Everton turn to Norwich's Godfrey

If I was Branthwaite, Gibson and even Pennington, I'd be really pissed off. Don't think he'd be that much of an upgrade.

Thought he was their standout defender when they beat us at our place last year. Big, strong, quick and comfortable on the ball. The right sort of signing for me.

It surprises me that we are making an offer of £26m for a back up centre back, I was expecting a loan. Makes me think this rumour is wide of the mark. Sam, Robert what do you make of this young player? I wasn't focusing on his play when I was watching Norwich and he didn't particularly stand out. He is not tall for a CB at just over 6ft and he is right footed so in some ways he sounds like he has similarities to Mason Holgate, but he will have to go some to be as good.
I'm am not 100% convinced that he would be a player we are targeting on those terms.

Hmmm. He's quick, good on the ball, quite two footed and decent in the air. But he's also prone to mistakes and being bullied and pulled out of position. Similar to Todibo in some respects.

Good potential and could be developed into a real talent but £20-26m seems too much to me. Especially with Branthwaite waiting to return. And Gibson down the line maybe.

If we could get Godfrey on loan then great but can't see why Norwich would do that.

Godfrey could also play DCM in a pinch (he started off there) and maybe Brands thinks his versatility is worth paying a little extra for. He's a £15m defender to my eyes currently, even with the English player markup.

It's written in the stars. The last time we signed a Norwich centre half we ended up champs !

Stephen 1

I think Pennington has long since realized he doesn't feature in our plans

Tony, he's pretty two footed and I think he played at LCB a lot for Norwich last year.

Bizarre how Norwich's defenders are all highly thought of and sought after, but their defence was so utterly useless.

We need someone, and we need someone who will be content being 4th choice (while having the determination and desire to become 1st choice). 20 million is probably the same as 5 million 10 years ago (when we got Jags), so could be a good deal - and we need someone, an injury crisis at the back could undo all the good work done so far.

It would also give us a chance to send Branthweight on loan in January, if not before.

Then next season, maybe Mina (and his massive contract) can be moved on, and one of Branthweight or Gibson steps in. A good season, and Mina could also command a decent fee.

Be surprised if we spent another £20m+ on any player in this window.
Be really surprised if it was on a CB who would basically being bought as a stopgap, unless there's a plan for Branthwaite once he's fit.
Can only see a loan/s.

I think we need to be looking at an older more experienced CB to give Holgate, Branthwaite and Gibson time to develop. Unfortunately there's not any Sylvain Dustin around at the moment.

Stephen @1- I don't think any of those should be worried as one will be on loan and the other has probably been informed he's fifth choice.

If I was Mina I would be really concerned if this were true. I watched quite a bit of the player towards the end of the season and he played mostly on the left but he is so right footed.

I would imagine if this was permanent then he may be required for the left for this season but no doubt will be on the other side sooner rather than later. With Keane getting a new deal then this may spell trouble for Big Yerry come next season.

He is also similar to what Mina is supposed to be;powerful, athletic, reads the game well. What he will bring is character, leadership, excellent on the ball and is quite vocal also. I think he can play with all our centre halves which is most important.

The downside is that he may not be ideal as we probably want a natural left sided partner for Holgate.

Reading the reports it is a possibility we are after him on loan, with an option/obilgation to buy at 20m plus add ons next June.

That kind of a deal could suit us because it means spending no money right now and then we can pay for him next summer when there are a few big wage contracts expiring. It would make the accounts look a bit better.

Will he be excused from the first team ? then he may be our Man.
Sorry cant think of any other puns.
In Marcel we trust.

Speak to a joint Norwich/Everton fan, says he's young, good on the ball & future England possible!

Would be a strange buy. He's talented but like a slightly younger, shorter Holgate. Maybe depends how long they think Holgate will be out for. I'd rather have Todibo for slightly less money if it's a choice. To be fair I think he'd do fine alongside Keane or Mina. But he and Holgate would be a bit to short and similar for my liking.

What is it with buying relegated players, just stop it Everton!

He's played 50 games most of which were in a relegated season and he's worth 26 million I think not

Sell Bolasie for 34 and put a 60m bid in for Koulibaly cheers Carlo

Stephen#1, just have a reread of what you said, just so you can see how daft you sound:

"If I was Branthwaite, Gibson and even Pennington, I'd be really pissed off. Don't think he'd be that much of an upgrade."

So one defender who has been on loan at lower Championship/League One clubs plus two youngsters who are still raw and developing. Yet a player with regular Premier League experience, still on the upward curve of his development, able to play with significantly better players than he was around at Norwich, is not considered an upgrade on those three.

Sky reporting the £26m bid now as well so guess this one has legs. We need a centre back, even with keeping the two youngsters and sending them on loan to further their game time.

I also don't understand the necessity to have man-mountain of centre halves. Who's the better centre half, Harry Maguire or Mason Holgate?

In which parallel universe, would we get £34m for Bolasie, 34 quid maybe.

I find it a bit strange that we'd be looking to spend 26-million on a guy who might not even be in the matchday squad once everyone is healthy. He'd have to jump Holgate, Keane or Mina in the pecking order. And even if Mina were eventually moved on, you'd have to assume the hope is that Branthwaite and Gibson will be ready to step up next season, which is why CB cover via loan always made the most sense.

Maybe it is proving impossible to find a shorter term stopgap of sufficient quality? I feel that we need that extra body for cover this season - especially if we stay in all the competitions and Gbamin doesn't recover his fitness - but £26 mil (if true) suggests that this lad would be coming in as a longer term prospect, eventually being in the mix with Holgate, Gibson, and Branthwaite for the foreseeable.
How many of them have potential for playing wider or a little further forward?

If this lad is quick and good with the ball he'll over take Mina quickly and Keane in the long run.

For all those surprised about our potential spending. Why? Carlo is clearly here to win. This season is about depth and capitalizing on there fixture congestion.

It's a gamble more than worth taking. If we go the full nine yards, we'll get a right back and winger in too. Watch this space!

Sorry, still don't get it. This lad is 22, played in a worse than average defence last season and didn't exactly shine. We are probably just a month away from being back to a full complement of centre backs, including Callum Connolly who is the same age as this lad, played at every England age level has been out on loan and has looked pretty good to me on the few occasions I've seen him.

Branthwaite did an amazing job at the end of last season and genuinely looks the part.

Pennington at 26 has probably blown it with his time at Hull, but don't forget 4 years ago he was the coming king after playing and scoring in a derby.

Gibson again played every England age group but has gone out on loan, the kiss of death to Everton youngsters.

Can anyone tell me the last time we sent a player out on loan and he came back to start as a first team regular, probably Barkley.

If we are going to sign a CB he needs to be an improvement one of the three current starters and this lad clearly is not.

Waste of £26m in my opinion.

Without passing comment on the player, it does seem that we would end up with another huge wage bill while being over-run with centre backs particularly in less than three months when injuries should be less of a worry. Given the two week break after the Brighton game it should be less than a month before Branthwaite and Holgate will again be available for selection and the downside is that lower league clubs probably won't be signing or loaning many players until crowds are allowed back.

Pennington was never expected to be the next great thing. Nor is/was Connolly.

Can't quite see the logic in this one at all, we allegedly refused to pay an extra £3M to secure the Gabriel deal, with him going to Arsenal instead. Having seen Norwich a few times last year, I can't remember Godfrey standing out.

Whereas the likes of Cantwell, Buendia, Aarons and Puki, caught the eye in a struggling side, but what do I know?As Sam said £26M sèms an awful lot for one who has experienced the Prem but has a lot to learn.

Always worries me when we go for a player who has had his part in relegation and the number of goals conceded. Better to do a loan deal as others are saying. We've got players coming back.

Stephen @22. We've tended to use the loan system as a way for clearing out youth players we can't sell. I think only Dowell and Gibson in recent times (possibly Bowler) were being loaned out with a view to developing them into a first team player. Vlasic and Onyekuru too in some respects but their circumstances were different.

Nothing wrong with the concept of loans as Chelsea have shown recently, provided the structure of the youth set up is good and it's with a view to developing players.

As for Godfrey, like I say, he's a talented player. But strange to penny pinch with Gabriel and then spend on him (if that really is what has happened) especially when he's not really what we seemed to be after (taller left sided player). But if it happens we get a young versatile English player with plenty of ability who can be with us for many years - and help us tap up Aarons next summer.

I think the big plus with Godfrey is his versatility. He started off as a centre midfielder who has been pushed back into a centre-half position. Many still say his best position is just in front of the back 4. This guy has the endurance of the Duracell bunny on speed.

Read a report from a Shrewsbury reporter where a young Godfrey went there as a teen and played 51 games and was their player of the season in the defensive midfield position. I know the level difference is huge but he's now also played in a Championship winning Norwich team that plays good football and also played well in the Premier League (yes Norwich did get relegated) but didn't Aston Villa with Gana and Watford with Doucouré?

I personally think he'd be a fantastic signing and have complete faith in what Ancelotti wants. Plus he can also play right-back; someone with this kind of versatility will be worth his weight in gold over a long season. As seen last night, with 3 injuries in 1 match, we need strength in depth in multiple positions.

Forget how young Branthwaite is and watch him with a view to is he good enough now. The answer is no. He makes far too many mistakes. But that's fine. He is very young and has immense potential and will get better. He's two years off the first team at least.

Gibson is out on loan for a year and we need pace at the back. This lad is quick and can play left side with a left foot. Trust in Brands and Ancelotti on this one.

Having seen a fair bit of Godfrey at Carrow Road, he's a terrific footballer: quick, athletic, very comfortable on the ball, great range of passing. He's not the best aerially, but we have a couple of aerial centre-halves already. He has played CB for one and a half seasons, nearly always on the left.
They were so poor defensively last season mainly due to being decimated by injuries at CB. Godfrey played most of the games, but had about 6 different CB partners (including a LB and two CDMs!), so no partnership/understanding.

People rave about Aarons – arguably Godfrey has been responsible for creating a lot of his showreel opportunities, with his ability to ping a 40-yard diagonal crossfield ball finding the RB in acres of space (which quite often he chose rather frustratingly not to exploit).

Before playing CB he spent a year on loan in League One, playing CDM for Shrewsbury. He played virtually every game, they got to the play-off final and he was MOTM in a televised FA Cup game against West Ham playing that position, but Farke has always insisted he's a CB (and Norwich have been so short of CBs anyway...)

He's knuckled down and got on with life back in the Championship this season, unlike some of his deluded team-mates...

The lad is a proper athlete, and a good footballer who has all the attributes to be whatever Ancelotti wants to make him.

z

Can't say I remember him, but I'd say buy him on the back of Chris Cole's recommendation ;-) and Rio Ferdinand thinks he's good too.

A decent enough player with potential and we absolutely need another CB. If he joins us he'll know he'll be 4th choice with opportunities in the cup games as currently we're playing a RB in Mina's position as he's so fragile and our only other fit CB.

I'm a bit confused with this potential signing. If we pay £26M for a player I assume he is to be ready for the first team.

Is he going to be 1st or 4th choice CB? Is he going to replace one of Mina, Keane, Holdgate? Do we need him when we also have Branthwaite, Gibson or even Digne who can step in?

I would rather us strengthen the midfield or even the forward line more.

Rob, we've signed plenty of blokes for more that couldn't get into our team. Kean, Iwobi, Klaassen...

It might not be that much money. I've completely lost touch, but if Marcel and Carlo rate him then I'm on board. To quote our Captain: "I believe every word that comes out of that man's mouth."

Chris 30, thanks for the detail.

The fact that he has some pace, talented on the ball, plays left-sided centre-back and is resilient is selling him to me. He would cover a few bases over a season at CB and DCM and RB. His pace athleticism and versatility could make him a very useful player that strengthens the squad for the long season.

At 22 he is an investment too and his wage demands you would expect would not be stratospheric. Sounds like Brands has had him properly assessed if the bid reports are true.

Stephen #22,

Can anyone tell me the last time we sent a player out on loan and he came back to start as a first-team regular, probably Barkley.

Mason Holgate?

No pressure then, Phill. :)

Interesting re Rio – he probably sees a lot of similar qualities to himself in Ben.

You're welcome Tony @35. Probably true about wage demands too – they don't pay silly wages at Norwich.

I don't really understand the whole 1st / 4th choice CB thing – we don't have a world class CB, surely every CB place is up for grabs?

At the end of the day, does anyone not trust Ancelotti to make the right decisions?

I think this shows that there isn't a loan deal available for anyone we want. That means we have to buy someone. If there are no finished articles to buy then I'd rather we bought potential. This lad was the only fit defender Norwich had for a lot of last season and I think their determination to never park the bus meant they were done for from the off.

If we can get a good deal then I think he could be a good signing. If they want too much though we go elsewhere e.g. Todibo. Nevertheless there is a serious danger we get no-one and I don't trust Mina to stay fit. Plus there's no guarantee that Holgate or Braithwaite will recover as expected. Should have kept Gibson.

The whole "why send on loan" or "loaning is a kids of death" I just don't buy into.

Players are loaned out and if they come back and look the part, the club will say yes, you're the man.

Holgate went on loan and came back a better player, got his chance and took it.

Dowell and others did ok, but when training the club obviously thought 'no, not good enough' or 'not ready'. Some players might need a permanent move away to actually develop i.e. Lundstram.

If Brands has identified him and said, along with Carlo, he's the man, then great.

Liverpool fans aren't worried that Jota has come in and Brewster will likely go. Because they trust Klopp has identified Jota as being at the level they want, while Brewster is not.

Gibson is on loan, and Branthwaite is still very raw. Both, if they improve, will be in our future. If they do not, they will not.

I haven't seen this Godfrey, so can't pass judgement. But I assume Brands and Carlo have, and have passed judgement.

Norwich conceded a lot last season, but yes, they played very gung ho, flying full backs, no solid defensive midfielder.

20 million (+6) isn't all that much in today's market.

Mal #26 - Like Pickford you mean?!

Chris 30 thanks for the info and update. My whole family are Norwich supporters so I hear a lot about the young boys there. My family all rate him but couldn't understand why Bayern are sniffing around him and Aarons (who I'd love us to sign). Many of you will have heard me twerping on about Buendia and his industry and guile, I won't bore you anymore on that.

That all said and done, I feel a little ambivalent about this one, seems to be some concrete interest (Carlo hardly denied it did he!) and whilst yes he could become exactly what we need after another season or two I just can't see him strolling into this team, especially when Mason is back.

The only reason we need to strengthen this area further in my eyes by signing a 1st team ready CB is because Carlo wants the option to go three at the back sometimes. Curious.

I'd rather we spent the money on a right sided midfielder ala Lozano, Buendia (sorry!) or Boga (although he can play both sides).

Fran #39, Frank #36, Holgate did not come back from West Brom 'a better player'. They played him as a right back most of the time. If Mina hadn't got that long term injury early last term Holgate would probably still be sitting on the bench. My point is that we have Holgate, Mina and Keane, is Ben Godfrey £26m better than Branthwaite, Gibson, Connolly and Pennington.

Norwich just rejected our offer for the lad anyway. So pointless discussion. Surely we will not up our offer.

With Allan and Kenny both picking up injuries last night I think that versatility could play a big part in our next signing.

Someone like Godfrey has played a fair amount of games at DMC so could definitely do a job there. He's also pretty quick and good on the ball which means he'd probably be reasonable at RB too.

Todibo also could be used in a few positions due to his athleticism and ball skills.

Oh for a (quicker) Phil Neville on loan!

Everton's offer rejected per SSN.

I think Everton have an issue on FFP. That's why we wanted him on loan. We've probably offered 20m or so, but weighted the payments so that we can get around FFP by paying more on the backend. This wouldn't go down well with Norwich. We clearly want to do what PSG did with Mbappe. Buy now, pay later, but pay slightly more.

I smell a decoy. I don't know what I mean exactly, but take my word for it.

Could be Shane. Chelsea must need to recoup some cash and they have too many defenders. Surely they will let one of Zouma or Tomori go. Don't know how good Godfrey can be but I think Tomori could be world class.

Just don't get spending £26m on a centre back with what we already have and what we've already spent.

Unless he sees Mina as being in his last year before being shown the door. Or maybe Gibson and Branthwaite are further from ready than we think.

Everyone seems to be losing sight of the fact that we've only got two fit centre-halves; if one gets an injury or gets sent off, we'll have a serious problem.

Holgate on his own was never enough cover so they should have fixed this ages ago. Now we're scrambling in desperation to find someone. Not very impressed.

I think Steve #46 & #48 is spot on.

Steve@48, Chelsea's recent lineups would seem to suggest that it is Rudiger who may be let go. Leaving them with Zouma, Silva, Tomori and Christensen.

I'd take Rudiger on loan happily but i'm not sure i'd want to buy him permanently. If we had £25+m to spend on a CB then I think we'd have upped our bid for Gabriel.

I still think a loan for Todibo may be the most realistic if we don't want to have to pay for someone permanently. Or Adarabaiyo would be cheap and is very decent.

Last summer transfer window we were all convinced we were buying Zouma, all our CB eggs were in this one large French basket.

It seems this time Brands is determined not to be embarrassed hence our multi player approach. I have no doubt we will land a target before the deadline.

Ref Godfrey, good age profile seems to have rave reviews from Norwich supporters & those in the know so I'll bow to their superior knowledge.

Ref not knowing the player, I didn't know much about Joleon Lescott but what a buy he was.

In Carlo/Brands we trust.

Shane@49 Branthwaite and Gibson have less than 300 minutes of football within the top two leagues between them (all Branthwaite during injury crisis last season). However talented they may both have more learning to do before Carlo feels he can rely upon them more regularly.

Agreed Sam, and so I thought a loan deal for another CB would keep us happy for this season while the two young lads learn their trade.

If we sign Godfrey then we'll have four centre backs ahead of these two next summer. Sounds like one too many to me.

Shane, yes I think that's ideal. A loan with an option to buy. That way if the player in really shines we get to keep them. Chances are that at least one of Branthwaite and Gibson may not be up to the extremely high standard required for a PL team with top 4 aspirations.

They've rejected the 20m + 6m add-ons . Probably because it is not up front .

It would be interesting to know how much they would want. Give them a deadline and if they don't do a deal soon we will have to walk away. We cant afford to be left high and dry.

There are loads of good options for this position. Todibo, Adarabioyo, Fofana, Simakan etc. We'll definitely get someone in.

Sam, you'll have noted with interest that Sangare has joined PSV. Was expecting a bigger step up for him but interesting to see how he gets on.

Robert, that list of options makes me wonder why they seem to have plumped for Godfrey. Hopefully we've got other irons in the fire because the transfer deadline is only 4 days away from closing. After that it's only the EFL left. They really need to fix this or it's Zouma all over again.

Sam, surely all of us would agree on Rudiger on loan. He's a top class centre half, if you can get him right. The issue for Chelsea is they would probably prefer to sell him and balance the books. They will have an FFP problem and Rudiger has a big reputation on the continent, despite his poor season last year, and that should inflate his price beyond what we could realistically pay. Also, his wages are likely to be astronomical. Quite who can pay that fee would be an issue for Chelsea, so perhaps a loan with an obligation to buy for a set fee, might be a good middle position for them and for us. But even then, I can't see Rudiger coming here. I think he's likely to end up at a massive club in Spain or go back to Germany.

Guys think big, Carlo is here to mix it in the top four. He ain't here just to be put out to grass. Godfrey, is deffo the profile of player we want. Last night I did a bit of research and he's excellent on the ball.

Now flick back to the West Ham game and reflect how well Digne, an excellent ball player did? This is the template for sure. If we have one dominant centre half on Keane, the Godfrey can sweep behind him with his pace.
My one concern is the lack of balance, I know he can play LCB but hey how smooth was Digne moving the ball and creating natural left footed angles? It's a big deal.

I actually see him and Holgate pairing well, because we shouldn't be defending in most of games, Keane will be ‘horses for courses', height doesn't bother me as much as pace and ability with the ball. If we play a high line, then our weakness is pace, not height.

So a bit of a shout for Rudiger, on loan with no others options sure. I happen to think his injury has set him back, a lot. From prime defender to a shadow of the player he was.

Let's no shrink back when we've started so well and Carlo knows what he needs, especially when it's obvious to all. Let Gibson and Branthwaite develop, they ain't ready for this type of season.

Stephen. How can you say Holgate didn't improve?

Yes he played out of position (much like Lescott did, or Jagielka did, before cementing themselves as centre halves).

Playing a full season in a decent WBA team didn't improve him? Just because he was out of position? That's a very simplistic way to view things.

He played a full season, that is what is key. So when he stepped up, he was ready and confident to take the position once he got a chance.

That is what young players must do.

John, It's possible Chelsea see it like that too, regarding Rudiger's injury.

It's a strange one that the transfer window ends with European clubs on the 5th. But then continues for another 6 days with EFL clubs only. There will be a few of those Championship clubs smelling the fear of some exposed PL clubs looking for cover. Prices will be quoted higher and they will stick closer to their price.

It's a good strategy from us trying to get the deal done now, but Norwich know it may suit them to wait. It's further complicated as Newcastle are waiting in the wings if we pull out, and one or two other clubs will come out of he woodwork too.

24m rising to 30m is probably what it would take. If Carlo wants him, pay the extra 4m.

They reject that and it's got to be walk away time.

Pete#59.
Pete, premier league clubs can do business with EFL clubs after the first window closure on Monday.
They just can't do business internationally or with another premier league club after the first closure.

Hi Brian [64] I don't have the inclination to keep abreast of off field-activities, I found it easier when the transfer deadline was March 16th, anyone signed after that date required special dispensation to play, for example they couldn't play in games that affected championships or relegation issues. My feeble brain is not able to cope with all the rules and regulations of today.

Yes John they don't try to keep it simple do they?
Hard to keep up with it all mate.

Brian #64 Which is why I said only EFL left after the 5th. At least we can continue to negotiate with Norwich after Monday, but I hope we don't give them the £30m they want. We only paid £25m for Doucoure.

I would hope that we bring in a striker before the window closes, with Kean being left out of the squad last night then it looks like the rumours of him returning to Juventus could be true. That leaves us with only 2 players who can play the main strikers position, DCL and Richarlison. As good as an acquisition that Godfrey may be the need for another striker is greater than the need for another CB.

Well we're getting a centreback first. 👍
Godfrey in blue before the weekend.

Paul Joyce reporting Godfrey is done at £25m plus.

Yep, seeing on Twitter that this is a done deal.

Fran, loans are not what they once were right? You'd send a kid away to learn to mix it, grow up and learn to be part of a team.

Top flight footy has changed massively in the last 5years. I have to ask whilst Holgate's loan was important to him it wasn't the right move imo. Pulis was not the guy to look after Mason. He also got very lucky with our own centre half situation, fair dos though, he took the opportunity.

Are there really lots of good examples where we've sent players off, then returning first team ready? Is Kenny any better than when he left? Dowell stalled, Garbutt just disappeared and even Barkley's loan was catastrophic! The only one I can recall is Seamus at Blackpool, that seems a life time away!

There are few lower league English clubs I'd send a player two now, perhaps Swansea or Norwich where they focus on playing football.

I'd loan a player to a mid-table, relegation type side in the premier league because that's the level we need them to play at. Perhaps abroad seems more appropriate nowadays.

Loans if they are to work, need much more thought out into them if the player has a chance to succeed.

Crumbs - didn't expect this.

As an aside I'd be really surprised and disappointed if Kean left. I think he was ill last night, not left out. Hope so anyway.

Mina wants out – that's why we are buying him.

Geeerrrr in. Looks like we've got the lad, medical pending. How long is since we've had a manger just doing the obvious stuff and reaping the rewards?

The Times reporter Paul Joyce has claimed on Twitter that Everton have agreed a fee with Norwich City over the transfer fee of Ben Godfrey. 25m + Add-ons

Mr B is not messing about is he ! and Farhad must be liking what he is seeing and striking whilst the iron is hot.

Medical within 24 hrs it says too.

Amazing couple of months this.

This is not a transfer I'm looking for at all. He's no better than Holgate for me and I don't think he can do as good a job at Right Back as Holgate can. Therefore any incentive of versatility is lost.

Also, I don't see Holgate as so immense that we need a back up for him. We need a centre back to come and make that shirt their own. Because there are two up for grabs

I wonder whose signing this is. Brands? Ancelotti? Who?

Interesting this!

When all fit, we will be overloaded. Gibson will be looking for a chance when he returns from loan, Branthwaite won't be happy for too long if stuck in the Under-23s and there will be four seniors in front of him.

I don't understand this as we have other areas to strengthen and Digne is decent as a stand-in. I wouldn't be surprised to see a sale come January! Have to trust Carlo as he has shown every sign of knowing what he is doing.

Well so far we have brought in 4 players before this guy under Carlo, every one has been a great signing, so I will respect his judgement.

Bobby (74) - any concrete evidence of that? Mina certainly played a role in lobbying James to come here.

Tommy 77

It will be a joint effort, Carlo on record saying that he wants the lad. [in so many words].

Everton chief Carlo Ancelotti confirmed he was a big admirer of the powerhouse defender after Wednesday's 4-1 League Cup win over West Ham.

He said: ‘We are looking for a centre back. Godfrey is a really good centre back but is playing for Norwich and I cannot say anything.'

I'm pleased with this. Admittedly, 2 weeks ago (heck 3 days ago) I could not have named this guy, but why would I...nowadays I only really watch Everton.

But from looking around, he seems.to have all the attributes we need from our 4th choice centre back.

He's got Premier League experience, he won't be on mega wages, he won't immediately expect a place in the team (like if we signed a Rudigier type). But he's young and with the attributes to really push for a place in the first team. Now we have 4 centre backs in Mina, Keane, Holgate and hopefully Godfrey and Ancelotti will put it to them - prove to me you deserve to be in the team.

In a year, we can sell Mina and his big wage, and promote one of Branthwaite or Gibson

Also regarding Godfrey - he's a ball playing centre back with good distribution, and can also play as defensive midfielder. At Norwich he's been playing in a team that has, albeit rather naively, focused on playing from the back. So his style fits with what we hope to instill.

Who knows, World Cup.2022 could be an all blue affair with Gordon, DCL, Holgate, Godfrey, Keane and a hopefully improved Pickford

Is it me or is Tommy Carter having a bad week.

Tommy # 77, we all know who Brands and Ancelotti are, but who's who??

Tommy is the bucket of ice cold water that stops us getting too carried away.

Keep up the good work

Fran (82), Fran if we sign this lad it's not as a fourth place centre back, he will Coe straight into the team, if he's no better than Keane or Mina what's the point of signing him, I've only seen him once, on TV in an FA cup game, he was very good, tackling, passing, taking the ball forward and using it well to find his team mates,urging them on, organising them, only one game, but at twenty one he looked like he knew how to play football, very impressed with him,while stressing it was only one game, never, ever seen Mina and Keane do that for Everton.

@ Tony 81

A powerhouse you say?

Interesting. Perhaps my eyes deceive me.

@ 83 Paul. Tell us your thoughts on £25m man Godfrey

@84 Rob. Hilarious. Cheers rob. Thanks mate. It was a genuine question. I'd like to know who else is involved in transfer dealings. As this is absolutely nothing at all like Allan or James. And not really like Doucoure.

Godfrey is Holgate, Keane is Mina. We now have two pairs of central defenders. Two decent on the ball and quick the other two low block specialists.

If we dominate games in the manner we've done so far id expect of all four were for Holgate and Godfrey to play, Keane when we play a better side and we have less possession. Mina is left without a chair when the music stops. He's never nailed his place, nor stay injury free, at centre back you have to be durable. He ain't.

Slight change of topic... Stoke beat Villa in the Carabao Cup.

I haven't seen that much of him Tommy but if Carlo wants him that is good enough for me.

Tom 87,

No not me, that was part of the article where I got Carlo's quote about him from.

Carlo knows a player when he sees one so I have got a lot of faith if he has rubber-stamped it.

Well it seems we could do with the lad at the moment, possibly to help cover a few positions. I presume he will stay in the team if he's performing well enough, as should be the case for all of them. If individual standards slip there should be another player desperate to step in & claim a place in the team.

I wonder how many more players we need to complete the quality of squad the Manager would be happy with.

Great signing for now and long term. Don't see him as back up, he will go straight in the team I feel. Yet another indication of our intent for this season.

@91 Tony.

Thanks mate. Can you post me a link as I cannot find the quote

Stephen Vincent Can anyone tell me the last time we sent a player out on loan and he came back to start as a first team regular, probably Barkley.

I think it comes down to the quality of the loan. Send them somewhere where they'll get good experience in a team that suits their style of play and it can be a great system.

Our current club captain is a good example.

Brian Wilkinson, it's 5 players in under Ancelotti, Branthwaite arrived in January.

People Moaning about buying relegated players – Gana!

People moaning about loan deals being the death of players and currently the club captain went on loan – Holgate, Barkley, Osman.

The one thing we do not have at centre-back at the moment is genuine pace; sign someone with genuine pace and people moan and say it doesn't make sense.

Come on, you moaning sods – BT Sport 3 pm – just enjoy it, for fuck's sake!

Surely what a player has- or has not achieved in the past, whether they have played in the defence of a relegated team etc. is all irrelevant?
The point is, Carlo Ancelotti, the coach sees enough potential in this player that he believes he can "coach" him to become a much better player in a much better side.
That is what great coaches see and do.
We have already seen the effects go his work with several players in our squad already.
The other thing is that Carlo has signed a five year deal at Everton and is clearly taking it seriously.
He has already addressed the here and now- with the three mid field signings we are currently raving about.

But he and Brands are no doubt also looking to build for the future. Nkounkou is an example as is Branthwaite.

Godfrey may well be part of that process - or even a "halfway house" type of acquisition - i.e. bought to play now in cameos - but to become an established player but the time the next rebuild starts - so that there is some continuity.

Lastly, I don't understand why everyone is flapping about how much Everton is spending on transfers, or the current size of the squad.

For year we were penniless and complained about it.

Now we are rich and are complaining about it.

For once I believe those in charge of the club's playing side (Carlo and Marcel) know what they are doing, what they are trying to achieve and how to deal with it ( bloated squad included).

Let's just relax, let them get on with it - and enjoy the ride for once. NSNO is on its way back.

Just saw the headline 'Zouma joins Barrow '. Wow !
But it's Zouma the younger. Even so its a bit of a step down, I thought he was quite promising at Wigan a while back.

Is Godfrey left footed? We need a lefty in defence.

No Colin he is double footed, played the whole of last season pretty much as a left sided CB. Has pace, not the tallest but a real athlete and prospect. He will get his chances to establish himself as a regular this season, it's going to be interesting with very strong competition in there. Maybe we will see Mason at RB at times this season. Carlo quoted yesterday as saying players will be leaving and maybe more signings (plural!). An interesting couple of days ahead.

Moise Kean to join PSG, albeit only on loan. So good enough for them but not good enough for us? He's a player I would like to keep as there is potentially a good player in there somewhere.

Not sure on this Moise Kean Liam to PSG. Will he get game time there ? Do we get any money out of it ?

Looks like a striker has to join Godfrey as incoming transfer but who ?

Who else can be shipped out this week? Hopefully Besic, Sandro, Pennington and Walcott!

@103 Stephen

All it takes is an injury or a loss of form for DCL and who is going to play up top for us? Cenk?!

I would not be letting this deal happen without a other player coming in on loan to cover the striking position.

I too noticed the Zouma to Barrow transfer. An even more eye-catching one I came across last week was "Bournemouth sign Riquelme."

Since Dalot is going to Milan I guess we'll not see any RB on loan?

We need Romero or any goalkeeper. Pickford has a range as a penguin.

If Moise goes, we need an estabishled striker who knows where the goal is as backup.

And, perhaps Godfrey can step up as DM when Allan is out?

Has Godfrey signed yet?

Ernie #95, That kind of proves my point. Seamus went on loan to Blackpool in 2010. So we have 4 successful loans in the last 17 years, Osman, Coleman, Barkley and Holgate and you could make a good argument to say that the latter 2 were of little or no benefit.

Ground breaking programme!