No Goals in 77 Appearances – The Curious Case of Jesper Lindstrom

But the statistics are a worry and, if you asked me now if we should sign him, I would have to say No.

Some will argue he's not a winger, therefore out of position. For me, he's simply not Premier League standard. Never going to score a lot of goals or provide assists.

Thanks, Jesper, but this is an area where we need a significant upgrade next season.

He is hard-working, skilful and has a good attitude but regrettably is not equipped for the upper echelons of the Premier League.

He runs around in suitably determined fashion, chases the ball, gets good possession (although seems lightweight and can be easily brushed off the ball)… but it's that critical moment when he needs to do something meaningful with the ball that it all breaks down.

"The stats don't lie" — perhaps that's all that needs to be said.

Remember that when we bought McNeil, he had just gone through an entire 38-game season at Burnley without a single goal or assist. In fact his goalless streak reached 54 before he finally scored for us. Once he snapped out of it, he's had 27 goal involvements.

I'm not saying Lindstrom will do the same, but he's still the same guy who scored fairly often in the Bundesliga, and if Napoli would renegotiate that too-high £20M purchase price, I wouldn't mind if we kept him on as depth behind McNeil, Ndiaye, Alcaraz and whatever winger we sign this summer.

He doesn't commit defenders and has little to no end product, unfortunately.

He's never a winger, because he needs runners ahead of him, and I also don't think he's quite got the physicality for the Premier League, but what a pass he played in to Beto, just before Doucoure scored against Man Utd.

I don't think Everton can be spending £20M on this kid, especially because Moyes hasn't seen enough in him to play him in what I would term a more natural role.

Has since failed to deliver at Napoli and Everton – during difficult seasons for each club.

A bit of this is being played in a less favoured position – but not entirely out of position by any stretch.

I think it's much more of an issue that we are hopeless at right-back – because he needs a player (and we need a player) going on the outside of him.

It also seems that he's just not as good as his form at Frankfurt suggested.

Everton is the wrong club at the wrong time for him (as was Napoli). Probably best we part company and he builds himself back up somewhere else.

I'd imagine he will go somewhere else on loan, France or Germany probably.

There's a big old world out there, and I'd rule out bringing him back on loan, even if it was a cheap option. It would do the lad no good, and we just need to sort this right-winger issue we've had for a decade or so.

Release:-
Doucoure
Holgate
Keane
Harrison
Broja
Calvert-Lewin
Lindstrom
Young
Coleman
Begovic

Retain:-
Gana
Virginia
Alcaraz

Two new right-wingers, a new left-winger and a centre-forward top of the list for the summer. These positions are the match-winning ones and we don't have match-winners there.

From what I've seen, Lindstrom isn't suited to the pace of the Premier League… and he can't strike a ball with pace on target.

I think he's worth sticking with.

It is a stretch to think he will be at the receiving end for a one-two. He did try to get into the penalty area under Dyche, but was left like a sore thumb.

Under Moyes, developing play in the final third has slipped from initial attempts. Everton need a player like Lindstrom to do this. Charly Alcaraz does it to some extent. But they both play second fiddle to Doucoure – who never will.

Plus we need Mike's (#11) "Two new right-wingers, a new left-winger and a centre-forward top of the list for the summer."

Minus the wage savings on Ian's (#10) releases (we won't get fees for them), although we'll still need to replace some of them as with Mike's +4 and Ian's –10, we are still 5 players down on already thin squad numbers (Lindstrom not being released).

So just how much do we have as a war chest with PSR restraints to consider? I'd guess the £35M for Lindstrom and Alcaraz is already pushing our budget and we could easily need another £50M+ on replacements and I don't see the savings on wages of Ian's –10 covering that?

So I'd guess another window of not much activity in the transfer market until deadline day, same as it ever was.

15 players out of contract

Moyes has his own ideas. The Scotsman wants to hire Rob Newman and Mick Doherty, who worked closely with him at West Ham United. Newman and Doherty held important roles at West Ham and had a big say in recruitment during Moyes's reign.

Mathematically the decision can't be made till June when funds available are clear. Both parties would have to be bought out of contracts. However, it's understood that Kinnear may have the final decision, which could cause some tension.

So the games have begun TFG group restructuring and Moyes building his 'Little Empire'. He has already built his team with internal promotions at Finch Farm. I know which side I am on. Everton need input, rather than Moyes's glass ceiling. If this is true, Moyes will have the backing of the parties at Everton who influenced his return.

Fine, Moyes can have input to what players he wants, or what type of player, but his focus should be the first-team squad.

Moyes needs to work hand in hand with DoF (or whatever we call it) but not be fully responsible for recruitment.

This is where Thelwell / Dyche fell down. Moyes should have a say in the recruitment team, but not lead it.

The team does need to be in place soon. We have a very busy Summer ahead and should be planning now.

Whether such an idea would be appealing to all parties is a big 'if' though.

I agree totally. To take Everton to the next level outside his comfort zone, Moyes needs to be part of a team setting new standards. I think TFG know that. I don't think Moyes will get his way, but he has showed his hand, if reports are true.

Ian #21,

Agree unreservedly. We definitely don't want Moyes in his comfort zone like the last time he was here.

That is the most likely outcome. Lindstrom still is of value to a developing squad.

It's going to take sustained competitive spending to overhaul this squad.

It won't be done in one summer window. There will be makeshift or sub-standard players in various positions- especially when injuries bite.

Nothing Moyes or a new DoF can do about this unless they have a net spend north of £200M. Even then we're not even catching up with the spending of Forest and Bournemouth over the past few seasons.

Nothing special about his game, not to compete in the Premier League, anyway.

My guess is that anyone who takes an obvious flop off the hands off another club, and gives them a contract, to do a job that they are not really good or capable at, has to be a hidden reason, eg, a big back hander, for example, Mr Thelwell?

There are no "games". Moyes is long gone from the Kenwright days.

Whatever he's done so far personnel-wise, for his management team, he got approval to do.

There's not two different hiring structures. Moyes, in his lower-level management position, inputs his hiring choices. They're approved or they're not.

It will be interesting to see where Calvert-Lewin ends up. Is the contract he was offered at Everton still in the table? I think he could yet end up staying.

£20M on Jesper doesn't look like the stratospheric value we need from our budget, if it is as meagre as being suggested.

Paul F. Chelsea have a bit of history in that space. De Bruyne was a young player when they signed him and Lukaku a teenager. Salah must have only been about 20.

All of them never really featured that often before being loaned out and going onto be regulars elsewhere.

I like his work-rate and endeavour but we need to be spending that money elsewhere, on youth who can become what we need. Fellows and Nuamah for me, probably for a combined £30M, both getable.

For the foreseeable future we need to find a way to adopt the Brighton/Dortmund model develop potential and turn a hefty profit. For that of course we need competent people in the corridors of power, lets hope TFG know what they are doing.

His confidence is better since Moyes came in, and he did really well in the first few games, before tailing off a little over the last few matches. If or when he scores, I think he'll go onto get a couple.

"He seemed so physically sharp – and with a little luck and coolness he would have also scored a time or two.”

"The first half is by far the best that 'Jobbe' has played for the national team in his now 17 international matches, and he came close to putting Denmark ahead after a good solo run.”

“It was noticeable that Lindstrøm has not scored in 78 games and still, despite promising tactics, Lindstrøm often made the wrong decision when it mattered. Fantastic drive after a little over half an hour, where he came to a huge opportunity, but then the determination was missing. The chance was [to] Jesper Lindstrøm's merit, but poorly executed.”

Seriously! No you haven't, he hasn't scored a goal in 77 successive appearances. What part of his own statistics hasn't he understood?

Hopefully now that Thelwell has been given the boot, we will sign players on positive statistics, not negative ones. Get rid, includinng another non-provider in Harrison.

Release. Thanks.

Lindstrom scores Goodison riots?

They need replacing.