Everton join hunt for young Irish keeper

Very good young keeper. I'd be surprised if he were to make the jump from League One straight to the Premier League and I think a loan to the Championship is more likely.

Pickford has been excellent recently and I'd expect him to be here next season unless we receive a very big offer and he agitates to go.

We should keep Pickford who's not even 30 of age. But there were talks about Spurs want him. If Burnley relegates and we can get Pope at a knock-off price say $20m, and can sell Pickford for $50m, then we have $30m to spend on midfield.

It wouldn't surprise me if Spurs offered us Dele Alli for Pickford in a straight swap but quite honestly if Alli is only on loan (what are the transfer terms?) I'd send him back as I can't see him being worth an eventual 40M even on the never never.

Meanwhile, we maintain our habit, if this is true, of signing players we may not need. I assume that Virginia won't be coming back, young Tyrer was looking good and then there's latest young keeper from Morecambe, Crelli, is it? But I suppose with youngsters you expect a large percentage not to make it.

Alan (3), Dele Alli is our player, he was signed in January for two and a half years for a fee believed to be £40M, nothing up front from the off but£10M to be paid after he completes twenty games, not sure if this means twenty starts, the rest of the £40m to be paid over the period of his employment with Everton, again not sure how this payment will be carried out.

The whole transfer of Alli seems to be clouded in mystery and the way he is being used seems to further mystify the deal, it would be interesting to see how many minutes Dele has been on the field since he came, maybe more than the Dutch lad from United which seems to be another transfer cock up from start to to finish because who knows who negotiated these deals and signed them off, my money is on Soft Lad from the boardroom, he has no problems spending Mr. Moshiri’s money but is like Fagin when it comes to spending his own.

Bazunu is the real deal and I expect he will be a Premier League player in the next few years.

Not sure though that it would make sense for him to come to us unless Pickford is to be sold.

Is there any regulation on these buy-back deals (I think Livramento at Southampton is another one) or are they yet another situation that mainly suits the mega rich? A reaction to the likes of Chelsea losing their grip on Salah and De Bruyne?

Take a chance on a player and have him come good just so you can meekly watch him welcomed back to the club that let you improve him for them? Just doesn’t sit right.

Would love if we got him but can’t see City letting him go this early.

My Rochdale supporter friends didn't rate him. I've seen him a few times. Like Pickford he's inconsistent, not particularly commanding but capable of making some excellent instinctive saves.

Lots of potential but it may be another 5 years away. I'd swerve because the package to get him would not be worth it.

Plenty of good, cheap, experienced keepers available.

All resources should be invested to improve the 1st team before the reserves.

What is going on?

We've got the best goalkeeper in England (maybe Europe), and a superb backup in Begovic. Having seen the useless Mendy vs the RS at Wembley (if the goalkeeper gets a proper hand - not just fingertips - to a penalty, he should always save it, Mendy got to two and didn't even deflect them). De Gea has been equally crap all season.

If Everton manage to stay in the Premiership, it will be entirely due to Pickford. The number of world class saves this season, not to mention the ones he makes look easy (i.e unlike Mendy and De Gea and their sort) is beyond counting; Pickford has been beyond any question Everton's player of the season.

Any talk of him going should be met with a price tag of £150 million. No negotiation.