Bolasie and McCarthy to Newcastle?

One can only hope.

Is it a BOGOF? Either way it's great news, please don't let there be any hiccups! They are gradually whittling down the deadwood with Marcel's Machete. Just another Mini-bus full to go.

If either of them were fully fit and fully motivated for it they would be a good buy.

If.

This would be great but I am skeptical. For one thing, Bruce isn't even officially at Newcastle yet so it seems odd that he is already chasing transfers. He did sign Bolasie at Villa. But, getting someone on loan for a C club is different than buying them for an EPL side. As for McCarthy, he was linked with us multiple times while Rafa was there despite no offer ever materializing. So I suspect, this is lazy journos putting two and two together.

Brands will have his work cut out moving either of these two for a permanent move. Still so much deadwood to shift!

Great if it happens, two players off the roster and so the wage bill. The only problem I can see is Ashley telling Bruce he's got money to spend so he signs, only for it to never materialize which isn't out of the norm for Ashley, makes Peter Johnson look competent and committed. owner.

Matthew

Peter Johnson was much better. He at least would let managers spend. The downside was he'd recoup the money by selling other players behind their backs. TBH if this is true I feel a bit bad for Newcastle.They've enough problems without blowing their kitty on these jokers. I guess there's no chance we can con the RS into buying them?

Let's hope they fancy Kevin Mirallas too!

In all seriousness a shame neither worked out, Bolasie looked bright but won't be the same after that injury and James McCarthy used to be essential but has grown out of the side due to injury.

Good luck to both if they go 🤞

In our collective dreams.

I would piggy back the pair of them to Newcastle, and I hate Newcastle!

Good news.... if true.

I'll ask my Geordie mate tomorrow, what the score is with these two, but it looks like media bullshit.

Let's see what happens.

They'd fit tremendously there... there's a few we could add too. Hopefully signings and not loans... unfortunately, we know what the deal is.

Do a job lot, but 2 get 1 free and try and offload one of the other bits of dead wood

I honestly never thought Steve Bruce to be so clueless, he's going down the Moyes Sunderland route, and we know how that ended.

Some of our business blows my mind, how could we ever have been mad enough to put that clause into his contract?

I mean as it's turned out I would be very happy with 㾶m, but imagine Bolasie was actually a successful signing!!!!

How did Walsh ever get his job?

I'm always surprised at the level of negativity aimed at these two on these pages.

Both suffered extremely serious injuries that kept them out over a year. Both of them were decent players before their injuries, and both of them have regained fitness and are still international players.

The implied undertone of comments suggesting they are wasters who don't try is pretty disgusting to be honest. Why not just just accept it didn't work out, wish them well and be glad you never suffered a snapped Achilles or a multiple leg fracture whilst playing for such mean spirited fans?

Karl, imo, your 100% spot on with McCarthy, the lad gives his all and has been a good servant to our club, but Bolasie simply isn't good enough to take us to the level we want to be at. Granted he got a really bad injury, but the lad wasn't ever a 㿅m player, he delivered very little to us, and unfortunately for him, he's never really ever delivered a good return for any Premier League side.

For us his return of 2 goals and 4 assists in 31 games wasn't good enough. For Palace his return of 9 goals in 60 appearances wasn't good enough either, even with 9 assists, he's supposed to be an attacking, creative player, his numbers simply don't add up.

I'm pretty skeptical. Mike Ashley is so cheap, he refuses to open the purse-strings for anyone, let alone players with as many question marks as Bolasie and McCarthy.

I think Newcastle could be in for a rough season. I felt like Benitez was keeping them up with scotch tape and tinfoil half the time.

I am with Karl @17 on this, both players had serious injuries, McCarthy's was shocking.

Bolasie was undoubtedly a costly mistake but his attitude, like McCarthy's, to me was never in question; he remember tried to play on with his cruciate ligament either gone or about to and probably made it worse. McCarthy's injury was like something you expect to sustain in a motorbike crash.

Someone described them as wasters? There really is hundreds of ways to describe their times at Everton... but 'wasters' is not right – no matter how much money they have cost in transfer fees or wages.

I, like others, hope we can recoup or save money and the two players can start again at a good club.

Thank God for some sensible comments on TW (Karl #17, Si#18 and Billy #20). For reasons beyond their control (mainly injuries which I am sure they did not want on themselves), their careers at Everton did not work out, but both the players gave their best. Time for them to move on, if we can sell them. I wish them good luck for the remainder of their careers.

Well said, Billy #20 and Karl #17.

I have great affection for both these players on effort alone.

Nothing up here in the local rags or rumour sites about this! Surely, Bruce needs to be in place first before the papers start making rumours. You'd have thought!!!

Michael #23: If only the papers worked that way!

Si, the release clause beggars belief, doesn't it! So we pay out 㿈M and, if he had been a huge success after 2 years, he could be bought for 㾶M? If this was Walsh – and it sounds crazy enough to be him – then the man was even less competent than I thought!

I can only imagine the release clause, if true, must be triggered by not being selected enough.

Surely no-one could negotiate a 㾶 million release clause from a 㿈 million signing.

Unless maybe they misread the contract, thought we were paying 㾶 million and thought the release clause was 㿈 million!!

For those with affection for James McCarthy, we haven't missed his sideways passes or the thugish tackles. Like many other players, somehow memories of them when injured turn them into top-class players.

Joe (27), injuries have played a big part in James McCarthy's career; they have stopped him being in the top class range, in my opinion.

From making his debut for Hamilton one day before his 16th birthday,wanted by Liverpool not long after his debut with Hamilton, was on the verge of signing for them before changing his mind.

Played over 200 top class games with Hamilton and Wigan before being transferred to Everton. Scotland tried in vain to switch his allegiance from Southern Ireland to them.

Outstanding in his first season with Everton, again in my opinion only, then he was struck with continuing hamstring injuries, he wasn't helped by Martinez playing him too quickly after these injuries. To be honest I don't think James helped himself with insisting on playing for Ireland when he wasn't properly fit and listening to Martin O'Neill too readily.

I think he could have been a top-class midfielder only for these repeated setbacks. I think Arsenal and a couple of other top-flight teams were interested in signing him after that first season, he was getting back to his best form when he suffered that horrendous leg break. Every player needs that bit of luck with injuries; plenty get it... James hasn't and is maybe running out of time.

I do seem to remember Bolasie coming to Goodison and absolutely tearing us up on a couple of occasions. It wasn't a mystery why we picked him up. Turned out he wasn't worth the price we paid, but that's not his fault!

If we could get 㾻 million or so for them both and get them off the wage bill that would be great. Hopefully Bruce is the man to do it. He's got form.

Bruce himself once said that, when he signed Titus Bramble, he told his Dad... who just replied, "Why?"

I agree with Ajay and Mike and others who challenge the naysayers. More so with McCarthy who has given long and good service to the club.

He was inspirational in his first couple of seasons and was forced to play through injury by Martinez resulting in a prolonged period of injury. When he returned (rem game against Man U, booed when he came on but resulted in rising the crowd by not kow-towing to opposition). Then broke his leg playing for the club by preventing a certain goal. Shame on you deadwooders.

Now, we are selling him and buying the also injury-prone Delph on 𧴜,000 per week. Not good business sense to me but somebody must know what they are doing.

Re the Bolasie release clause, does anybody know how long his contract has left? He's been here 3 years and maybe the clause reduces the closer he gets to the end of his contract. Or maybe it was added later when it became obvious that he didn't have a future at the club.

McCarthy and Delph are completely different players. In an alternate reality they might of made a good partnership as they'd compliment each other.

We still haven't signed a goalscorer and look like letting Arsenal get Everton. The clock is ticking. Once again we look like we will be bedding new players in for the first two months of the season.

The truth of the matter is that, at this point, neither are good enough to play for us if we have ambitions of breaking into the top 6. If we can off load both on a permanent basis then its good business for us.

I have to smile when people mention a player giving good service there here because they are extremely well paid, nothing to do with service. Sentimentality never won anything; when they are past their best move them on.

Our priority is still the same as when the season finished: we need 2 forwards, one to play up top the other to play wide left. Maybe if we sell the players not wanted we could see if Palace would be tempted by 㿞 million for Zaha.

Would be ironic if McCarthy had a Paul Bracewell post-injury style renaissance at Newcastle....

Dave @ 28.

Your recap of McCarthy's career since his senior debut with Hamilton (are you and I developing a fixation on them??!!) aged 16 and the number of games he played at an early age is something I've referenced myself in the past.

I've speculated if playing so many games, so young, proved detrimental to his long-term health and that he started paying a price for it at a time you would expect him to be coming into his prime years as a footballer.

Jack Wilshere – not much liked by some on these pages – was/is an extremely talented footballer, but he also played a lot of senior games when younger and similarly, that may have taken its toll on his later career.

Just one more thought, Dave... are you up for a Karaoke evening? A group rendering with you, me, Rob Halligan, Peter Mills and Gerard McKean (and others I may have missed) of 10cc's 'I don't like cricket - no! I love it!'

[walks away, hands in pockets, casually whistling the tune].

James McCarthy should be given a chance, it always takes half a season to come back from those injuries (Like Seamus). Especially when Gana leaves, which he will, given his stock-price escalation over the last few months.

Lots of comments on a 㾶M exit clause on a 㿈M signing but there's an accounting term called amortisation (gradual write-down of the cost over the life of the asset) to take into account.

A 㿈M asset over 5 years will amortise to Zero at a rate of ٣.6M a year; so, with 2 years left, he would be worth ٣.6M x 2 = 㾷.2M; so a 㾶M release clause is not too far off.

I can't see Ashley paying 㾶M for Bolasie though; unless it includes add-on clauses for winning the Premier League and the Champions League.

Bruce has to keep Newcastle in the EPL that is all. He will get a Brucey bonus if he does. I see Rondon is going to China for peanuts. We must be getting a striker then otherwise at his price we'd have been in there like a RS starting a petition.

Jay, you have a great taste in music! I wonder if the shrink used by the English cricket game is available pre derby week next season?

Jay Wood 36

The early start burn-out argument is worth investigating and has been touted since Fergie's young Aberdeen team in the 80s all flaked out in their late 20s. However, there are people who seem to undermine that argument.

Case in point: James Milner. He was the youngest EPL player until James Vaughan, he is a contemporary of Rooney. It was said by many including Paul Scholes, that Rooney lost it when he was at Man Utd because having started young his "cycle" was over by the time he was 30.

Another way of looking at it would be that Rooney is a smoker and drinker -- just like Wilshere. Milner on the other hand is ridiculed for being "boring" based on his clean living, football-focused, non-controversial lifestyle. My thought is that his lifestyle was the difference between him winning the Champions League at 32 versus Rooney making do at DC United.

Other youngsters who had durability include Giggsy who had a 20-year career at the highest possible level. I am not suggesting McCarthy has lifestyle issues, I've no idea if he drinks or smokes. I think he has just been hammered with injuries but I am skeptical about the wider "career cycle" argument.

Kieran @ 40, lifestyle choices definitely impact on the longevity of a player's careers. There have also been reported cases of young players being overplayed and incurring injury at a critical time of their biological growth.

Then you have the psychology behind it as well. Potentially, driving a kid too young can destroy their love of the sport at an early age.

There is a myth that a child needs 10,000 hours of practice time to be outstanding in any field, let alone sport. Here are some articles to debunk that:

One from US Youth Soccer on the dangers of over-training and over-playing kids.

Link

Another, referencing the Aspen Institute, encourages that kids should enjoy multiple sports, rather than pursue a single sport, to be both more rounded and happier individuals AND to reduce the risk of injury by repetitive stress injury by following the same training and fitness regimes of one particular sport.

Link

A similar opinion is expressed about the psychological impact on a child, never mind the physical, in this article from Psychology Today.

Link

There is, then, a lot of scientific and medical research behind the risks of over-training and over-playing adolescents in particular at a crucial stage of their biological development.

Jay (36), yes I think in some cases playing so many games from an early age can bring physical problems later on, but as Kieran (41) says lifestyle is a major cause of going downhill early in your career, talent wise Wayne ( Rooney) was as good as you can get, but burning the candle at both ends tends to decrease your time at the top, Gareth Barry is another example of looking after your body, Ronaldo and Messi are perfect examples of this while Maradonna did the reverse way, and paid for it.

Jay, cricket is a good game to watch, one day cricket is even better. Michael / Lyndon that's mefinished with cricket - - - - until the next time.

Kieran #41, I think you raise a very valid point on lifestyle, which does correlate to an ongoing commitment (or lack of commitment) to conditioning.

And if I may suggest another point: I worry a lot less about a player's injury history if it's a variety of different injuries (Delph) than the same one over and over (Macca). The latter is a sign of a specific physical weakness that often cannot be overcome. The former can sometimes be simple bad luck.

Neil at 31 - Delph, despite his injuries and place in the pecking order at City, played as many games in all comps last season as McCarthy has in 3 seasons. I think talking about who McCarthy once was as a player has no relation to now, because of the extent of his injuries. I wonder if we will ever see a player capable of playing a full season again?

I don't believe these rumours - there is no way that they are true. It's just speculation. I hope we can sell both and that they can play regular football again, but I expect that it will be in the Championship or abroad. Bolasie could be a late buy for a Prem team of course, as his release fee is decent.

Mike

Good point. Another thing too is recovery time. There is the actual healing of the injury and then the returning to match fitness. Coleman essentially had the same injury as McCarthy. Once the actual injury was healed it seemed like no time before he was first team ready --albeit he took some time to find his best form. McCarthy on the other hand, seemed to have a similar healing process but it's taken a long, long, long time for him to work his way back into the team. Silva brought him into the squad early last season, then he was omitted for quite a while with Silva sighting his match fitness. Delph seems like one who gets injured, has the expected rehab and is back to normal asap. Similar to Harry Kane or Beckham. McCarthy is more in the Darron Gibson mold.

Jim
All I would like to see is if he can perform at same level before we sell.
One injury aggravated by playing when injured has had plenty on time to heal. Second injury got from putting his leg in where most players fear.
If he can't reach that level then by all means sell. My reasoning is I recall for much of last season this site was full of criticism of overpaid players not putting in the effort in a game. With McCarthy you certainly get that.

Kieran #46, I wasn't referring to Macca's leg break, which was just a horrible accident. I was talking about the recurring hamstring injuries, the latest of which happened during his rehab from the fracture.

Macca has missed extended time with SIX pulled hammies since 2014. That's not bad luck, it's an incurable disease.

Fingers crossed!

McCarthy was a good player for us until he started picking up injuries. Bolasie on the other hand, is just shit.

I agree with Paul (50) don't understand the venom here about McCarthy he was good at Wigan and good when he arrived at Everton. I think he needs game time before we write him off. We need Bolasie of the books

Almost certainly not true. One of the reasons Benitez left was because Ashley would not sanction moves for players with no sell-on value. He's hardly going to change that now that Benitez has gone. We can but hope though...

Neither good enough, if this happens that would be excellent news.

Before people start about giving McCarthy a chance, keep in mind more than one Everton manager in recent years has had a look and decided no thanks. Clearly not good enough. Should have sold to Celtic 2-3 years ago when we had the chance. If the barcodes take him loan and cover his wages for his last year that'll be good enough for me.

Same with Bolasie, all be it well need a 2 year loan I think.

Cut losses on both and just get them off the wage bill - any transfer fee would be a bonus [steal]. Combined they cost the club about £7m a year as it is.

McNulty (BBC reporter, not the detective from The Wire) is reporting Lookman to Leipzig is a done deal. I expect a forward signing then. So far the trend has been as follows:

Sell Vlasic, clear out some wages on loans
Buy Gomes.
Sell Robinson, clear out more wages on loans,
Buy Delph.

So now we sell Lookman, clear out more wages on loan (hopefully), then buy someone

Wrap McCarthy in cotton wool and get him sold now before he's injured again.

Joe McMahon @27, You talk about McCarthy and his thugish tackles, so why was he never sent off? He was tough and fair in the tackle, in his first season, he was outstanding, and his hamstrings were a big problem, because Martinez wouldn't rest him. When he did play, he was tenacious and in the opposition's faces, which the fans loved, never a THUG.

James and Yannick to Newcastle. Jay and Dave to the naughty corner.

Dennis@53, more than one Everton manager has had a look at McCarthy and said no thanks. Very selective that mate, can you name them?

Every time I saw James's name on the team sheet, I was happy. I always felt he was a committed player and did his best for EFC. Injury free he would have pushed on and improved too.

Things are always easier to call retrospectively, I remember about 4 years ago posting that if we signed Bolaisie from Palace and Mane from Southampton we could challenge for the Champions League. I thought them both quality, dangerous players at the time and would improve any team.

I wish them both the best as I am sure they will be moving on.
Jimmy Mac was always 100% committed and like Bolasie has had to overcome bad injuries. However I always thought the latter was a kick-and-run winger with the occasional good cross, we have far better on the books now.

Liked them both in their respective first seasons, and particularly liked McCarthys attitude and effort, but time for both to go. Clause or no clause, getting £10m for Bolasie and rid of his wages would be a bonus.
With their serious injury record though I'd expect both will go out on loan as they will be seen as high risk by other clubs.

Jim Knightley, you' re back!!. Stay.

Until his injury McCarthy was an crucial part of the Everton team. Unfortunately, that is no longer the case so it would benefit both club and player if he moved on.

Bolasie was never worth the money we paid and, even before his injury, wasn't cutting the mustard.

As Liam #38 points out, amortisation reduces a players valuation year on year so £10m for Bolasie would be a good deal and also make room on the wage bill.

I would love to see McCarthy getting a chance to prove himself, before we offload him. I really don't understand why Silva didn't loan him out last season when he had no intention of playing him. Bad management in my opinion. As regards his injuries, totally accept that he had a long & protracted hammer problem however his most serious injury, the double leg break, was suffered when trying to recover a mistake by Schneiderlin. His bravery prevented a goal but at the cost of his awful injury. If he goes then I wish him the very best however I would love to see him in an Everton shirt next season.

False news unfortunately.

What Martin, Gerry's take on how McCarthy broke his leg?

I thought it was McCarthy, trying to rectify giving the ball away Gerry, but he probably gave it away because Schneiderlin hid/ignored him, which is a crime in itself for a professional midfield player imo.

Different slant, but I still left the stadium feeling cheated by Snides, and this was possibly when he started to go right through me, and be only the second player to do this in my 44 years of watching Everton.