Potential Interest in Sean Longstaff re-emerges

It's just been reported on Sky Sports News that Newcastle have offered £22.5M plus Sean Longstaff for Lucas Digne.

Up the offer to £30M and keep Longstaff.

£22.5 million plus Sean Longstaffe for Lucas Digne.

Rob, agreed.

Looks like the Barcodes may have started the bidding war. Over to you, Chelsea and Villa.

Oh, and West Ham - c'mon Davey, you know it makes sense – straight swap for Rice.

Seems Digne prefers Chelsea or West Ham anyway.

Childwell cost £45 million and has 17 international caps to Digne's 43 for France. It would be fantastic to actually get a reasonable fee for a player who is in demand.

Decent opening bid for Digne, though I'm not too keen on Longstaff (is he a significant improvement on Tom Davies? Slightly different player to be fair).

I'd rather sell him to Chelsea than West Ham or Newcastle but not sure they'll pay over £20M for a player who'll possibly be a back-up come next season. How about £20M now and then Broja or Gilmour or Levi Colwell at the end of the season?!

I reckon Chelsea is his preferred option.

I'd be happy with £22.5M + Barkley, one of the few who wants him back.

Sean Longstaff is shit.

For anybody who doesn't know, he's no better than Delph or Davies.

Interesting offer from the Barcodes. Longstaff is 24, strong, has some skills and plays with tremendous intensity. Newcastle priced him at £50 million when Man Utd came in for him 2 years ago. Now we can get him for £7.5 million? Weird.

We could use him right now in our depleted midfield. He's better than Delph or Davies. Is he a major contributor for the future? Doubtful.

Christy, I would prefer Barkley to Longstaff if they are the only options but not overly keen on either if I am honest.

I would rather we take a bigger fee and look elsewhere for midfield.

Sam, it is a peculiar trait of Everton fans to argue why we won't get a good fee for our top players simply because the team is crap.

Digne is a French international with 43 caps who is only 28 years old. Why on earth would we only accept £20 million for him?

Instead of buying expensive and selling cheap, perhaps we should switch it around…

Steve, for once we agree about something. Digne will add most value to West Ham and could give them top 4 - assuming he chooses to play his best.

What's that worth? More than £20M. Double it.

Longstaff is out of contract in the summer but even so I don't know why we'd want him. Not a discernible upgrade on anyone we already have. Benitez is a big fan though. Hope this one doesn't happen.

Steve,

I wasn't suggesting we accept £20M for him. I suggested we take £20M plus a player worth between £10-15M.

If you think we should get more than that then we disagree.

No way we get much more than £30M for Digne for two main reasons: Firstly it's been made very clear that he wants to leave and that Benitez is happy for that to happen; secondly, because he turns 29 this summer and has been out of form for a year.

Problem is Longstaff is not the player he was after a very serious knee injury. He has lost a yard or two and won't be an upgrade to what we have, this will be another Gomes type signing.

To be honest, Sam & Steve - I'd happily do a straight swap: Digne for Gilmour. What a lovely player. Certainly also Colwill would be excellent as a makeweight with a value circa £5M to £10M.

Maybe we should ask for £20M plus the blueprint for their youth academy?

Could be a shrewd signing for us, especially if he really wants it.

Rafa got more out of him than anyone else. Fans will probably moan, but that's not new. In reality, he could be another Demarai Grey type buy.

Silly season for rumours like this. Rooney is about to take over from Benitez too apparently. Coutinho will be in our midfield before the end of January – or is it Barkley? Maybe Lukaku to return too as he wants to be where he'll play every week and be adored.

Might be underestimating Longstaff but he seems a bit like Tom Davies - a few good games initially tricked everyone into thinking he was quality but now faded and not managed to make himself a nailed on starter ahead of some really mediocre players.

And the last thing we need is another mediocre midfield player - we have loads of them.

Would rather just get a few million extra in the fee from Newcastle. Different if the buyers end up being Chelsea or Inter, since they have youth / reserves of tremendous quality and potential who are really worth having.

Benitez will be able to judge having worked with him previously though.

If he is cheap and Benitez wants him, then it will happen. If he is good enough is an entirely different matter.

You can not help but be somewhat sceptical of a 24-year-old who cannot get a regular place in a poor team. But in Rafa the board trust. Very few others share that trust and therein lies the current dilemma.

He will probably be a decent player for next season in the Championship but only if the next manager fancies him!!

Oh me of such little faith!!

At least he'd avoid the Rondon boos, because Rafa would stick this average donkey in from the start….most likely in place of Gordon.

Only way this would be acceptable to me would be if Davies or Gbamin were shifted and he's brought in as back-up to the back-ups, but I would still prefer we bought competition for the stalwarts instead.

I'd rather have the greedy bastard back than a fella who can't nail a place in one of the shittest teams in the league.

Haven't seen a lot of him but, from what I have seen, he's looked as if he'd only be an average player in the Championship.

No thanks.

Robert Tressell - Benitez has judged and worked with Rondon previously…

Rafa looking for a bargain playmaker to share duties with Gomes. Not particularly exciting but could be a solid player for us.

Looks like Newcastle have rejected the apparent bid we made.

Thank goodness, I'd rather keep waiting for Riquelme to rock up or maybe see if Castillo still has his boots.

Sorry, Sam, I misunderstood!

If the deal was £20-25 million plus a talented young player, then Gilmour or Gallagher would be exciting options. Far more than Sean Langstaff.

If Everton and Newcastle swapped Davies and Longstaff, I think Newcastle would be getting much the better deal.

I hope Everton look for a tougher, faster player with more skill than Longstaff; it's vital position and Longstaff is not up to it.

No improvement on what we have, it's a big no from me

I often wonder if the caravan of players that seem to follow certain managers from job to job is merely wanting to have voices in the dressing room the manager can rely on, or something far more sinister.

It's the cynic in me, and it's probably bung...err bang out of order. But I wonder.

Newcastle fans absolutely creaming themselves over the signing of a 31-year-old full-back. Though I suppose when they've bought as much garbage as what we have over the years, you can't really blame them.

I'd still much prefer our two new signings to Trippier though, as hopefully we will get a good few more years out of them compared to Trippier.

Unfortunately, he hasn't progressed and would be more suited to the Championship, along with Delph, Davies, Holgate and at his age now Coleman.

Let's rebuild……again.

Sounds like a typical Everton signing to me. Fits our player recruitment profile perfectly!

A mediocre player recovering from a serious knee injury signed on a big bucks long-term contract. What could possibly go wrong?

I'd rather play Davies or bring through one of the younger lads; and it's not even close.

What is more worrying than who is coming in is the players Everton are letting go, in 2020 Mohamed-Ali Cho left Everton as there was no progression into first team football so off he popped to SCO Angers in France where he has been starring and striking panic into opponents according to the article. He is about to move to Borussia Dortmund for £17 million.
Along with Thierry Small (we have just bought a left back) getting fed up with lack of opportunity it does not show the Everton Youth system in any sort of positivity.

Someone should be brought to book over these departures, I know Brands has gone but was it ALL him. Lookman is now scoring some crucial goals and like Moise Kean always had a face like a smacked ar5e at Everton.

This will only begin to happen once there is stability at the club imo Len.

At the moment our midfield pair comprises Allan and Doucoure - sometimes with AN Other to make up a trio. But the options are almost all central midfield generalists who don't provide enough defensive cover or goals.

Our only holding midfielder is Gbamin and he's finished. Our only creative player is Gomes and he doesn't score / assist (in fact he's more graceful than creative). Sigurdsson is finished here even if he comes through the allegations because his contract expires in summer.

To improve our midfield we need a disciplined sitting defensive holding player (like Rodri or Jorginho or Fernandinho or Matic) and a player who contributes goals and assists (like DeBruyne, Fernandes and Odegaard).

Longstaff is none of these things. Even if he's a bit better than Davies it won't really improve the team, surely.

Whilst we can't just go out and get ready made players, players of the right type and profile are out there - they just need a bit of patience and development.

Robert. The echo saying we are letting sick note Gbamin go this month. If we can also get buyers for Gomes Davies and tosun then let's hope this kopite has some quality lined up either known or unknown.

If Digne has anything about him he'll want a lot better than a transfer to Newcastle.

He's in his prime year's and should be playing for us or sold for £35M plus.

If Rafa has anything about him he'll stay clear of average midfielders unless a short team loan deal to cover for injuries etc.

Maximin or Almiron are their 2 best players and would be worth a punt.

The way I'm seeing this is Delph is gone in June, there are rumours flying around that Davies has had some interest and the Echo is saying today that Gbamin has been told they will be looking to offload him this month so that frees up at least two seats on the bench that Longstaff can occupy.

Then come the summer when there is a bit more to spend they can look at somebody more as a first choicer. Hopefully somebody a bit more attack minded than what we have now.

I see Gerrard is "pleading" with Coutinho to join Villa.

Newcastle would be a strange one for Digne at this point of his career, unless it's for the last big money move.

Longstaff works hard. That's all I can say about him from the little I've seen of him.

Gbamin looks a decent tidy player but I think he'll always be an injury prone player and sadly we can't carry him, expecially a CDM.

If anything, that role is important to help carry and cover for others, a player you can trust to play consistently well.

We need that midfield general. Doucoure not good enough, Allan 4 years past his best. Delph is past it and as untrusted as Gbamin, Gomes a fake and Davies has never kicked on to be anything other than backup.

We seem to be very quick to put long staff in the category of Davies Delph as in no or very little impact. Bracewell came to Everton in the same mould but with quality around him he was very effective in what he done. We know football has changed but getting the right balance has not. He's the right age and not after a teary Bill last pay off.

Digne £20m to Chelsea if they promise to keep Barkley.

As well as being a strange one, trying to sign another average generalist midfielder, it's also strange that Longstaff would want to be part of a transfer package.

He's out of contract at the end of the season and switched agents to Pini Zahavi. Presumably he'd then be looking at a tidy signing-on fee as a free agent.

Hopefully this is just paper talk as he tries to get a better contract at Newcastle. He gets a pay rise, Newcastle keep him, everyone is happy.

Do Not know much about Longstaff, but as a squad player or better, I would certainly look at a straight swap for Holgate.

Newcastle seem interested in Holgate so why not.

Always like to get informed opinions, so had a chat with my season ticket holding Newcastle supporting mate of 25 years. Here's what he said on Longstaff.

Under Benitez, he was terrific, but then he got "Bruce'd" and hasn't been the same since. Great engine, great at arriving in the box, but passing can let him down.

Honest opinion from someone who's watched him week in week out.

Am I thinking or hearing James McCarthy??

Longstaff has hardly set the world alight, has he? Mind you, neither has Benitez. I despair.

Until we get a top quality midfielder anyone that is better than what we have is hard to say no too.

But Rafa brought Rondon who he had previously worked with and I'm still waiting for him to look fit and better than Simms.

This is a major blip on Rafa's opinion on former players but Townsend brings quality and desire so it's a 50/50 for me.

If he can stay fit, has pace, stamina, is hard working and can tackle then he improves the first team. So as a cheap, short term solution it's a yes.

But.. why have we not got better recruitment options or a decent youth player to offer a chance too.

Lastly, why don't we offer experienced Premier league winner Delph in exchange?

I'd love to see if Juan Mata was available, a cracking player who has an eye for goal, and I'm just waiting for the “Why would he come here”? Well to play obviously as he doesn't feature much for United but I reckon he'd be a great loan signing, he's head and shoulders above the absolute dog shit plodders who currently reside in our Midfield, Allan doesn't remotely look like scoring and Docoure has one decent game then 3 shockers, we need a bit of guile in there, someone who can put their foot on the ball instead of tripping over it like our plodders do.

Plainly after bringing in two young full backs Rafa is obviously looking for young, strong, dynamic, reliable players with good engines.

After getting our fingers burned with Delph, Sigurdsson, Schneiderlin, Gbamin, Gomes, James etc maybe Longstaff is the type of player we need. Less glamour and more graft. Not to mention a much smaller drain on the wage budget.

Danny (46) not a bad comparison to McCarthy in terms of league goals. McCarthy 13 in 272 games, Longstaff 3 in 67. He might be great at arriving in the box but not sure what he does once he gets there.

Not sure that Newcastle is such a bad idea in this odd World Cup year Danny.

If Digne wants to get to the Gulf then he'll need to be playing. A move to the Toon would surely make him the first choice there, and give him a chance to play his way into the French squad.

The wages will be top tier, and if they do end up going down then he will presumably have a relegation release clause written in there as well.

Digne already knows the league and might not fancy too moving too far. He may not want to make the readjustment to a new league either, as time to make the French squad is starting to run down.

We need an attacking midfielder who scores goals and drives us forward to work next to the Duke in central midfield...and is ideally left footed too!.

I hadn't even thought that angle Derek to be honest, but could be a good call as it's possibly his last chance of playing a significant role in a World Cup. To do that, he needs to play regular.

Mick # 49 and Matthew #53, the young Brest player Romain Faivre is a lovely left footed and versatile playmaker and attacking midfielder who apparently works hard in a high press. 14 goal contributions 19 games this season after breaking through 2020/21 season.

I keep seeing him linked with AC Milan amongst others. The fee won't be huge. Maybe about £20m. Someone will buy him soon. He'd slot right in for us.

For me a no, as he's been unlucky with previous injuries, but in my view he's no better than any midfielders we already have and my Toon work mates say he's not all he's hyped up to be.

Sky Sports breaking news last night that the toon had offered Longstaff plus cash for Digne.

Same site this morning saying no bid as been made.

I think Sean Longstaff would be an excellent addition to our squad, as he's someone who actively wants to have possession of the football, and has a decent range of passing. Not very quick, not outrageously skilful or tricky, but the sort of reliable, honest, hard-working, disciplined player that we are short of. If he wanted to come here then I reckon he'd immediately jump ahead of Gbamin, Delph, Davies and Gomes in the pecking order. Out of contract in the summer, 24 years old, small fee - yes please.

Andrew (58), your description of Longstaff's playing attributes reminded me of Scott Gemmill's, so I'd swerve him.

Andrew Keatley @ 58

Are you really Longstaff's dad, agent, Eddie Howe… or is it actually you, Sean, posing as Andrew?

Music to our ears?

Rafa Benitez discusses further Everton additions in January transfer window and makes trophy admission:

“That is the style I want to install here. Bringing in these two young players with energy, they can go forward and attack, is key for the future of the club.

“I hope they can give us fresh legs and faces to improve the competition [in the squad]. And thinking about the future. I like to see Everton growing and improving – and improving the winning mentality.

“Not just being in a comfortable position where people are more relaxed.”

He clearly doesn't like the attitude he currently sees in the squad - and haven't many here said the same thing?

Every time I have seen him, albeit in highlights, he looks like a player who often loses possession in dangerous areas. Not what we need at all as we have too many like that already.

Benitez lauding the capacity of the new lads to get forward and attack, yet falls out with Digne for asking him to defend more?

Dave (60) - If I had to pick a player that Sean Longstaff most reminds me of then it's actually Michael Carrick (and not because of their shared North East origins).

Kenny (61) - None of the above (obviously). But I stand by my assessment of Sean Longstaff. I know the done thing on ToffeeWeb is to slag off unfashionable players that we've all seen play, but then coo and purr about players we've only ever seen YouTube highlights of, but I like to buck that trend - when appropriate. It's why I said that Gray and Townsend were decent signings - they made sense as acquisitions considering who we had in the squad and what we lacked. I think Longstaff would be an astute signing on the same basis.

Robert @55,

Sorry, mate, I haven't seen him play but I like the idea, we could definitely do with that type of player.

Sean Longstaff would be a decent addition to the squad as long as he comes on reasonable wages. He's the right age and should be looking to prove himself as things have gone a bit stale at Newcastle. I'd rather a 24 year old coming to the club with something to prove than a 29 year old coming for one last payday, he's more likely to play with the determination that we need.

Also, since he is only 24, if it doesn't work out after a couple of years we could sell him and probably get most of our money back, or even make a profit.

Andrew (65), well you are never prone to exaggerate a players ability so if he reminds you of Michael Carrick I'd have to have a really good look at Sean Longstaff as Michael Carrick was a really good all round player under rated by quite a lot of football fans.

Carrick spent over a decade on the Man United playing staff, and made over thirty appearances for England though Dave. Was he really that under rated?

Longstaff was touted as a new Carrick when he first appeared but hasn't (as yet?), lived up to that. Check out Carrick's stats for passes/tackling etc in a game and he's on a different level, as was Gareth Barry. I get he might play further forward but he's also got next to no creativity or goal threat. I think he's got more in common with Tom Davies.

Anthony (64) Digne has been poor defensively for the last year. To take just one example he was badly at fault for the first goal at Villa Park in September.

When he has gone forward his play has been nowhere near the standard of his first season. His crossing has been weak and he has scored only one goal in two years, that at QPR in the League Cup. His direct free kicks have been dreadful; his first half effort fifteen yards over the bar at Brentford was pathetic. Given his lack of quality going forward and his inability to apply himself defensively it is little wonder the manager identified him as a weak link.

Len #34, might be a bit harsh on the club there. Cho left when he was only 16, long before he would have had an opening into the first team at Everton. Seems like I read something that we had tried hard to keep him but his mom wanted him to have first-team footy right then and took him to France. If so, it's true we lost a bright young star, but it wasn't from lack of effort. We simply weren't going to start him in Prem games ahead of Richarlison at age 16.

As for Lookman, let's not forget that he also failed at his next two stops after Everton. Looks like the penny has finally dropped for him at Leicester, and the goal against the RS was fabulous, but it's hard to blame our club for giving up on him and his sourpuss attitude in 2019. And I was a huge supporter of his.

Digne identified by the master tactician as the weak link in a squad full of absolute shit Jesus wept

Looks like we offered £1 million for him and got turned down.

I like that because Everton are saying that's the value we are putting on the part exchange, so raise your bid and come back with a better money and player offer.

slightly off topic I see MAn City have just got 54m for Fernand Torres!!

Digne has to be more than 30m.

Danny Another James McCarthy would do me right now. We are missing legs and drive in the middle. Longstaff for a relatively cheap outlay I think is good business. We aren't going to attract Declan Rice anytime soon, may as well cut our cloth.

Anthony #72, don't change people's words. "A" weak link is not the same as "the" weak link.

Andrew #64, I do see Longstaff as better than several of our current midfielders, and a potentially valuable shore-up. However, Benitez' priority right now appears to be signing talented young players who might help us challenge for Europe in the future, and I don't think Longstaff is that. He's been benched at Newcastle since October, and it's not injury-related. So obviously they're not seeing much Carrick in him.

Len@34

Len, Small has yet to play for Southampton. I read that he had a slight injury but he's yet to figure. He'll have to wait there to get a chance just like he would have had to wait here and the competition will be just as stiff there. But when your family are also your agent….

Peter (69) - Passing stats tend to be better for midfielders playing for a dominant Man Utd side as opposed to a largely misfiring Newcastle one. But I get your point. I'm not saying he's as good as Carrick, more that he's a similar type of player.

As for the creativity/goal threat issue, I'd be happy with a central midfielder who can release other players and provide a reliable screen for the back four, and I think Longstaff can do that for us, without putting much of a dent in our bank balance - and right now that's the sort of business we should be trying to do.

Mike (76) - I agree. But we need to find players within our budget, so any free transfers, loans or players going for a song should not be discounted - at any age - especially if they can improve our squad or our first choice XI, and right now I'd say Longstaff probably does both. Sad indictment of where we are, but it is where we find ourselves.

Haven't seen enough of Longstaff to have a valid opinion but I like the fact that the two fullbacks we've signed are a welcome difference from the physically small types we have/had in Seamus, Digne, Baines and Hibbert.

To me they and Godfrey and Branthwaite are broad-shouldered, fast, aggressive defenders who, as and when they gel together, should allow us to defend a long way from the smell of Pickford's aftershave.

Understood Andrew, I agree with you point on stats alone, as you correctly point out there are many factors in play that influence them. Open to interpretation. I'm happy to be proved wrong on him. Let's see what materialises. Also a bit of “once Rondond twice shy”.
Personally I don't know why Longstaff wouldn't sit it out to the end of the season and get a fat free agent fee. Maybe we'll still pay that right now on top of a small transfer fee?

Sean Longstaff who can't get in the Newcastle Utd team? Why? seriously?

There's only one midfielder in the Premier League that has been dribbled past more times per game this season...that's Allan. Sounds like an ideal defensive midfield partnership to take us forward.

Anyone looking for a good belly laugh should look no further than the quotes from Benitez on the official site today.

“If you analyse my teams, they are aggressive, they go on the front foot and press, and try to regain the ball high up the pitch, create chances and score goals” Benitez told evertontv.

This guy should have his own show on the Comedy Channel.

It's why I can't understand why a dominant central defender who plays on the front foot, hasn't already been signed this January, Brian.

For the deserving/underserving stick they get in here. Allan, Gomes, Davies, and Delph DO actually try hard.

Longstaff sounds like another of the same, which we don't need.

Derek (68), yes Derek I think so when he came up in football conversations he was regarded as too slow because of his languid style with WHU then Spurs before he got to United, I never thought that, I thought he was a terrific passer of the ball with a really good football brain and his career with three premier league clubs plus many caps for England proved that.

Been shouting about that for well over a year now Tony. One of my many scratched records. But many told me it wasn't a priority.

We've got no need to discount the Digne deal to get Longstaff when he's free in summer,so, I'd be shocked if this came to pass.

Not sure I see the attraction in Longstaff. Yes, he's cheap but is he an improvement on what we have? I don't know. Perhaps he could be the screener that we lack but then so might Tom Davies if Rafa ever actually played 3 in the middle.

Most Newcastle responses I've seen tend to be somewhere between gratitude and incredulity that we might pay money for him. Not a great sign though the Leverkusen fans were happy for Gray to leave too.

I'm sure he'll be fine and certainly he'll put a shift but I'm not sure another grafting central midfielder with little pace or goal threat is what we need. Though if it gets Benitez actually playing 3 in the middle then it may work out better for us.

We won't get big bucks for Digne because he's readily available and everyone knows. So anything around 20-25 million is probably the max we'll get. If we sold six months ago, then it would have been 10-15 more..

On Longstaff - not sure, not seen enough of him tbh.

Our midfield is desperately short. We need to be able to play a 3, but with Allan and Doucoure (both of whom lack positional discipline - nor is that their requirement), we are far too open to do so and thus constantly lose the midfield battle.

Gomes is too slow, and a liability when tackling. Davies is just too ineffectual, too weak, too slow. Delph also too slow/finished. Gbamin a lost cause. Of these only Gomes comes close to what we need cause he can pass - but his liabilities are too great for him to function regularly.

Can Longstaff fill that void? I doubt it - I mean he's failing to get into an awful Newcastle side. But maybe he could be one of those lost his way type signings who thrived under Moyes (Carsley - Arteta - Pienaar).

Currently we need someone - anyone - to play as that third midfielder (in an alternate universe somewhere Declan Rice would have come through our academy). And we don't have much money. So maybe not a bad stopgap?

Barkley? No chance - not disciplined, can't tackle, no work rate - not at all the midfielder we need to play with Allan and Doucoure.

Gilmour - not seen enough to suggest he'd improve our midfield - could he play that role now? As a starter?

Apparently Wijnaldum is wanting out of PSG - he'd be the perfect one on loan.

That's the key Sam Hoare, I think he could work in a midfield trio, but what are the odds of the manager setting us up that way?

Christ, at this stage it looks like we are building a team for League One let alone the Championship!!

Why not go the whole hog and sign Brett Angell, Alex Nyarko and Per Koldrup again to take us onto the next level.

Sean Longstaff??!? Stay well away

Andrew Bentley – all three say they don't want to get their fingers burnt on this trainwreck of a club.

Fool me (us) one time, shame on you.

Always the optimistic and I don't know why, but if this is to happen, which I think is inevitable, it will be similar to when we signed Joe Parkinson. Which in hindsight didn't turn out too badly..

@ Tony 84 & Danny 87,

I completely agree. The problem is, Keane has always been seen as that player, no matter who has been manager. When you look at his key attributes, he could be that player, problem is, his concentration and decision completely let him down.

If you look at how we play when we're in possession, it is actually quite surprising how much comes through Keane and how many attacks start from him switching the play. Also when we build from the back, the onus does be on Keane to break the initial press and drive forward. Mina also does it in patches, just a shame he spends so much time injured.

We did have that type of player in a raw John Stones, when that style of play from the back was frowned upon, but I do live in the hope that Branthwaite can provide the answer.

True Mike, even they would probably turn us down now!

Maybe there's a topic in here of which was the worst player you've seen play. Of those 3 above the only one I got to see live was Brett Angell and wow, he made Rondon look lively!

Brian #42,

If you think Bracewell was only average when he came to Everton and was effective in what he did, you didn't know the player. Howard bought him for £425k in 1984, he could see the class he was buying.

As Robert said earlier, Gilmour for Digne would give us a young midfielder who can tackle and a great engine, something we totally lack. I'd also prefer to get rid of Delph, and let Gbamin go out on loan as Benitez won't give him a chance. To bring him back for his first game against Wolves in a two-man midfield, hung him out to dry.

Danny, I think the top priorities last summer were pace in forward / wide positions.

That's not to say centre-back wasn't (and still isn't) important. The chemistry at centre-back is generally wrong.

But where would we be now without Gray and Townsend even if we'd managed to buy an upgrade on Keane.

Gradually bits of the first XI are being fixed. It's a toss-up for me whether centre-back is next (or whether we put some faith and patience in Branthwaite and Godfrey).

Personally I'd sooner we fixed the midfield with a quality holding midfielder (like Sangare or Weigl) and / or someone with lots of goal contributions (like Faivre or Til).

If we did that, it would take a lot of the strain off the defence in any case.

Benitez hanging people out to dry has been his modus operandi since he tried to wrecking ball the red shite youth (if you ask some Velencia players they'd say it was long before).

It's why he only ever lasts 18-24 months in every club since (except the Toon who were fucked anyway).

All the signings, all the “run them out of towns” in the world won't stop this divisive dinosaur ripping what's left of our club apart.

The only signing I want is this man out.

“Where would we be now without Gray and Townsend”

One good signing and one okay. Both part of the run that has us 15th out of 20 and on the worst run since 1999.

The gimp desperation that Rafa is somehow transforming the club in a positive way is strong in this one.

Sam (89) - I know you love a scout report, and trying to take the temperature of other club's fans when it comes to their opinions on their players, but what do you actually think of Sean Longstaff - not second-hand inherited opinion, but your own take? I'm taking it that you wouldn't sign him; which begs the question - which CM, who is available, and would come, and who would cost a nominal fee, would you sign?

In an earlier post you mentioned Broja, Gilmour and Colwill as more attractive transfer targets - and I agree with you on all three. Problem is… so do Chelsea, so bringing them into the conversation is really just wishful thinking and a sweet-tasting distraction from the severity of the sour situation we find ourselves in. Picking out attractive alternatives that are not coming to this football club (for any number of reasons) in this transfer window is a bit like the policies of Jeremy Corbyn; he knew he'd never get into government so he could dream big knowing he'd never have to come good on his promises. You love this transfer window stuff, so who would you put forward as your preferred option to Sean Longstaff? Your budget is £5 million, wages preferably under £50k per week…

The rumours floating about, is that;

i) Digne will not to go to NUFC

ii) Digne is not convinced about going to Chelsea, because as soon as Chilwell is fit, he'd probably end up on the bench or worse.

Most likely, option iii) Digne to WHU, and apparently, they have been sounded out with an offer of Digne for Soucek. The only problem is, Digne is valued as £28m and Soucek is valued at £40.5m..?

Other than that, he may go to Italy, or even get his dream of a move to PSG?

As for Longstaff, I'd swerve him, for all the reasons mentioned above. He'd be no upgrade and he'd be yet another cast-off from a club...

Barry #99, Andros Townsend was an "okay" signing?

He has scored three goals in the Prem... gamewinner against Burnley, gamewinner against Norwich and the equalizer in the draw at OT.

He has also assisted on two... Keane's equalizer against Burnley and Richarlison's equalizer against Saints (we won both).

The question was where we would be without Gray and Townsend. The answer on Townsend alone is 16th instead of 15th and likely several crucial points closer to relegation.

Yeah, they're both part of a really bad season. And they're both reasons it's not even worse.

Two interesting rumors to report:

According to ESPN, Moshiri wants to bring in Coutinho on loan, but Benitez doesn't want him.

And The Athletic has us in for Ronald Araujo at Barcelona, who need to sell him to finance the Torres signing. He might be gettable at a lowball price because he broke his wrist Wednesday night and is having surgery that will keep him out for a while, and they have to acquire a replacement in this window.

Mike @ 103; Just as a procedural matter. Football boss picks players, puts a case, Owner signs cheques, or says get somebody cheaper.

Longstaffe seems to have been around for years, but is only 24. When he first started he didn't look too bad. Why he went off the boil who knows...seems a James McCarthy type to me.

Moshiri, like it or not, seems to have gone 'All In' on Benitez, but can't resist playing F.M.- let him get on with it Mosh.

Coutinho; seems to want bright lights / London...but maybe not W Ham and has Villa in his pocket as the 2nd prize

Seems like Gbamin is on the way out and so Longstaff might be a good understudy to Doucoure. I definitely don't think he is first team potential or will take us to the next level and so it's a NO for me. I would sooner develop Onyango who I think could be one for the future. For me we are missing a dynamic midfielder who can open up defences and is quick. Currently too many slow guys in our midfield. A younger Coutinho would be great. I liked the look of Nunes from Sporting. Ancelotti fancied him before he left and so I think would be worth a shout.

Andrew, as I see it though we already have Delph, Gbamin, Gomes and Davies as understudies to first choice Allan and Doucoure. We also have Onyango and maybe Warrington, Price and Metcalfe coming through.

So personally, with our budget being so limited, I'd rather not add a further understudy to a well stocked area just now. I'd rather wait until summer when we could well have the proceeds of Mina, Kean and Richarlison sales (as well as various contracts ending) to buy genuine quality first teamers (with Allan and / or Doucoure becoming a better class of understudy).

Longstaff would probably do fine because, as you say, he works hard and sometimes that gives you what you're missing but I'd like us to set our sights a bit higher.

Alan@94, Michael Keane cannot be that player because he's reluctant to push forward and close the space, always worrying about the ball over the top.

The Brighton game was horrible, I was shocked at how badly Holgate started the game, but the middle man was Keane, and not once did I see him running forward to get everyone out, even though we had three central defenders, often playing against one centre-forward, and a floater, who just kept drifting into the space, and couldn't believe how much space he was actually getting.

I look at football players, everyone of them can play football to a certain degree, but the higher up the ladder you go, the things that sort out the levels are mostly speed and intensity, because even a lot of average players can look good when they've got time?

I look at the space that teams often get against Everton, in between our defence and midfield, and it is absolutely terrifying. Why run ten yards, when you can run twenty instead? Is just me being sarcastic, even though this is a feeling that I often get when I watch Everton play this season.

Jermaine Jenus, called it so right the other day, when he said our midfielders were running one way, and our defenders were running the other way, and this to me, was the perfect example, of how our team is constantly helping to create space for their opponents. For top level competition this is truly staggering to witness at times, imo.

We're going nowhere under the Spanish Gobshite. We don't need another midfield tackling machine, we need creativity, someone who can put their foot on the ball and chip in with a few goals as our midfield must be one of the most impotent in the Premier League.

Longstaff can do none of that. He's just a run-of-the-mill midfielder of which we have enough. Honestly, it's getting to the point where I couldn't care less, which I never ever thought I'd say about Everton FC.

Andrew @100;

I'm not set against signing Longstaff. I'd say I'm on the fence. I was pro Gray and Townsend as I think you'll remember though you enjoy painting me as one who favours exotic, unkown or unrealistic players!

What I have seen of Longstaff has not impressed me terribly. He's energetic but not dynamic, looks after the ball decently but rarely penetrates, is combative but not difficultly bypassed. Pros and cons. I'm not sure I see him a Gareth Barry type influence but as I said if his arrival gets Benitez playing 3 in the middle then it could make sense for us.

Obviously there are not a lot of players available at that price who would be a sure thing. Perhaps there may be a player available for loan who could do a similar job?

Wijnandlum could be available on loan but with high wages. Boubakar Kamara is a good player out of contract this summer. I like Rongier from Marseille who would not be too expensive. Or Camara from Salzburg. I might even have plucked for Maitland-Niles on loan to play his preferred central position.

Like I said, I'm on the fence. As Robert @106 says I might be tempted to not block the pathways for younger players and give some minutes to the likes of Onyango and Warrington. Is Longstaff significantly better than Tom Davies? Maybe. He seems better defensively but I'm not sure the disparity is great enough to add a player who may prove to be more deadwood in 2 years time. But as you say, he's cheap… so it's low risk, I guess.

People ask where we would we be without Gray and Townsend. Answer: Nobody knows.

This is because, if we didn't have those two players, the course of each game where they've been involved would have been different, and the results that would have been are unkown to us.

How about a loan for Loftus-Cheek, more work rate than Barkley. Chelsea have a few other decent players that are on the fringes that we could try and loan.

Someone mentioned Mata from Man Utd. He's the right type of player but 5 years past his best. His lack of pace, strength and general skill set isn't what's needed most.

Coutinhio to Aston Villa. No idea what shape he's in but that's a player that excites.

Hoping we bring in a loan with option to buy for a similar top class, exciting player.

Longstafff is older than Tom Davies, has only been involved in only 60+ games for Newcastle and scored only 3 goals – so how is he a player we need? He isn't an upgrade on Tom Davies or even Delph.

Geoff @ 112, those are just numbers though.

He's not the sort of player that will score a lot of goals or get a lot of assists so his stats will always look light but he is somebody that will work hard in the middle and get the ball back which is something we don't have right now and can't afford a ready made world beater.

Why do some think that, if we get Longstaff, Benitez will then play 3 in the middle? We have enough midfielders for him to do that now.

I am okay with this signing as it is squad padding at what will be good value £ wise. It makes sense financially as he is likely ever only going to be a substitute or injury replacement and will be no worse than Delph, Gomes, Gbamin etc. in this regard and will probably be on ~20% of the wages of those 3.

One of the issues we have at the moment is the crazy amounts we are paying non-first-teamers and the three mentioned above are probably all on greater than or around £100k a week each which is crazy and impacts our ability to fund better first XI players.

This kid will do the same job for a lot less so we can use the spare funds to go after better first-team players rather than wasting it on players that fill the bench which is currently the case. Hopefully we can get rid of some of the shite we over-pay for and get some value for money first-team replacements with the spare £s.

He'll simply be another yes man, a spy in the camp. All managers want yes men. I cannot see as a player alone that we need him.

The Brazilian Guimaraes from Lyon who we are linked with sounds a much better bet to me, but more expensive. May have to sell Digne first.

Oh how I love a transfer window. The media throw names about so we can have rows about whether they are any good and why aren't we buying Lionel Messi instead. I've seen the word 'clickbait' a few times. On here, it's more a feeding frenzy. But that's life.

My view seems to echo the majority on here about Longstaff. Offers little that we don't already have. Therefore avoid please.

What we haven't got, ironic given the 2017 summer, is a genuine Number 10 playmaker. What I'd give for any of the 4 (?) we signed that year in place of Gomes as our only natural for that spot.

I can't get enthused about signing more defenders when we have a really exciting looking young back 4 backed up by some experience already. I don't want another "ball winning then giving it away" midfielder as we have at least 6 on the books, or in the treatment room. And every outlet says our priority is a winger. Gordon, Townsend, Gray, Richarlison – not to mention young full-backs or wingbacks who could step forward.

No need for the club to waste money any old Carlo's Cicabal just because we can. Let those who want out go. And only spend on areas we are light on. Then let the next manager arrive with a few quid in the coffers!

Clive@117, I've liked the look of Guimaraes for a while. I imagine he'll cost somewhere between £20-30m though. Caqueret is an other player at Lyon that I like a lot.

I've said it before but we should have taken a punt on Sangare for £6m. Bargain!

Bruno Guimaraes looks like he would improve us with regards to being better able to control a game and to add some composure to our midfield. Also with effective distribution to our wide men.

This scouting report goes into his attributes in depth.

https://totalfootballanalysis.com/player-analysis/bruno-guimaraes-lyon-202122-scout-report-tactical-analysis-tactics

Arsenal also supposedly interested. This article says Lyon would be looking in the region of £40m. At only 24 though would be an investment. If we sell Digne for 30m and buy Guimaraes for 35m will be a very good transfer window.

Could be tough convincing him to come to us rather than Arsenal at the moment. Richarlison and Allan will have to sweet talk him.

Also,

Lingard and Longstaff are coming to he end of their contracts so maybe they can be signed cheaply or if not for free in June. They will be good to have in the squad. Replacing;

(Delph out of contract, Tosun out of contract Sigurdsson out of contract, Gomes will become even more peripheral, Gbamin needs games elsewhere , Davies needs to play will struggle to at Everton )

The squad needs refreshing and these players could provide a part of the answer, without breaking the bank.

Sam (119) - Sangaré would have been worth the risk for the sake of the £6 million outlay, but a high proportion of highly-rated young midfielders have seriously struggled to transition successfully to the Premier League. Giannelli Imbula at Stoke, Anguissa and Seri at Fulham, Ndombele at Spurs, Pépé at Arsenal, Ndong at Sunderland, De Roon at Middlesbrough, Mendy at Leicester, Veretout at Villa, Thauvin at Newcastle and Klaassen at Everton are amongst those that have failed to live up their promise - or transfer fee. There are also many success stories. But knowing who is going to end up in which group is just impossible.

I hope we sign Longstaff. He is an improvement on Davies, Gomes, Delph and Gbamin. We need to improve our squad. Now. Waiting for a more desirable option in the summer (as Robert suggests) just pushes the papers around the desk - especially since our young midfielders are not (in my opinion) ready to step up quite yet. Longstaff, for a nominal fee, is a very good option. And if his arrival allows us to get Gbamin out on loan or even off the books for good then that's a very positive switch. Shame for Gbamin that his time at the club was so beset with injury and abject cameo appearances, but it might be best for everyone to draw a line under his time here and let him go and start again elsewhere.

Andrew, yes, every transfer is a risk of sorts; but the transition is not just between leagues but sometimes clubs. Our own Morgan Schneiderlin looked top class at Southampton but struggled at United and with us. It's mainly about good scouting a lot about a good fit and a bit about good luck.

The financial outlay with Longstaff is relatively small and so therefore is the risk. I'm not sure I see him as a ‘very good option' but certainly it could prove sensible.

Tony #107. I agree with your observations about the space we leave. We are not compact at all. With a back three, we should have the ability to push higher and then push the midfield higher. This is not happening. They are dropping deeper either because of confidence or lack of speed, or just the inability to take charge. There is no leader from the back who can take control things and this is a problem.

A couple of sites are mentioning Sanchez. He sadly looks like a Moshiri type signing. The worst example of a mercenary player.

Maybe they mean Lawrie Sanchez for manager.

Not remotely keen on Longstaff, backward step.

If a 24 year old cannot get a regular start in Newcastle's team then he's not good enough to come to Goodison.

I would prefer a bid for Saint Maxima.

I've just read the comments from some Newcastle fans, with a couple even begging their club to pay Everton, just to get him out of their club.

Sunday Express claiming Everton will make an improved offer for Longstaff.

Just been speaking to a Newcastle-supporting work colleague. He was bemoaning their loss at the weekend and saying they need a striker.
I offered to drive Rondon up there, and he said "that's fine, as long as you take Longstaff back with you". Apparently he has been dreadful recently. How much are we offering again?

Andrew (121), You say I hope we sign Longstaff and that he is an improvement on Davies, Delph, Gbamin and Gomes, that might be true but doesn't make him a good signing or player looking at those four.

I have not watched Longstaff enough to comment on how well he would fit into our team. All teams need a water carrier and he has always struck me as one of those.

What seems absurd to me is that a club managing its way through FFP constraints would contemplate paying a substantial transfer fee, even one in lieu, for a player out of contract in the summer.

Why oh why are we contemplating paying money for a bang average player who cannot get in the bar codes first team who is out of contract at the end of the season. How desperate are we? This makes absolutely no sense at all. Enough said.

It is being reported that Allan wants to reunite with Sarri and EFC are consireing a loan option. Longstaff would be a very poor replacement for Allan IMO so I just hope this is the usual media BS.

I suspect that Benitez is letting Allan go so that he can move to a back 6 with one midfielder as part of his masterplan. He thinks the 30-40% possession we average in games is way to high and we need to be more at 20 to 25%

Oh my! From being linked with Luis Diaz to being favourites to land this dud! Free falling!

I think the phrase is "Oh dear". Not into Tom Petty either.

Soren, blame Koeman, Walsh and Mosh. Its absolutely painful.

It makes me laugh when people get so up-tight about a rumour!

Dale 137, What are you into then lol?

Just having a bit of fun there Soren but I suspect you knew that. I'll drop obscure music references from time to time but I really couldn't expect to connect with too many except for my sixties faves.

Everything from noise and electronic experimental to clever punk pop and even some Marco Valle or Morricone. I used to work at a radio station so variety is the thing. Don't mind me when I pop off, keep posting your usual stuff and I promise not to get weird about it. May give you some crap though.

Good on you Dale. Ennio Morricone. R.I.P. Wasn't he the composer of the movie "Midnight Express" theme? It was a great flick by the way.

This is where I'm not such a lovely chat Soren. I'm a bit of a snob when it comes to music. Mondo Morricone or The Acid Style of the Maestro are the best compilations of his works whereas Svegliati e Uccidi is probably the best soundtrack in 1966. Being a master early on he could afford some big pay for big movies without trashing his rep.

Nice one. Thanks for the info Dale. Sounds like you know your stuff.