Everton to start making contract extension decisions soon

Moyes is that much into Contract extensions at Everton you could think he invented contract extensions.

Too much change could give Moyes a nose bleed.

Contract extensions at Everton have for years showed how little ambition existed at the Club.

;

Evertonians have gave up on the Academy transforming the first team.

A rigid system of play means competitive changes are inhibited by the lack of introduction of competition winning players.

The fitness and resilience of the team does not improve as the average age of the team does not reduce.

Unless Moyes is able to address this he will hit a glass ceiling next year.

Everton should be prioritising looking at bring new players in.

Release the rest

One player left in contract where a decision needs to be made is Patterson. He has been at the club a while now so Moyes has to decide is he going to be a regular or sell. My view is sell

That leaves a not very well balanced squad. My view of the priorities, therefore the ones we must focus our money on to go straight into the 1st team, are a quality RB, a right sided attacking midfielder/winger with pace and a quality striker(not Broja), as I’m far from convinced Beto is the long term solution and Chermiti is still really unproven.

My core squad would therefore be:
Pickford, Virginia, new RB, O’Brien, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko, new LB, Gueye, Doucoure, Armstrong, Garner, Iregbounam, new RM, McNeil, Ndiaye, Alcaraz, new CF, Beto, Chermiti

That still leaves the option of adding a few players, either loan or purchases, to add squad depth or “take a chance” on prospects.

One thing to note about that group would be only Pickford(31), Tarkowski(32) Mykolenko(26), Gueye(36), Doucoure(32) and Beto(27) are over 25 at the start of next season so there is a good core squad to build on

John @6, I would add Harrison Armstrong to that list and I think most would agree and have agreed with where we need to add and strengthen.

Patterson might be worth keeping. Not as first choice, but as back up. His main problem has been staying fit.

Good point John #6 on the youth of the core, and based on the media reports I too would add Armstrong, who is only 18.

However, I would honestly be very surprised if we spend the big money required to bring in a "quality" striker. This is a multi-year project and the other areas are more urgent.

Beto is 27. Chermiti is 20. If we re-do the loan for Broja, 23, I think we're covered up top for the moment. But Moyes may feel differently.

He's 6 months to prove he's worth retaining in my view. He came with a good reputation, but I've been very disappointed in his attacking ability and defending.

Possibly use him as a makeweight in any Sunderland deals we are looking at?

Mangala - reduced fee only
Harrison - good back up - only on a small fee
Lindstrom - good back up - reduced fee only
Broja - another 12 month loan
Alcaraz - sign
Calvert-Lewin - release or big appearance and goal based contract.
Doucoure - reduced terms
Gueye - 1 year extension
Keane - release
Holgate - release
Coleman - 1 year extension on reduced terms (sentimental - but a good influence in the dressing room)
Young - release
Virginia - extend if possible
Bergovic - only extend if Virginia doesn’t.

Baines was not kept out of the side by Lescott, it was because of injuries. But you're right that Lescott was fantastic at left back, a position he hated.

Regarding Holgate, I'd seen speculation here that his loan to WBA was a must-buy, but apparently not. I read this horrifying item this morning (in mid-oatmeal) by a BBC freelancer named Neil Goulding:

"Everton defender Mason Holgate hasn’t given up hope of extending his stay at Everton Stadium now former boss David Moyes has returned. It was Moyes who signed Holgate for a bargain fee of £2million on a five-year deal from Barnsley."

I'm struggling to keep the oatmeal down.

Doucouré on reduced terms, 2 years max. Gana same.

Virginia is a good back up, and seems happy.

Harrison flatters to deceive, I wouldn’t keep him. Lindstom has potential, but only at a low fee or loan again.

Bin Patterson. Never looked anything more than average. RB is a priority.

If braithwaite stays I would love to see him paired with o brien. Two young, powerful CB. Tarky a great signing, but those two could be a solid pairing for years. No time for sentiment!

I liked Mangala. But who knows what he will be like post injury.

DCL can do one. Beto has more heart now. Broja too injury prone, look for a quality forward. Lord knows, Richy making a come back?

It's very similar to Jake O'Brien now. Doing a great job at right back, but he's a centre back.

Incidentally, having been at the match, I was surprised to see Patterson named as left back. In fairness, he done okay.

Salah £480k per week with bonuses,

Not far off £50m a season for TWO PLAYERS.

Evertons wage bill is £68m total, and falling. Come 1st July the entire squad will be less than them two.

I always used to defend both.

If Osman had gone to the continent, he would have been far more appreciated and shone. I think it would have suited his game more. Hibbert was unassuming, but committed and solid.

The club and recruitment committee will make the decisions. We'll just have to wait and see.

And another thing I've said on occasion, Osman is wasted as a pundit. No jobs for the boys, just on his ability, I'd have him at Finch Farm with the Academy players tomorrow.

Doucoure - Has been a great servant but very limited footballer. I think we should seriously move on from extending his contract.

Loans - Harrison & Lindstrom have been very poor. These two need to be replaced with pacy & direct wingers.

Patterson - Sell & reinvest in a quality right back.

I don’t believe Harrison is good enough even to be a back-up. Why Dyche extended his loan for another year is beyond me.
Furthermore as his contract (reputedly £85K per week) lasts until June 2028 Leeds would require a sizeable fee.

The lad from Verona - Jackson Tchatchoua, Sevilla - Juanlu Sánchez, Lampeter- Brighton, possibly Wan Bissaka if Potter wants a different type of full back, Hume - Sunderland, Tete Fulham free, Coufal - hope not.

This is very much part of what we are talking about in this thread. It's an interesting, revealing, and enjoyable 55 minute interview with Joao Virginia. (He 'loves' us).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYl4kF6h2xo

You're right Chermiti - and I'm tweaking what you say - has not had enough time to show us that he is or is not the solution. So, he is worth keeping.

Has Moyes said anything about DCL recently? I'm assuming that he is on his way to a Wolves or Leicester on a free Andy.

I still want DCL to excel and prove so many of us wrong Andy. There's even some sentimentality creeping in. DCL with a pair of proper wingers and a Ndiaye or Charley playing off him is not the worst of prospects. I would not be unhappy if the club and DCL agreed on a new - two-year? - contract. Less time on the treatment table and more of the proper service from the wings might work out. But I see him leaving.

I've forgotten the name of the lad in the U18s is it or U21s who scores for fun but we should not forget that there might - MIGHT - be a prospect there.

£20m ish / under options

- Wesley (Flamengo) [LINKED]
- Tiago Santos (Lille)
- El Ouahdi (Genk)
- Sanchez (Seville) [LINKED]
- Vagnoman (Stuttgart)
- El Hilali (Espanyol)
- Sildillia (Freiburg) [LINKED]
- Assignon (Rennes) [LINKED]
- Fresneda (Sporting)
- Tchatchoua (Verona) [LINKED]
- Vagiannidis (Panathanaikos)
- Jelert (Galatassaray) [LINKED]
- Kumbedi (Lyon)
- Khellven (CSKA Moscow)
- Sabbe (Brugge)
- Pubill (Almeria)
- Doukoure (Strasbourg)
- Justin (Leicester)
- Ratiu (Rayo Vallecano)
- Aarons (Bournemouth)
- Artur (Leverkusen)
- Holm (Genoa)

Loan options

- Couto (City)
- Kabore (City)
- Acheampong (Chelsea)
- Costa (Juve)

Free options

- Walker-Peters (Saints) [LINKED]
- Coufal (West Ham) [LINKED]
- Lamptey (Brighton) [LINKED]

These are just the more obvious options too. There's a lot of more obscure talent in Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, Balkans, South America etc etc...

Now here's a man who dosn't need a new contract, but a get out clause.

content://com.android.chrome.FileProvider/images/screenshot/1744929617617-1418376020.jpg 😀

Anyway, the report quotes Africa Foot, in turn quoting an unidentified agent who represents a Moroccan player and who may or may not work with Gana's agency Roc Nation Sports (are you following this tangled web?), that both Al Ahly and Al Ettifaq are in for Gana.

It wouldn't surprise me, and it certainly wouldn't be a shock if Gana went for the big money in the twilight of his career, but this is more slender than Bernard.

I often wish you were working for Everton on recruitment.

Paul 45, I’m not ready to be done with Albert Lewin. I think the new guy deserves a shot to show us what he can do.

I’d give Gana a 2-year contract based on how important he was to us this year, and how hard it would be to replace him. I’m fine bringing back Doucoure and Broja on reasonable terms. I will be quite happy to have seen the last of Harrison and Lindstrom, unless they’re riding the bench like Keane this year, essentially only seeing them when injuries have piled up. I’ll have a special place in my heart for DCL, but I think he needs to go elsewhere to revive his career (assuming he can stay healthy).

We’ll be just fine next year without overpaying (yet) for a striker as long as we can sign Alcaraz and strengthen on the wings and at fullback. Give Chermiti and Armstrong a chance to shine, send them on loan if it looks like they’ll be back-ups all year. Or let Beto and Broja lead the line, and we’ll be comfortably mid-table with a few smart buys.

I agree with your remarks on cost and other markets. As you know, I always use RB Leipzig as an example.

I don't get too wound up about cost. I don't think these owners will "do a Moshiri". They are successful American business people and will only sanction what we can afford until such a time they have turned Everton around as a business.

Matt@50, that is one of the reasons for the dithering Davey label. Okay, I get it, he always wanted to make sure the player was a good fit, but that often left it too late. I could probably think of other examples, but his signing of Per Kroldrup was bizarre. He'd never seen him play (YouTube doesn't count) and only realised his new centre back couldn't head a ball when he saw him on the Everton training ground. £5M, 45 minutes against Villa, hooked, and that was that.

Paul @49. I would suggest it's paper talk, not "hell bent" regarding Soucek. Age doesn't concern me if a player is still good enough and fits the system the manager wants to play. We've had a few "experienced" players come in over the years and do a job.

We'll have to wait and see with Graham. One match doesn't paint the full picture. He's impressed when I've seen him, but as we all know, the step up from U21s to first team is huge. This is where it is vital we have academy coaching staff who can advise the first team management team if a player is worth the gamble.

I can see Gana staying, we'll probably have to fend off others with decent money there and therefore Doucs is unlikely i'd say.

Once again I a few negative Moyes posts for now apparent reason (maybe wait until he's done something wrong at least?) but I have to say this summer has Coufal on a free written all over it. Personally I want that to be an area where we invest in real quality. We will have to go for a few frees this summer because of the size of the rebuild, Lamptey is a better option in my opinion.

Agree also with Paul Ferry that we can't go into the new season with Broja, Chermitti and Beto as our strikers. Broja will go probably and therefore this becomes another area (along with RM) where we need to spend some decent wedge to get what is needed.

If the intention is to finish 8th to 12th then we can. Beto, Broja and Chermiti probably give us what we need for this if we strengthen elsewhere.

We aren't (and shouldn't) try to peak next season - the point is to build a squad capable of genuinely competing in two to three seasons.

Others would be mostly squad players if retained and depends on what money we have to stretch to many positions. Ashley Young for example on another year of £40k may make sense as he’s a solid professional able to cover multiple positions even if you’d hope he doesn’t play many (any) minutes.

RW, RB and CM are the big spots for new players for me. If we can find a good new striker at an affordable price then great but lots of teams are looking for strikers so I’m getting used to idea that Beto may be first choice next season. Would be surprised if DCL stays but his terrible season won’t help him bag the lucrative contract he’s hoping to come from elsewhere.

I just don’t want Everton to miss a great opportunity with new owners and a new stadium to create a virtual blank canvas team to challenge for Europe and and trophies.

More importantly, when are you getting on your bike and getting to Goodison next?

On yer go Rob! Fill yer boots.

After being painted!

Surely you don't believe that nonsense??

Maybe those YouTube videos Moyes watched of Koldrup were the six goals that he scored from headers?

And wasn't his first goal after he left us from a header too?

Premier league experience and is playing today.

"The gaffer paid £5m for the Dane Per Kroldrup, which was a lot of money for a defender back then. He came in and passed it well but…

"On his very first day of training, the gaffer took him to one side and started doing heading practice with him, like you would with a seven-year-old. It was a case of holding the ball, saying: 'Are you ready? One, two, three – jump.'

"Honestly, it was incredible. I don't know what happened, but he had obviously realised that heading wasn't Per's strong point. £5m for a centre-half who can't head the ball..!

Not me. That's a quote from Leon Osman in his "Ossie - My Autobiography" book.

He will have seen more of the situation and the player than we did to make his judgement.

There are plenty of other sources.

I work in Leeds, and their fans definitely do not want him back!

Apparently, he refused to play for them in the championship when they were relegated

He's Leeds' problem not ours.

His loan contract with us expires 31 May 2025.

If we don't extend his loan or buy him outright then he's back with Leeds - under a contract there that runs to 30 June 2028.

Someone else can loan or buy him of course, but that's up to him and Leeds.