Gilmour an option on loan for Everton

If he can pass the ball to a teammate then I say, sign him up!

He can pick a forward pass and has a higher footballing IQ than our other midfielders. I think he could play a deeper role in front our defence and would be my choice over Harry Winks.

Can anyone provide any justification of why we'd bother? Is there no-one at the club at least as good, if not better?

A defensive midfielder who's weak at tackling according to some reports. Rarely scores. Is this the best we can do? Sadly, it probably is.

Similar profile to Harry Winks. Winks is currently the more polished player but Gilmour perhaps has more potential. Either could be useful in terms of someone to screen the back 4 and recycle possession.

But neither is that proficient defensively which worries me given how often we seem to leave our already porous defense exposed.

So many problems in this team!!

A loan with a £10-15M purchase option would make sense to me, though I think there are still some better options out there potentially.

We need 3 midfielders. Gomes and Davies are simply not good enough. Doucoure is okay when we play on the counter but will never be able to dominate a midfield and control the game. Allan is the best we have but is a chaser, and the midfield is left wide open when he is the only 'defensive' one.

Gilmour may be ok. But we seriously need someone or two who can command a presence in the middle, and who can give a structure to the team. In numbers terms, I'd say a No 6 and a No 8.

Someone in the ilk of Fabinho or Rice as the No 6, power, strength, pace and decent distribution. Then someone of the ilk of Kovacic as the No 8, with the ability to defend and have positional discipline, but also drive forward when in possession.

Gilmour comes across as more technical, and that isn't what we need unless it is a squad role.

It's all well and good having a talented deep-lying string-puller but, if he doesn't have team-mates able to find space, make ambitious runs, take risks and with the ability to receive the ball and retain possession, then we might as well not bother and just get a big athletic lump who can run and tackle.

For me, he is definitely worth bringing in on loan as he's got a good footballing brain, but he'll really need his team-mates to find a new gear in order to make the decision work. Norwich's players couldn't manage it, and his deficiencies were there for all to see (small, not very quick, not very strong) and he got over-run by opposition players.

Loan with an option to buy is a must, I don't want Frank and his team making him into a hot property again only to return to Chelsea. I agree, £10M option to buy sounds about right. But he isn't really what's needed as essential, but could be part of a good midfield.

Almost every post for months on end, I try to articulate what we need in midfield. Many of us do the same, day-in & day-out. It was overlooked in January and it very nearly cost us our Premier League status. We overlook it now at our peril.

Today Fran #5 above has written it to perfection so there's no need to use my brain.

I thought he had a very good game for Scotland when they drew with England at Wembley in the Euros last summer, and then he was immediately struck down by Covid after that game.

He looked very good when he was breaking through at Chelsea, just like Tom Davies did when he was breaking through at Everton, but if he comes, it'll hopefully be with a point to prove, and it will also probably help Nathan Patterson having another Scottish kid around.

Lovely footballer; sadly not quite what we need right now.

We need a Carsley or a Parkinson, not the Scottish Xavi (who as Sam says is not yet as good as Winks although may become better in time).

That said, a loan with option to buy is very attractive if we look a couple of seasons ahead.

Now if we can just get the more muscular, disciplined holding player in – then the pair of them could do well. But not much noise about that sort of player other than Onana who is too expensive.

Robert, I totally agree, but beggars can't be choosers. We need our cash to buy 2 players out of Cornet, Broja and White-Gibbs if those are the targets, and get some goals into the team.

I'd prefer a bigger player with more pace but it's looking like the midfielder will likely be a loan out of Gilmour and Winks. Gilmour is younger with more potential and would probably be a little cheaper than Winks if the loan was made permanent.

Well, I don't use the term 'Desperados' loosely and there's still time to get at least 3-4 decent players in, who are street fighters, and heart and guts to play and bleed for the Everton cause, playing for the shirt.

But it's getting very close to the line and in wake of last season, a listing Titanic of a season, saved by Evertonians all season, and stoically in the last 3 months by pure will, blind faith and guts, is increasingly looking likely again, bar some mindset changes in the players and coaching staff.

How many of the current first team squad have these basic football requirements, is questionable.

For me, the rebuild starts with a new Captain and in view the squad are mentally impacted by the loss of a Richarlison, then that's the job of the manager and coaches to fix.

Likewise the board to ensure adequate replacements are brought in as good and ideally better.

So, from a business perspective, it's fair to say what the feck is going on at Everton FC, when, all the rest of the Premier League, is acquiring new players and boosting their squads.

Was last season in football terms a miracle, in that Everton stayed up, against all odds?

Fact and Fiction, and let's hope there's no clauses in regard of assets of Everton FC, real and potential. I hope that this season Everton have the stomach for the battle of their football survival in this League, and their careers.

I'm like many who ran their early and best years and later years around Everton, home, away and abroad wonder how can it have become so dark, and bad, and sadly predictable?

As my Mum always said and still says, “They don't pay your wages, and don't care”...

Wisdom and fact, and with Everton's board and the most recent board line up from last year, how does it go about its business, when the core business, the squad is living off fresh air and Bob Hope?

I'll thinking of nipping away from the messages on Saturday morning to gauge the tempo at Goodison, and maybe get a few bargains in the club shop,

What a way to prepare for the new season, I'll say no more but the club, has got to face reality.

A leader to innovate and visibly lead Everton Football Club, is needed as I hope that the players will take personal ownership in every game to give blood, sweat and tears for the Everton shirt.

Mentality and belief is everything in life: improvise, adapt and overcome depends on the mentality and belief.

Performance is ability and motivation.

If..

There's no more time, this preseason for “If”.

Gilmour and Winks are just a slightly different shade of Davies.

Edit: Philip @13; which is sad on any number of levels.

May as well go for Barkley as well, Gilmour and Barkley have more about them than Davies and Gomes...

Lampard should have taken a small squad of players to the USA. 32 was far too many to assess and give proper game time. A second squad of players could have remained in Liverpool to be assessed for any potential.

Having Rondon in the USA and giving him game time certainly is not the way forward for next season.

I'm with Colin, can he pass a ball forwards to another player in a Pink Shirt!

Maybe the club is that skint that they were trying to put Rondon in the shop window, and hadn't realized that the Americans have really moved on!

I'm sure you can only sign two players on loan, and they both can't come from the same club, Phillip? Sometimes I wish that the close season could last forever!

The major issue I can see at the moment is what the fuck is our system? Frank talks about being fluid, but I think the constant chopping and changing (not always a choice in fairness) of both system and personnel is contributing to the global shitness throughout the squad right now.

Yes, we need to be able to adapt during a game, but pick a preferred system and stick to it, for fuck's sake. Gray and Gordon are wingers. If you want to play them, it's a 4-2-3-1 or a 4-4-2. For me its the former.

We need to stop licking Gordon's arse with the No 10 role and put him on the left or right and leave him there. Play Alli behind Dom and leave him there. Put Gray or Iwobi on the other wing. Make sure they go back into a 5 when defending.

Pick your best two central defenders and leave them there. That's Mina and Tarkowski by a mile right now. That leaves the full-backs and the midfield 2 to sort out first. If we are going to play a 2, we know from painful experience one needs to be a destroyer who can pass. For me, the other needs to be a box-to-box with a threat in opposition too ideally (or from outside it).

I don't think Gilmour is either of these profiles….indeed, as much as I don't want him, Ross Barkley would fit the latter role better. Gilmour would be better in a 3, but a) we have those in Iwobi/Gomes et al and b) playing a 3 means NOT playing Gordon and Gray.

Fed up of the “just get good players and make them fit”. It was the same under the ginger Dutchman. It's madness. We need a plan on and off the pitch. Not sure Frank has one either.

Steavey, a good point, and it will be key to good squad moral, motivation etc, whom gets on the pitch at Blackpool.

I'd agree with your sentiment, Gary. Bring players in who fit the system you want to play. I get fluidity both during a game and between games. But you have to have a plan, not just go and buy or loan players and then try and make them fit, well, something.

Tony, I'd actually be looking to the US market and I've been saying that for a while. We missed a trick with Weston McKennie a few years back, in my opinion.

It's strange, there are definitely players out there.

Leeds got Roca cheaply, an experienced player who can tackle a bit and pass through the lines.

Forest got O'brien for £10M, a good box-to-box player who is dynamic and a leader and can pass, tackle, shoot and score a few.

Aston Villa got Kamara on a freebie, an athletic No 6 who can tackle well but also pass through the lines.

Palace got Doucoure, an excellent all-round midfielder for £20M.

Even Fulham got Palhinha, who was one of the best DMC players in Portugal last season, for £12M or so.

Southampton got the dynamic Aribo for £10M plus Lavia at CDM for £10M who looks a real talent.

These players are out there. It's very, very clear we need improvement in midfield. What is going on?

Sam, it's not strange at all. What you're forgetting is that those other clubs have a strategic plan and are run properly, you know, like businesses… with structure and purpose.

Bungling Bill & Co still think it's 1991.

Jesus H, this guy is not going to change our world. Chelsea questioned Frankie's choice of players...

It is time for the DoF to step up and dismiss the viewpoint that it too risky getting non-Premier League, experienced players. It's the attributes of the player that is all that matters.

Danny, Sam – very good calls.

Seriously, it would be good to see the club's scouting approach and focus, regions, assuming it's still working.

Everton, one day soon, please.

I think the answer to your question, Sam, is that we have been placed in a straitjacket by the FA's rules. FFP is preventing us spending money at the moment – even if Moshiri is prepared to fund it.

I think we need at least 4 or 5 players up the spine of the team and, even with your reasonable valuations of £10-£20M, we are still looking at £40-£60M outlay to strengthen the squad meaningfully. We just can't do it at the risk of being penalised heavily by the FA.

Consequently we are going to be dependent on loans and freebies wherever we can. Not an enjoyable prospect.

But it gives our DoF and manager an opportunity to show what they are made of. God knows they need to step up now.

Hi Bill,

Were's the Arteta money. Where's the Richarlison money? Where's the Kean money?

We need players now!

Does Paul the Esk know how much we have to spend?

Priceless, TW - Gallows Humour, it’s the best.

And provides hope for better days, and not just survival.

Sounds good to me, while we're dealing with Chelsea,t hen the lad Ampadu would certainly bolster our midfield too.

Not for me, I'm afraid.

We need a nasty bastard who is prepared to get in people's faces, kick, bite and snarl – and that's to our own miscreants, never mind the opposition.

We seriously lack leaders on the pitch, wholehearted players with a bit of skill.

After so many managers have been let down by this shower, they all need a foot up the arse.

Apparently, Chelsea are trying to offload Batshuayi, not the best striker available but if we could get him on a similar ‘buy now pay later' deal (say in 12-months' time) like we got for Deli it would be an improvement on Rondon giving us better backup to DCL but won't use up a loan slot or cash this window

Out of interest does anyone know when the FFP restrictions will ease allowing us to spend some actual cash? Is it money spent over the previous 3 years? So if we don't spend much this window and we didn't spend much last summer and January, can we actually start spending again next summer?

Dendonker being mooted a lot on Twitter. Fabrizio Romano seems to think it has legs.

On loan is a low-risk move.

Gilmour can obviously play but does he need legs around him like Kante for Chelsea or McGinley for Scotland?

He was anonymous at times last season for Norwich. He would be coming into a similar set-up with us.

We need to look beyond Premier League fringe players, it's too easy and lazy. We need grafters with a point to prove in the middle.

Not sure where Forest have got their new-found wealth but Lingard for £200k per week on a 1-year deal is madness. They are also after Dennis and look serious in their attempt to stay in the Premier League.

At least we didn’t sign Lingard on £200k per week. There’s a player there, but not one who could make up for his social media performances.

If we could offload Calvert-Lewin to Newcastle for £50M, we could look at getting some decent players in.

Lingard was slated on Talksport as a mercenary and frankly he probably is going to Forest... show me the money!

Interestingly the chat was also said that it was far better for a club to pay a higher wage to a free agent than a fee and higher wages. Basically, a free agent is better for the club and player and will become more common.

Dendonker a target too according to Fabrizio? Our scouts do know that there are clubs playing outside of the premier league right? Some that even play outside of England.

If any club has learned that targeting Premier League players does not significantly lower transfer risk it should be us!! Southampton have signed Mara for £10M; very interesting young player who could have been a good back-up for Calvert-Lewin and Gordon.

Good to not get upset by rumours but time is ticking on and I wonder if we'll regret not giving any potential new players time to bed in during pre-season. The likes of Leeds, Newcastle, Palace, Forest, Brentford have got the majority of their business done with 2/3 weeks before the start of the season.

Sam why should our scouts care, and go the extra mile? No one else at the club gives a monkey's.

Incidentally, Fabrizio? Didn't Paulie Walnuts "off" him in The Sopranos?

Tidy footballer, get him in. It'll hopefully give the sulkers in the squad a boost.

Gilmour has never scored a goal at senior level.

Gilmour has a footballing brain at least, something that pretty much every other midfielder we have, lacks. Yeah, he's a little fella but that doesn't matter if you have the footballing nouse we always seem to lack.

Gareth Barry was slow but had the brain required to be a brilliant footballer. Gilmour is slight, but his brain makes up for it. He was brilliant under Lampard at Chelsea so the Norwich loan debacle shouldn't matter.

Given our severely limited resources and options, Gilmour is a (no pun intended) no-brainer to me.

I also think Cornet is the best shout out there (available to us) to replace Richarlison – he doesn't score loads, but he scores a few, makes a few (not loads) and one thing he doesn't get a mention for is his workrate – similar to Richarlison in a sense.

We need younger, hungry players with motivation to succeed – Gilmour and Cornet surely fit that mould. Add a couple of decent attacking full-backs, especially on the right and we'd have a bit more balance in the team. A bit.

Clive (39),

Colin Harvey scored 18 goals for Everton in over 300 games for the Blues, he wasn't too bad though Clive!!

We live in hope that players who come in make a big contribution one way or another.

We have had far too many players with previous reputations regarding promise who just don't cut it and get big paychecks.

It's quite obvious we need strengthening but why bolster midfield when we have no goalscoring?

Gibbs-White may be staying at Wolves now. According to talkSport.

Tom 42,

I'd say that a good midfield is one of the foundations of scoring goals – and even more crucially for us, helping out the defence.

We could definitely use a forward or two, but our central midfield has to be one of the poorest in the division, and Allan isn't getting younger.

Poor Moshiri. Judgment Day, Part Deux is near, lol.

Looks like Matheus Nunes is off to the Red Shite for €45M. If it weren't for the infighting, we might have added both him and Diaz (on a two-for-one deal) last year under Brands.

Mind bogglingly criminal if that's true.

I have to admit that, during his reign, I was pretty negative towards Brands; however, as time has passed since his departure, I have come to the conclusion that he had no chance from day one given the level of interference from others with regards to player acquisitions and managerial appointments.

He should have resigned early on; I remain critical of him for not taking that course of action.

Our current DoF, God help him, has a nightmare scenario at present and he deserves support in trying to carry out an almost impossible task. Trying to attract players to our club with the current financial constraints in place and on the back of an almost fatal season last year is not easy.

I would have thought it would be more prudent to sign Chelsea's Loftus-Cheek than Chelsea's Gilmour. Loftus-Cheek offers more height, strength, power and ability to take the ball forward into the opposition's penalty area, and has the potential to increase his goal tally.

Gary #46, the in-fighting obviously was a problem but we didn't have the money to sign Diaz and Nunes last summer.

We might have got Diaz if Rodriguez had gone sooner or a part of the deal.

The reason we didn't have enough money goes back to the purchase of very average players at high cost, high wage who have since generally left for nothing or negligible fees or remain bleeding the life out of us because no-one is daft enough to buy.

Gilmour, Gallagher, Broja. Maybe we should loan the entire Chelsea youth team since it appears to be better than our first team.

On the basis of last season, I'd pass on this, especially on loan. If he was available on a free, that might be different.

Danny (51),

The only reason I wouldn't take Gilmour on loan would be in the event that there are better loan targets out there, and we don't want to limit our ability to acquire the best loan options as they appear later on in the window.

We made a pointless loan signing (El Ghazi), and we cannot afford to do the same again this season. We are clearly not in a position to lay down any significant money in transfer fees this transfer window, and the notion of Chelsea making an asset like Gilmour available on a free transfer is a total non-starter.

Billy Gilmour is not on a big wage at Chelsea, so if we could acquire him on a year-long loan, for a negligible or non-existent loan fee, then 9 months with the club is only going to cost us less than £2 million.

Right now, when we do not have the leeway to spend money – even if we had it – that wouldn't be a terrible option. In future windows, our leeway will return. Right now, we need to be clever and frugal and patient.

"Gilmour is slight, but his brain makes up for it. He was brilliant under Lampard at Chelsea so the Norwich loan debacle shouldn't matter."

He was, James. Then he got injured, continuity broken and it seems, that was that. Tuchel never rated him, and has just rubber-stamped that by tossing him out of the first team squad.

Hard to know what went wrong at Norwich, not that I saw much of him there.

He looked so good under Lampard. Maybe something more to it that we don't know about.

Dave @41,

True... but the other midfielders chipped in with goals. Our present midfield hardly score any, so we need a midfielder who can net a few.

Whether we like it or not, surely the goal-scoring midfielder is Dele Alli. We bought him. We're paying him big wages. Surely we structure the team in a way that allows him to score goals.

If we buy another central / attacking midfielder, we won't be able to play them together. We need a specialist Busquets type to bring the best out of Alli, also very much a specialist rather than an all-rounder.

Gilmour — like he is the messiah to put all of the wrongs right at Everton.

It will take more than a lightweight midfielder to fix our problems.

Amazing. 56 comments about a possible loan for our #6 position and what we do and do not have there...

...and not one mention of Gbamin.

Did nobody notice in the dismal fog of the Minnesota game that he looked strong and capable and remarkably fast given his recent injury history?

I have never noticed Gilmour, but if Frank wants him based on his previous season with the guy, and it's a no-risk, low-investment option, I'm fine with it.

But let's not entirely ignore the possibility that the #6 we need to eventually succeed Allan may already be in the squad.

And what an extraordinary story it would be if he was.

No from me. Too lightweight from I've seen and gets bullied far too easily. Someone in an earlier post said he's never scored a senior goal.

Great, sign him asap just what we need to alongside those prolific goalscoring midfielders Gomes, Allan, Davies Doucoure etc. The kid Warrington would be a better option.

Is there a strategy, and does it tie in with ‘judge us at the end of the window’ that Moshiri espoused?

Are they thinking ‘There are five games in August before the window slams shut that will be a great gauge on the competency of each player. It is the ultimate litmus test to see where we need to strengthen. ‘

As Mike says above, what will Gbamin bring?, nobody knows for sure. Then can young Patterson be defend with the necessary discipline? What end product are we getting from Demarai Gray? Is Dele Alli committed and consistent enough for us to continue to play him and pay the four £10m fees? If all four of these imponderables are successful we have a huge boost on the field and a crucial financial saving.

On top of this, what will the injury situation be in five weeks time, will we need to additionally strengthen because of it?

The only way to read it is that we are in an absolutely dire situation financially. The club are trying to see if we can avoid spending by the squad coming good, or that we are still partially blocked from spending and feel that we can better target a couple of cheap deals or loans for excluded fringe players as the window ends.

The Cornet situation points to this financial straight jacket, we wanted him on loan and to pay next summer. Today we’ve rumoured to have upped the ante by offering £5m up front and the rest next summer.

In my view it would be suicidal to start the season without signing a quality, fighter, leader of a DCM. Get this right and this one signing will change the team. Almost equally suicidal is not to replace Richarlison in some meaningful way, in our financial situation, Cornet for the money touted makes sense to me. Then some shrewd loans.

In a whole other universe,

Rumours also keep resurfacing about Newcastle offering £60m + for Calvert-Lewin. Is the club going to press the big blue nuclear button and sell him? Are they having discussions and heated arguments about selling him, then having the money to buy three first team ready targets ?

Tony,

I'll answer that.

I think we are grasping at straws to think Dele will add that much. It was a huge gamble bringing him in on big wages and a big committed fee for what we have seen so far. Clearly it could still work out, but the signs are more negative than positive on his 6 months so far.

With Coleman injured we will play Patterson. He has a lot to learn, will make mistakes, but will improve. It comes down to how much we can afford of those mistakes in a team riddled with mistakes.
A back 5 might help, but I don't see Mykolenko as a wing back and see a midfield completely over run. It is always 5-3-2, never 3-5-2 with EFC.

Gbamin. Honesty how many players have come back from nearly 2.5 years out to reassemble a career in the EPL? I can't think of many. And let's be honest, he was hardly tried and tested in the EPL in the games pre injury. Anything from him will be a bonus, but we should plan for somebody else with mobility in that position. Davies, Allan, Gomes aren't mobile enough - Doucoure is better breaking forward.

Gray is a typical in or out winger, and why probably no one else wanted him. He can produce a finish like Arsenal at home, but then could produce nothing in the next 10 games. He's more easier on the eye than a Townsend, but produces less goals and less assists.

Our transfer strategy with a small amount of money should be some high quality loans (obligation to buy), or leveraging good quality players with 12 months left on their deals.

There must be a bag full on the continent where we can make competitive bids in the knowledge that those players can sign pre contracts at Christmas.

We seem to be a club that gets pressured into deals on our players with contracts coming to the end. But don't seem to work it the other way.

All to do so far Kev Thelwall.

Hammers signing a striker so, according to Romano, it paves the way for us to get Broja. No doubt another that slips through our fingers with the Richarlison money gone missing...

I don't believe a word that charlatan Romano says, Brian. He's worse than even that other bullshitter, Di Marzo(?). These guys just read the back pages and then post some stories on their Twitter feed.

I'd go so far as to say, even Kenwright has more credibility than these guys.

I have only one comment. Remember what happened when we sold Lukaku? Never replaced, left us hanging out to dry.

This feels the very same. This board has form. It's imperative we start well; if we don't, we will be in a cart all season.

Frank, whatever Kenwright is telling you, don't believe him, the money won't be there when you need it. If Kenwright is doing the transfer negotiating, then that's why we are in trouble.

Ian Bennett (59) - “Obligation to buy”? You surely cannot mean that.

Colin g, wouldn’t go that far but you probably right. Brace ourselves. No way toon not going to upgrade their striker options. Big bid dcl. Can’t say i’d lose much sleep if targets lined up just like when losing richy. Oh wait..

Option to buy I meant in general, and towards Gilmour either. Winks for what it's worth, looks a better option, but neither meet the physical presence I think we need.

Blues linked with the Norwich right-back Max Aarons. Seems a bit of an odd link given the gaps elsewhere.

The issue is not that he is capable of passing a football quite well – it's that he will pass it to the likes of Davies, Gomes, Doucouré, Keane, and Holgate and they will fuck it up anyway. That 5 are garbage and their places should be given to the lads from the Under-23s – permanently.

Andros Townshend is probably our most reliable midfielder – top scorer before his injury; he will do well to return from that as he was before.

Gordon has great work ethic, but needs a couple more years before he matures – I don't doubt he will though.

Everton need a miracle – quick.