in two of those Sidibé was playing right-midfield ahead of him.

Apparently the manager doesn't agree with the TW consensus on the Frenchman.

Positionally he has looked awful, but I have to wonder if he had merely been following instructions. Seamus has also been caught upfield on a few occasions but unlike the Frenchman, he hasn't got the gas to get back. This is why I think Carlo has opted for the Gaul.

I would love Jonjoe Kenny to continue his development for the remainder of the season in Germany and come back home to a starting berth.

Incidentally, Mike, I think some of the time Sidibé has been picked ahead of Seamus because the Irishman has had injury/fatigue problems.

I did find that a very encouraging read though especially his thoughts on continually reinventing and that standing still is failure. Hopefully the proof will be in the pudding!!

Players are on the decline at 31 and shouldn’t be offered new deals because of sentiment etc...

We need established stars to improve our team, an age of about 27 is often banded about

We shouldn’t buy players without a resale value because it’s bad business...

So we need to buy a 27 year old, who will give us service but never actually age so we can sell them at a profit, then hope they don’t come up against a wily 32 year old from another team.

Marcel Brands - surely not a difficult task!!

Monaco were also set up with excellent attacking players such as Lemar, Mbappe and (I think but lose track) Bernado Silva. It was a hell of a side where every player seemed to complement the other.

With us, he's deployed as a more traditional right-back with poor midfield cover and a fairly toothless attack. Needless to say, this doesn't exactly play to his strengths. Hopefully in next season's set-up, there will be a better midfield (Gomes, Gbamin and AN Other) plus a right-winger who is not Theo Walcott. That will help whoever is at right-back.

Personally, despite support of Sidibé, I hope it's Coleman battling it out with Kenny. The reason is that Coleman and Kenny are fine at what they do. And if we get quality in the areas I suggest (which we be easier if we don't allocate £13m of the kitty on Sidibé), it will more than make up for the assists we lose out on from right-back. Basically, we have higher priorities this transfer window but, in a season or two, we may need to upgrade.