Everton pick up French U19 international fullback

Not heard much about the player but he has a few caps for France international youth teams and was apparently wanted by Juventus and Leipzig, which bodes very well if true.

Can't help but think that, if we're serious about silverware, Pickford has to go. Let's hope Carlo has a bargain keeper on his radar. Such a shame we let Robles go.

Having said all that, welcome aboard lad, hope you mature with us, and prove to be a bargain.

Hopefully he turns out ok and it’s a sign of things to come. He now has him and Branthwaite in the past few months.

A big welcome and good luck to him.

Robles was, and probably still is, pants. A run of the mill keeper.
Not saying Pickford is the answer, but if Robles is the answer our ambitions are pretty low.

I want to make a suggestion for our desperately needed defensive midfield position, and I'm unashamedly waving the American flag as I do.

Weston McKennie has emerged as the best young #8 in the Bundesliga, and he wants to leave Schalke. A ferocious ballwinner with excellent attacking skills. Incredibly versatile -- has started in eight different positions for Schalke.

Go get him, Marcel.

Actually buying a player on sensible commercial terms might be much cheaper or better value in effect. Plus lots of big clubs around Europe are over-stocked and or on the brink and need to sell.

He seems to have a good engine and a great leap but, as of yet, he does not do quite enough on the ball. Or make quite enough tackles or interceptions to merit his lack of penetration on the ball.

He's very young of course and has definite potential to grow. If he was in the £10-15M bracket, he could well be worth a punt but my understanding is that he'd be more than that. In which case I still think I'd opt for Sangare, who has a similar profile but makes more tackles: both players need technical improvement.

As for Zouma, I'd take him in a heartbeat if it was around the £20M mark. Very quick, very strong and a hugely effective defender when well coached in the right system. If Gabriel picks Napoli over us (and with my neutral hat on, I probably would), then Zouma makes a very low-risk alternative if the price is right.

Good luck to the lad and welcome to Everton.

He’s going to be an u-23 player next season and has zero first team appearances to his name. My advice is to forget he exists and hope, very mildly, for a pleasant surprise in a year’s time.

I don't think much of the Bundesliga overall. I will watch if one of our American boys will be on TV or Jonjoe Kenny. 22 next month, McKennie's proven himself there, paid his dues, etc.

"Unashamedly waving the American flag". I'll do some. Since the late 90s, we've regularly had an American signed by and played for Everton. It's 4 years since Timmy left. Another would be nice. I know that only means something to you, me, and the other Americans in here.

Even leaving that side, though, Weston always stands out every time I've seen him and for all the good reasons you mention. Think he'd be a terrific signing.

He's believed to be pacey and confident. I'm guessing a failed winger so he needs to learn how to defend.

Good luck, lad.

If he had loaned Robinson for another season, Robinson then could have been sold for much much more or brought back to compete for a place in the first team.

In my opinion, Brands is out of his depth. Moise Keane – who looks like a fish out of water – will be his downfall.

Antony #38, don't get me started on Robinson -- I was vociferous about my dismay when we shipped him for beans -- but Brands "out of his depth"??? No way. And I think Kean will develop just fine.

Ancelotti won't suffer Brands's advice, not with the Director of Football's current crop of crap he's having to pick a side from.

Sorry, Kurt, it's probably a No from Carlo.

I also wonder now what he will do with the U23 midfielders currently training with the first team: Baningime, Adeniran and Markelo?

I am in agreement that we need one definitely. But I feel Delph needs shifting.

I know the USA, is not the greatest football nation in the world, but it's a great sporting nation, and the one thing that always impresses me about American sports players, is their ability to work really hard.

They are good team players, the Yanks, and that's what we need at Everton right now, especially if you're describing Weston as a terrier.

I forgot he existed. Thanks for reminding me.

He'll be a mainstay for years on a US national side that suddenly has more young talent than ever before -- Pulisic of course, but also Gio Reyna at Dortmund, Chris Richards at Bayern, Tyler Adams of Leipzig, Sergino Dest at Ajax, possibly Konrad de la Fuenta at Barcelona.

For the first time, we're seeing very young Yanks at the top clubs in Europe. I think McKennie will be next. And he wants England. We are rumored to be interested, along with Liverpool, Crystal Palace and West Ham.

This creates an exciting possibility for us in that the wonga will be kept for a high quality centre-midfielder and a right-midfielder I hope and pray that we have a clear mind of who these two players will be. This lad for Schalke looks good and a real prospect but definately a risk, if he didn't work out we would be back to Gomes, Davies, Sigurdsson and Delph fighting it out with a potentially crocked Gbamin (poor lad).

So, in my eyes, we need to get this centre-midfielder spot bang on. Allan would fit that mould (no Premier League experience and not the right age) but he has such pedigree he could walk into many teams first 11 playing in the Champions League. Koopmeiners would be another risk.

For right-midfielder I see we are linked with Leon Bailey (more.click bait bullshit probably) but this guy has real quality, can play on both wings and is electric from what I have seen. I for one would not mind if we only brought two players but of real quality.

That doesn't stop me playing football manager in my head and shifting Sigi in one of these deals so we could be getting two centre-midfielders!!! Delph to be reunited with Arteta for what we paid, anyone? Yes please.

On the subject of Leon Bailey, he's a cracking player and one who always looked the part as a very young player in Belgium. Could and should have picked him up for buttons then. More of a 4-3-3 type than 4-4-2 though. And, early days I know, but would really like Gordon to be prioritised ahead of new signings now. It's centre-midfield that needs the most investment.

And finally, Mina. Hmm. Kind of okay but not the best. Certainly not our Van Dijk. Keane better in a deep defence. Yerry probably a better bet in a higher line but still not the most mobile. Not as good as Zouma by any stretch. Wages too high to expect a sale any time soon.

Agree on Leon Bailey but I'm pretty sure he'll want a Champions League club, and we ain't it. Yet.

I do agree that at this point centre-back should be the last priority. I'm fine with our three. We have far more urgent needs.

I am aware you view Zouma's time with us less favourably than others. As you kno,w I thought he was superb towards the end of the season. I guess we may never know how much of that was down to the incredible form of Gueye at the time.

It's interesting how we seem to have swung on this site from seeing a new centre-back as one of the priorities this summer to the possibility we may not need one at all! If Mina could re-capture his early-season form, then there is a really healthy competition for those two starting berths. That said, if we had a buyer for Mina, I'd love to see Gabriel come in.

Congratulations on being reunited with your family again by the way Mike.

I'd rate them fairly similarly but think Sangare will be cheaper and possibly has potential to be more complete. Wylan Cyprien has been transfer-listed apparently, another well-rounded centre-midfielder who brings great set-piece delivery and long shots into the deal.

As for Zouma or Mina, I think the former is probably better in a high line and the latter superior in a deep line. Having them both would give us great flexibility at centre-back but centre-midfield is more of a priority perhaps now with Keane returning to form. I wonder if a loan for John Stones might fill the gap whilst Gibson and Branthwaite develop?

As to the rumours etc. Interesting that Cyprien is available. He is out of contract soon and presumably they're looking for a fee rather than lose him (also, Nice just bought a shit-hot midfield general called Morgan Schneiderlin, so they're overloaded with talent). Box to box, good goals and assist record. Lots to like. See him more as a 4-3-3 player than 4-4-2 but who knows.

That's good news on all those young American footballers you mention; it's only going to be a matter of time before USA becomes a first rate footballing nation, when you consider its great sporting history.

Whatever happened to Freddy Adu?

Supposed to be the new Pele, think he had a trial at Man Utd and never heard a dicky since...

Unless Carlo wants to play a deep line and defend all next season, we need someone who excels in a higher line. Therefore someone with pace to turn and defend the ball over the top.

They also need to have the height that Holgate lacks. I'd sell Keane whilst his stock is high as another 6-month slump is always around the corner for him.

Tony #55, hope you're right.

Jamie #58, hope you're right too!

Mick #56, hope you don't mind my answering for James, but I know this story well.

At one time, Freddy Adu was considered the #2 teenage midfielder in the world behind Messi, and was a full professional at 15. At this point, he has played or trialled for probably 25 clubs, including multiple MLS teams and lower-division clubs in places like Turkey, Finland, Poland, Serbia, Greece, Portugal and Norway. He has failed everywhere and now, at 31, hasn't had a club since 2018.

The talent was exceptional -- he had some dazzling moments in brief spells with the US National Team -- but he just never matured into a real professional, physically or emotionally. He was never dedicated to his craft. Very nice guy from all reports, but it was just too much too soon.

If you're interested:

The nine stages of Freddy Adu’s career: From wonderkid to wanderer

Sometimes, I think we are guilty of taking a snapshot of players as though their form at a particular moment or in a particular phase is going to be their form forever.

He's not been great on the turn – we've known that since Lukaku did him – but so, so much is in the mind and I can see him now as a man reborn.

I don't think it's all about us playing deeper. Maybe someone's told him to relax and believe in himself and he's paid attention. Perhaps that was Carlo. Anyway, it's great to see a troubled man finding his moment.

He's just too slow to play a high line. If we had a better midfield that hurried and harassed the opposition better, that would also help, but we don't.

So yes, tactics, formation and other players do make a difference, but I judge a player on what I see the player do, ie, Schniderlin did very little, so no matter if a team keeps winning and everyone appears great, he never did for me.

Age I'm not so concerned about. It's what the player offers in the current season and possibly next. Gana was top class, so athletic – if he was 25 or 35, I didn't care. I would have tried to keep him but I can fully understand him leaving.

Zouma is better than Keane. So yes I'd have him in a heart-beat to compete with Mina and Holgate.

With that, he's summarized Adu's career. A definite "Shoulda been" who turned into a "Never was". My own feeling is that before he turned 20 he'd simply stopped caring about playing. He just hung around because teams would pay him money.

He was a schoolboy sensation in Maryland, where soccer is well-established. Someway or another agents were contacted and got involved and 13-year-old Freddie was given the full, klieg light, big league hype treatment. National news, late-night talk show appearances, MTV, magazine covers, a commercial with the man himself Pele, a million dollar endorsement deal with Nike, even an interview segment with staid, old 60 Minutes. Topped off with a lucrative 4-year contract with DC United. All before he'd done a single, fucking thing. Can you imagine all this for a 14-year-old?

His output from then to now ranges from nothing all the way up to next-to-nothing. The best to say about Adu is that he's a cautionary tale. A wonderful talent, even Pele acknowledged it, who amounted to nothing because he was given everything without earning anything.