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Nobody wants their team to sell their best players. However, sometimes, an offer may come in that just proves too good to turn down, especially if the player in question has had their head turned.
Iliman Ndiaye has been the subject of much transfer speculation over recent weeks. It is well known now that the tricky winger is open to a move away from Everton, and has so far rebuffed several contract offers, with his representatives demanding the inclusion of a low-ball release clause.
Ndiaye returned to training following his post-World Cup break on Monday, linking up with Everton’s squad at their training camp in Germany. It was all smiles, and just because a player would be open to a transfer, doesn’t mean they are necessarily deeply unhappy, either.
No offer has yet been received for Ndiaye, and until that changes, he remains an Everton player. But, if one of the interested parties does come to the table, then it has been reported Everton would be willing to listen to offers around the £70M mark.
Everton hold the cards, with Ndiaye having 3 years left to run on his deal, but even though the 26-year-old is the team’s best attacker, such a fee may be too good to turn down. So, if that were to be the case, who are some realistic options Everton could then go and target to replace him?
YANKUBA MINTEH
Jack Grealish is still a priority target for Everton, and with Tyrique George already in place, then that would really fill Everton up for left wingers (should Grealish sign).
However, they are still short on the right, and Brighton’s Minteh would be my top choice.
Minteh could have been an Everton player back in 2024, but Newcastle United could not strike a deal with Dominic Calvert-Lewin. Had the striker agreed terms with the Magpies, then Minteh would have come the other way in a PSR trade.
Instead, the winger ended up at Brighton, and he has been a hit on the south coast.
In 36 appearances last season, Minteh scored 3 goals and provided 4 assists. However, at 22, there’s still plenty of room for development. He is rapid, plays naturally on the right side, and is creative, too.
It would cost a fair bit, but if Everton had £70M to play with, then I’d be happy with a fair chunk of it going on Minteh.
DAN NDOYE
Ndiaye… Ndoye. Close enough!
In this writer’s opinion, Everton should have targeted Ndoye last year. Instead, it was Nottingham Forest who spent £34M to bring him to England from Bologna.
In all fairness, Ndoye did not have a brilliant first season at Forest; he scored just twice and only provided 1 assist in 37 games.
However, like Ndiaye, Ndoye can play on both flanks; he’s a powerful runner with and without the ball, and he did actually create chances worth 3.0 expected assists, so he was more creative than the headline figure would suggest.
Could Forest be swayed into selling him if they were to get their money back?
BARIS ALPER YILMAZ
One player linked tentatively (given it’s Turkish media reporting it, you can’t be too sure) in recent days has been Yilmaz.
The Turkish international, who turned 26 in May, is at Galatasaray, and he certainly put up impressive numbers in all competitions last season, providing 14 assists and scoring 12 goals in 49 appearances.
The worry would be, why is he still playing in Türkiye at 26 — should he not have already made a move by now if he was as good as a reported £35M valuation suggests?
He does possess plenty of pace but he also seems more suited to playing on the left than the right. An interesting link, but maybe not a realistic one.
KEITO NAKAMURA
Nakamura impressed for Japan at the World Cup, and was linked with Everton during the tournament.
He nominally plays down the left, and can operate as a wing-back, too.
However, he plays second-tier in football in France with Reims, so while 14 goals and 2 assists for his club last season is nothing to be sniffed at, he is unlikely to provide the same amount of quality as Ndiaye. File under an option, at the right price, but at 26, Everton should probably be looking elsewhere.
JAMIE GITTENS
There’s always plenty going on when it comes to transfers in and out of Chelsea, but one player who seems to have snuck under the radar is Jamie Gittens.
Signed from Borussia Dortmund last season, Gittens was unable to make his mark consistently on the first team, and he then sustained a hamstring injury in January.
The winger is now working his way back to fitness, but could a loan move be an option?
Gittens has pace to burn and an eye for goal. He can dribble and take players on, and while he would not be a carbon copy of Ndiaye, not many players can replicate what the Senegal international does at his best.
Gittens would fit the bill as a younger player, and he has that top-level experience that David Moyes values so highly.
FRANCISCO CONCEIÇÃO
Everton wanted to sign Conceição last summer, but the Portugal international had his eyes set on Juventus.
However, Italian clubs are generally open for business and, if they had big money to spend, would Everton try to persuade Conceição once more?
He featured in 45 games for Juve last season, recording 11 goal involvements (6 goals, 5 assists).
Conceição is a tricky customer; by no means rapid, but definitely not slow, and he can play on both flanks, albeit he is mostly used out on the right.
He created 56 chances for Juve in 2025-26 (in comparison, Ndiaye created 30 chances for Everton), while attempting 164 dribbles and completing 79 of them.
It would be a bit of a coup, but it’s certainly not an impossible deal.
Reader Comments (82)
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2 Posted 04/08/2026 at 16:24:43
Minteh would cost too much and add too little. Ndoye the same. Nakamura, a proper punt would need to be taken but probably better than the first two.
Gittens, Chelsea will try to demand a profit on someone who has done nothing, as seems to be their model. Maybe a loan could be an option, as you say.
Best of the bunch probably you kept last, definitely the one to get if we can but a big ask to get someone from Juve to swap that life for this one.
3 Posted 04/08/2026 at 16:41:18
Remaining money spent on a striker.
4 Posted 04/08/2026 at 16:43:37
What are we waiting for? Sign him up!
5 Posted 04/08/2026 at 17:10:48
6 Posted 04/08/2026 at 17:25:18
7 Posted 04/08/2026 at 18:04:14
Yes it's all been too slow, and teams seem to be signing and spending freely, but are we still struggling with psr/scr ?
Seems so to me, unless it's all a gamble to see what's left at the end of the sale.
We might end up shopping for whats left, like the sale rail in TKmaxx, A mish mash of crazy things with fancy names, but it's still all the shite no one else wanted.
8 Posted 04/08/2026 at 18:31:51
Braithwaite would've been well gone by now if he wasn't injured; if he stays fit till Christmas, he'll be out the door in the January window.
9 Posted 04/08/2026 at 18:43:07
10 Posted 04/08/2026 at 18:43:19
Only by comparison to some fans' expectations.
Did you know Everton is currently7th in the Premier League in net spend in this window? Our £55M outlay may pale in comparison to Chelsea, Spurs, Man City and Liverpool, but we've spent more than most of our closest competitors. Brighton, Fulham, Bournemouth, Man Utd, Nottm Forest, Aston Villa and even the Champions trail behind us. Palace and Sunderland have made no signings at all.
Obviously a lot will change in the next 4 weeks, but it certainly doesn't appear that we're done buying (or, in the case of Grealish, borrowing) and there is more spending on the way.
I remember a stampede of folks on here predicting that TFG wouldn't spend, that Moyes would sign Soucek and Stones, and that'd be about it. Doesn't appear to be turning out that way, does it?
11 Posted 04/08/2026 at 18:47:38
I think Fulham have just spent £50M on 2 players, the forward is a particularly decent lad -- both from Real Madrid.
12 Posted 04/08/2026 at 18:47:39
Norguard seems a good deal for the short term and, as Everton have only spent £70M on three lads who seem to be very promising, there may be some more money to spend
Even better if we lose Ndiaye for a tidy sum (but I would rather he stay). Hopefully we can feel a little better by the time Palace come to town but unfortunately Moyes will be still be here.
13 Posted 04/08/2026 at 18:48:11
14 Posted 04/08/2026 at 19:07:35
12 years ago, Championship side Leicester City brought in Mahrez from Le Havre. We all know what he did! They also brought in Kanté from Ligue 2 side Caen.
15 Posted 04/08/2026 at 19:23:19
We're certainly gonna drop behind Arsenal and Man Utd by the end of the window. They have vast resources and PCR space that we don't, and Guimarães and Tielemans respectively are incoming.
And Villa and Forest will be spending their new windfalls quickly. Gomes in particular is a great signing.
My point is that we're not moving "slowly" as some have said. We are firmly in the middle of the pack as the field moves into the backstretch. Let's see where we are when the race turns for home.
16 Posted 04/08/2026 at 19:35:34
We were linked with Mudyrk if you remember before he went to Chelsea! If he plays on the left, George would have to switch to the right, which I believe he does in training!
Chelsea fast becoming our feeder club, ha-ha, keep reminding them about Ross, where's our £20M?
And you're right, Mike (10), this week we may have Norgaard, Johnston and Yilmaz signed. Leaves just a striker to get!!! 💙😀⚽
17 Posted 04/08/2026 at 19:39:05
Players involved in the World Cup are only now returning to their clubs plus hopefully due dilligence is also being used especially in our market place.
Hackney, Rohl and George were simple -- we already knew enough.
18 Posted 04/08/2026 at 19:48:02
And George has been here 6 months before the dithering fuckers made up their minds. Hardly the actions of the rapid response team.
19 Posted 04/08/2026 at 19:55:58
Brighton have spent £108M, considerably more than us, for instance.
All the details I have checked have listed all teams dealings as net spend, which obviously includes sales, as well as purchases.
Based on purchases alone, we sit 14th. Not counting the £7M on Norgaard.
20 Posted 04/08/2026 at 20:12:13
We had the opportunity to really spend on these two key positions, and regardless of whether we sell Ndiaye, we've decided to go budget instead.
The upgrades to the Dyche team left to the world class recruiters are Dewsbury-Hall, 28, Grealish 31, and the two above. So we had an old team, and we've changed it by bringing in a bunch of cut-price oldies.
The latest tonight is we've reopened negotiations with Newcastle for Murphy.
And then we get to the potential outgoings, which no doubt will take place late in the window. selling Ndiaye, Iroegbunam, McNeil, Alcaraz, and Beto will bring in about £150M.
We'll probably spend £40M on Delap and similar on a replacement for Illy, so not even a positive net spend.
22 Posted 04/08/2026 at 20:39:52
Buying a player is a more active process than selling one. We're in the process of buying our third in Norgaard, who just passed his medical. And none of those purchases are third goalkeepers or teenagers for the U21s. We've just purchased three new starting 11 players.
My point is that we're not "slow" in comparison to other clubs, as other posters seem to believe ("dithering fuckers").
23 Posted 04/08/2026 at 21:01:38
I wouldn't be surprised if he is with us for another season at least. What worries me most is how he's going to perform next season if his head and his heart are not with Everton?
24 Posted 04/08/2026 at 21:24:25
Our net spend is high because we have not really got anymore players to sell.
Ndiaye may go, but there's holes to fill already, and he will leave another massive one.
So yeah, our net spend will continue to be high until we get the recruitment right, where we have players to trade and sell that don't have massive implications to the first team.
So Brighton may have sold Van Hecke for £52M but they bought Vuskovic for £46M. They buy 3- 4 players at mediocre fees who turn a profit year on year.
25 Posted 04/08/2026 at 21:42:29
Surely you should identify the player you want, sound out the club, agents etc, even before the window opens -- not see who's left when everyone's done their business.
It might be a case of, as you say, bargaining for a better deal. Then it shouldn't be a case of seeing what's left, it should be, "This is our budget, these are our options, get one!!!"
26 Posted 04/08/2026 at 22:02:12
When we got battered by Brighton at home in the opener of the 2024-25 season, Minteh made his debut and destroyed our left side; he was steaming into Mykolenko at any given opportunity and laid him out a couple of times.
I haven't been as impressed with many opposition players as I was him that day. He's tremendous. He'd also be £60m plus and will be moving up in the world, if anywhere.
27 Posted 04/08/2026 at 22:10:47
"My point is that we're not "slow" in comparison to other clubs, as other posters seem to believe ("dithering fuckers")."
You've clearly forgotten how Everton have worked the transfer market for the past X number of years.
Our business this summer so far:
Röhl was an obligation to buy which came into effect due to last year's loan agreement. George an option to buy but similar deal to Röhl. Hackney is the exception but not exactly a marquee signing or a great discovery by the recruitment team.
28 Posted 04/08/2026 at 22:18:07
Yes, not just Brighton, but Brentford and Bournemouth have done some really good business over the years in terms of finding players, growing their value, and selling them on for big profits. But that's not a business model I think Everton should aspire to.
We have resources well beyond theirs – wealthy owners, much bigger stadium and game day revenue, potentially larger commercial partnerships – and I hope and believe that we are intended to play among the big boys, not the Bs. It takes years to build that, but I see no reason we can't do it.
29 Posted 04/08/2026 at 22:24:23
I haven't forgotten how Everton has conducted transfer business over the last few years. I just don't think it's of any relevance now. The people conducting our business today are entirely different from those who were doing it 18 months ago.
Everything that could possibly have changed at Everton has changed, from management to finances to business philosophy, and nothing that happened before December 2024 matters a bit now. Except, of course, that we're still cleaning up that mess.
30 Posted 04/08/2026 at 22:32:46
The thing is, every player purchase is a four-way transaction. Not just us, but the other club and the player and his agent. And none of them have any incentive to operate on our time schedule. Maybe the club or the agent are waiting for a better offer. Maybe the player wants to stay at his current club. Nobody's in a hurry.
And apparently neither are we. According to the various media reports we all saw, our transaction guy knocked a total of £15M off the buy prices for George and Hackney by patiently negotiating. Reportedly, we even walked away from the table on George (which is, I would note, exactly the same strategy TFG used when buying Everton).
We won't know what's going on until it's done.
31 Posted 04/08/2026 at 22:45:52
How many pies would we have to sell in Bramley-Moore Dock to make the £115M profit they got from Ciacedo?
Yes, all that counts, but we need a policy of buying to sell, Branthwaite and Ndiaye are examples. I'm not advocating selling, but more like them, take the chance, gamble on the £7-8-10M player.
The £40M spent on one player, Dibling, could have been spread to three or four; if one comes good and establishes himself in the first team, the other three could then, with development, generate the money to go again.
This is how other teams operate: for every Van Hecke, they sell a few at £12-15M that boosts their pot. For every Mac Allister, there's two or three that didn't make it and are sold, it's a quick turnaround.
As the saying goes: Throw enough shit... some will stick!!!
32 Posted 04/08/2026 at 22:52:09
We don't know; we don't know if there's any money left; we don't know if Ndiaye is off. We do know, and have known for a couple of years, a right-back is needed.
I'm happy to judge it at the end of the window, Mike, that's when it's fair to. I'd like to see some outs, some ins, some surprises like Norgaard, who I think is good business.
33 Posted 04/08/2026 at 22:58:08
Brentford started working on their structure nearly 10 years ago when they were still in the Championship. They didn't just start doing it yesterday.
Of course we hope that Dibling and George become major stars and highly valued. But that's not the only way we can afford to spend £46M on a player. We have other ways to build up that level of resources, and I hope that's the plan TFG is working under. I think we need to aspire to a higher ceiling than Bournemouth or Brighton.
34 Posted 04/08/2026 at 23:00:03
I don't think we will finish next season above any of Brighton, Bournemouth or Brentford.
35 Posted 04/08/2026 at 23:36:43
Wheels fell off at the end of last season, partly down to the players being bottlers, partly cos Moyes didn't have the answers, but what seems to be over-looked is the fact the owners didn't buy players when we had a real chance of progressing quicker than expected.
Remember around 10 games to go and Champions League was more than achievable, but the squad didn't have the personnel to get it over the line.
Grealish was injured before the window closed, Gana and
Ndiaye were at the Afcon, and despite that we signed no one. Fast forward to the summer window and again they are dragging their heels.
Grealish should be in, another wide attacking player, a right-back, a striker, Beto, Patterson and McNeil out as their contracts are on the way down (and other footballing reasons)...
Business needs sorting in time for the pre-season, but as was the case with Kenwright and his mob, we are sat around waiting for answers while a lot of proper clubs have already done their business.
36 Posted 04/08/2026 at 23:46:01
Filled with players whose primary position is on the right flank. Not players who can play either flank.
If Ndiaye goes, I would spend the money and a bit more on Minteh and Spence.
37 Posted 05/08/2026 at 05:07:23
Can you suggest a way we can force Man City to decide right now on Grealish and loan him back to us immediately?
Can you explain why Everton's "business needs sorting before the pre-season" when most clubs are still dealing on the final day?
And since our highest table position last season was 8th, can you explain why the Champions League was "more than achievable" and which Champions League club (or clubs) we should have been able to pass to get in?
38 Posted 05/08/2026 at 06:17:36
You also made an interesting point: “everything that could possibly have changed at Everton has changed, from management to finances to business philosophy, and nothing that happened before December 2024 matters a bit now.”
What hasn't changed -- yet -- are outcomes in terms of football operations. In the 1.5 years that TFG have been in charge, the performances and bench strength of the Academy teams, Women's first team squad and Men's first team squad have not improved significantly since December 2024.
Basis where we stand today, the summer recruitment has also not delivered results. Concluding deals that were set up in previous transfer windows plus one player from the Championship is not moving the needle drastically.
Johnston and Norgaard look like ‘C-List' names from the recruitment and analytics teams' global scan of talent for right-back and central defensive midfielder. Cheap, dependable, experienced best describes them.
A big few weeks ahead for TFG.
39 Posted 05/08/2026 at 06:36:13
I didn't lose a single night's sleep last season worrying about whether we were going down. And to me, that's an improvement, however incremental.
But yes, we have a long way to go before the improvement on the pitch matches the improvements in the club structure. This is a longer slower process than any of us would like, and the first full summer window for the new recruitment team isn't exactly making us quiver with excitement.
Patience is not something that comes easily to this fan base, but that's the way it's going to have to work, because I firmly believe that our new ownership is committed to a slow build, as they did at Roma.
40 Posted 05/08/2026 at 06:51:07
The two buys are not exactly earth-shattering recruitment. For me, so far, I'm thinking when will we actually see the impacts of this ace recruitment team and all this state-of-the-art diagnostics? -- because we have seen nothing so far.
Some things are yet to change. This is a completely typical Everton window so far after a season where we finished in the same position as the one before.
I do not expect to see last-minute rush buys. That is presumably what our crack recruiters were expensively assembled to prevent. Where is the creative and deeply researched three Bs type buy that we sorely need?
I can see it already. Well, the ace team have only been around for a year and this diagnostics stuff takes ages to learn.
We can only hope.
41 Posted 05/08/2026 at 07:35:18
We've already established that you happy-clapped the Koeman & Walsh spending spree. Those who were around will also know you happy-clapped Brands when he was signing Yerry Mina and a whole host of other crocks. You then lost your mind completely telling us Carlo was bringing in a bunch of superstars.
You'll understand why so many people are struggling to get on board as you evangelise over the latest transfer err....."Strategy".
After spending years happy-clapping the club to the brink of oblivion, you are now calling for people to have patience with these dithering fuckers who continue to fiddle while Rome burns.
Yep. You've won me over. Where do I sign?
42 Posted 05/08/2026 at 08:18:43
One new player does not constitute a rapid response team. But it also doesn't mean TFG have been slow because we don't see what goes on behind the scenes.
We can judge the transfer window at the close but, let's be honest, we aren't an attractive proposition for most players. If any of them read the BBC article or were made aware of it -- why would you choose a team that quite possibly won't play you? Or play to win at a super duper new stadium?
I think, but I could be wrong, Moyes generally likes to wait for a bargain rather than early integration of new players (which might indicate he has way more say in transfer dealings than the expert team that were hired to do it).
All in all, it's par for the course. I was quite excited after last summer's window... and we finished in the same place. This window is depressing but it's not over. But whoever we sign now are unlikely to hit the ground running, so I suspect our starting XI for Palace will be very familiar.
43 Posted 05/08/2026 at 08:43:12
44 Posted 05/08/2026 at 09:30:26
Unbelievable.
45 Posted 05/08/2026 at 09:36:29
46 Posted 05/08/2026 at 09:38:35
47 Posted 05/08/2026 at 09:50:35
Listen to what John Moore, said on the “History of Everton” video, and then think about what our loveable neighbours, sing to us at every single derby game with unmerciful glee in their eyes.
We are coming up to 32 years without a trophy, by far the longest barren spell in our entire history, a history that used to be described as illustrious, and is probably the reason why a lot of genuine football fans, still call Everton, a truly historical football club,
There is only one reason, above any other reason, why Everton, are still a premier league club, imo, and its not because of Bill Kenwright, its not because of Farhad Moshiri, and its not because of The Silent Fucking Friedkins.
It is because of one of the the most loyal and most passionate fan bases in the country, why Everton, are still playing in the big league. Fans whos patience has been tested, and whos patience might be wearing thin (speaking for myself on that last one) but fans who have stood the test of time, as much as any other set of fans anywhere in the world…. You Did Not Desert Us - My Brothers In Arms💙
48 Posted 05/08/2026 at 09:53:27
Can we ask their elite recruitment team to find us one
49 Posted 05/08/2026 at 09:55:09
I wasn't saying Bournemouth and Brighton should be our ceiling. I was pointing out how they keep their net spend down, and how their recruitment and good sales allow them to spend £46M without the big stadium revenue.
Personally, I'd be happy with more signings like Hackney and George, supplemented with a few like Norgaard over this and the next window.
50 Posted 05/08/2026 at 10:05:25
Too much money often takes away too much desire, I still shake my head when I think about the kid Brendan Galloway. What happened to him, because he looked nailed on to have a great Everton career?
I think Darren has already used this example when he used that other kid who allegedly had too much Birkdale and not enough Kirkdale inside his veins, Jack Rodwell, to describe another who probably got way too much money, too soon.
He had some nerve, though, sitting on his contract at Sunderland when that club, was absolutely skint!!
51 Posted 05/08/2026 at 10:08:33
Every single football fan has done it.
That makes the constant ridicule offered up plums imo mate.
Glass houses
52 Posted 05/08/2026 at 10:09:14
And now we're being told that we need to be patient for another what 5 years with these arrogant, silent, absent owners who don't give a shit about our culture and tradition and have absolutely no understanding of us and who we are and where we are.
56 Posted 05/08/2026 at 10:36:04
Really!... How patient, Mike? Because at 65 years old, my patience has worn thin. I've watched over the past month virtually every team in and around us buy players to strengthen their squads whilst we sit on our arses procrastinating.
58 Posted 05/08/2026 at 10:57:48
The poorest aspect of the club is our scouting system. Other teams, such as Sunderland, Brighton, Bournemouth for example, seem to be able to source a few gems from somewhere when we can't.
With these financial rules now in place, we can't go out and sign an exceptional player; finding real bargains is the way forward. Nobody is saying it's easy but we need to be much better.
59 Posted 05/08/2026 at 11:59:02
60 Posted 05/08/2026 at 12:03:54
We have been patient for many years, as Tony had very eloquently described earlier. We don't want to be told we have another 5 plus years to wait for success. We want to at least be seen to be attempting to be successful.
All the changes TFG have made so far will count for absolutely nothing with the hardcore fan base if we remain locked in mid-table mediocrity.
61 Posted 05/08/2026 at 12:11:48
We may have taken Rohl and George into ownership but squad depth is weaker. We can't count Norgaard yet, it's reported we're still haggling the £7M fee... it's not yet done.
Transfer dealings are slow and appear haphazard. We jump (according to reports) from one target to another. It's reactive rather than planned.
In contrast, Brighton, Bournemouth etc have clear targets, often unheard of, but clearly identified in advance, and bring in their next tranche of potential stars. It appears we can't do this.
Chase a right-back, any right-back, see if we can get one to stick… Of course financial rules are limiting but so too is our own recruitment plan.
I agree we shouldn't pay the £40M asked by Chelsea for Delap, so is our plan really to leave it to last day and hope for a loan…?? Are we going to similarly go all the way to the wire for Grealish, who's fitness and recovery will only really be tested if he plays…??
Sounds like we want the Celtic right-back but won't pay the modest fee. Meanwhile, Roma dive in and pinch another experienced Spanish right-back. It's frustrating as hell watching it play out.
The supposed Phase 2 of our rebuild is as limp and tortuous as Phase 1 without the expensive Dibling misjudgment.
62 Posted 05/08/2026 at 12:12:08
That's a worse team than the one he took over. After being here for 2.5 years, that will be a really poor return on building up the first team.
Also, we've got 3 players: Armstrong, Dibling and Aznou, who all need to be playing at least 30 games this season, and so they all need to go out on loan, cos we all know if they stay here, they will get about half an hour a month.
But I suspect they'll all stay, further diminishing their value.
63 Posted 05/08/2026 at 12:23:08
Like Kevin says above, any signings, if made over the next couple of weeks, are going to have to be compatible with the next manager coming in next summer.
A proper forward planning process with regards to transfers and who will be managing the team for the next few years appears to be sadly lacking here.
Unless the worst happens and Moyes gets a contract extension. Who knows with these disinterested owners?
64 Posted 05/08/2026 at 12:38:40
Carlo then decided to give him his massive boost to, by his own admission, stave off interest from Pep.
That's an awful lot of mistakes made by some very prominent people.
Holgate the boy could play... anyone with an understanding of the game could see that. Those without that understanding would simply dismiss the almost immediate fall from grace as soon as he got the contract as mere coincidence.
65 Posted 05/08/2026 at 12:49:28
A lot just think that's it, made it. When the mentality should be that's the start! It's what sets the best apart.
66 Posted 05/08/2026 at 12:52:21
I also think you can begin to see a pattern, or at least guess that it is a pattern, with how TFG seem to operate. It looks like they talk about a player, then walk away to get a better price.
If they have determined that whichever player really wants to come to Everton, or that Everton are the only club that are really in for the player, then this will probably work, but if there are other clubs interested, then I'm not so sure...
Last year, Moyes blamed it on the club not being involved in European football; I wonder if he will use the same excuse this season once the window has shut?
67 Posted 05/08/2026 at 12:57:51
We lacked the ambition to chase Europe hard last season when the door was open. It works both ways.
68 Posted 05/08/2026 at 13:15:51
Obviously, they didn't like what they saw.
69 Posted 05/08/2026 at 13:26:55
Roberto saw to that.
70 Posted 05/08/2026 at 13:52:18
Where the hell is Colin Glassar?
And do the English say it like that or 'where in hell'?
71 Posted 05/08/2026 at 13:58:22
I would imagine Brentford, Brighton and Bournemouth all have some idea who they might be looking to bring in next summer, never mind this one. They probably even have in mind who they will need to and want to sell.
I guarantee most of them will be quite young and will have played quite a lot of football in their respective leagues. So some of these guys who are playing 100 games in Scandinavian football or lower league French football or somewhere in South America before they reach the age of 20.
They're light-years ahead of someone like Harrison Armstrong, who probably has more natural ability but, if he doesn't go on loan this season, he will stagnate on our bench and hit 20 without having played any meaningful consistent football at any level for the best part of 12 months.
72 Posted 05/08/2026 at 14:10:01
How long are we trying to buy a full-back, we've been linked with so many now? Why can't we just target one, and make an offer?
It seems Molina is heading to Roma now, they're doing their transfer business a lot quicker than us. He'll be their fifth signing this summer??
73 Posted 05/08/2026 at 14:18:40
Who are these bunch of 28- to 33-year-olds added that you don't think we should have signed?
Who did you want to keep from the Dyche squad that Moyes has cut? Maupay, Jack Harrison, Young, Holgate, Doucoure, Broja, Lindstrom, Mangala, Gana, Coleman, Chermiti, Calvert-Lewin and Co?
74 Posted 05/08/2026 at 14:33:12
Utd, after a closer look, decided to not make a bid?
Conclusion?
75 Posted 05/08/2026 at 14:49:13
I'm not advocating retention of the Dyche era team, I am making the point that that team has been retained up to now, save for the above.
Hardly world class recruiting, no capacity at all so far for developing players.
76 Posted 05/08/2026 at 15:22:06
The conclusion is they didn't see him. He got injured at his trial. He was invited back, but decided to take up Roberto's concrete offer instead.
77 Posted 05/08/2026 at 15:30:27
Then: "Man Utd didn't see him" He was invited back but decided to take up Roberto's offer." How do you know?
78 Posted 05/08/2026 at 15:56:45
"At the time, I wanted to go somewhere where I could feel I was part of the first team. I felt if I tried to go to one of the richer clubs, I would have been back with the Under-23s which wasn't what I wanted. I'd just played 20 games at 18 and felt it would be a backward step to go back to Under-23 football."
Thats how I know.
82 Posted 05/08/2026 at 21:18:19
I'm slightly surprised by its force and extent but it is bordering on consensual.
83 Posted 05/08/2026 at 22:24:08
I thought the transfer team would avoid the kind of last-minute deals that are typically more costly and prevent a full squad being ready to go first match of the season. Maybe this is a problem of our past reputation that the TFG group is working through and not fully their responsibility.
If they gave us some words, we could figure it out.
84 Posted 06/08/2026 at 01:41:53
I said we were within a shout of Champions League football based on the fact that, with 6 games to go (19 April), we were at home 1-1 v Liverpool. Beating them would have put us in the Top 4 and above them. They had their 3rd choice keeper come on and ended up beating us; that helped push them into the Champions League positions.
That means after 31 and over half the 32nd game, we were within 1 goal of Top 4. (Again, at home to a Liverpool side which had been struggling, and again had a keeper in who's nowhere near Premier League standard.)
That's why I felt we had a chance of playing European football. I'd say most people would see that as a golden opportunity, if I'm honest.
Re Grealish and Man City, we had an agreement in place to sign him for £50M; myself, I wouldn't pay it, but if you make an agreement, then City can't go back on it, therefore signing Grealish was well within our grasp. Hope that clears that up.
Re proper clubs who have done business: Man Utd signed two first team centre-midfielders; Spurs took Tonali, Fernández, Robinson, Van Hecke, and Senesi; Arsenal won the Premier League and took Bruno Guimaraes, Tzolis and made Hancapie permanent; Bournemouth Silva (€25M), Rodriguez (€25M) Jiminez (AC Milan); Chelsea signed Rodgers, Lacroix, Palestra and Barco, Walbeck, Henderson (probably others)... l could go on but I'd be here all day, but can I ask: Will my answer suffice for you, Mike?
85 Posted 06/08/2026 at 02:23:23
And we're doing just as well as "proper" club Bournemouth. As of today, they've brought in three new starters and lost one, and we've signed three new starters and lost none. Business continues.
As for us having a "golden opportunity" to pass Liverpool and reach the Champions League, all I can do is shake my head and say I truly admire your dreams. In my view, we were never anywhere near good enough to accomplish that. Our last seven games weren't a collapse of a quality Euro-bound team. They were, if you look at our 11 and our manager, a reversion to the mean.
86 Posted 06/08/2026 at 03:19:43
My main point was to say the owners should have backed Moyes in the winter; had they done that and got us a half-decent right-back, for instance, then we might have nicked the extra 5 to 7 points that would have gotten us European football.
As for the teams operating in another universe, I did talk about Spurs who almost went down, and Chelsea who have spent a fortune and not got any European football. Aren't our owners supposed to be billionaires!!
I could have spoken about Fulham, who took two players from Madrid recently, or Brentford, who smashed their transfer record to sign Sangare, but I want us to compete as high up as possible. We sell out 50k seats, we shouldn't use Brentford and Fulham as a benchmark.
Buy a quality right-back early doors, follow up with a better striker than we have at the club, bring in an established Premier League wide player as we know we need one. Once this is done, cash in on Patterson, McNeil and Beto as their contracts are running down.
This is how professional clubs are run -- not scrimping over a few months wages, serious clubs get their players in then clear out the deadwood.
You can say we weren't good enough all you like -- after 32 games we were in the mixer, but the wheels fell off.
Signings in January can be massive for teams and our owners choked and we fell off.
We can blame the squad, Moyes or whoever, but the fact is, with the injuries to Branthwaite and Grealish, plus Ndiaye coming back from the Afcon out of form, then the lack of goals within the front line left us short; a simple signing could have proven the difference.
A decent right-back gives us O'Brien for centre-back when Keane and Tarkowski come up short. A player like Welbeck could have come in and bagged us the necessary goals to push us on.
(It didn't have to be him, I'm just pointing to the fact not every player needs to be a world beater or a marquee signing: Vardy, Callum Wilson or Lukaku, who didn't get any game time at all 2nd half of the season at Napoli, would all have grabbed us a few extra goals.)
In my humble opinion, your mindset is one of a blues fan who accepts mediocrity, with owners throwing us a few quid here and there instead of finding ways to make us more competitive.
You speak about 3 in: let's be honest about the 3, George isn't anything like the level of Grealish, and he was already with the squad last season. Norgaard has to be one of the first names on the team sheet if he's to be up to the level of Gana as he played almost every minute he was available to us for. Hackney looks decent too but he's not proven in any top league so he's hard to judge.
Anyway, Mike, each to theire own mate, let's hope we finish the window strongly and we can kick on.
87 Posted 06/08/2026 at 04:55:30
Buying a quality right-back "early doors" requires a right-back who wants to sign "early doors" and a club that wants to sell him "early doors" -- and it takes money to make them want it.
We didn't have SCR range in the winter, and both CEO and manager said publicly well in advance that we wouldn't be buying then. Moyes didn't ask for backing. I'm confident we'll get a right-back at the end of this window.
And you're welcome to your opinion, of course, but there's nothing you could say that could ever convince me that a right-back last winter would have gotten us 5-7 extra points. Even Hakimi or Dumfries or Jules Kounde could never make that kind of difference.
And remember, we finished 11 points back of Liverpool, not 7. Please don't fall into the snarky trap that others here so enjoy of accusing fans of settling for mediocrity. It's unpleasant, inaccurate and puts people off.
In fact, I'm probably the one here most optimistic that our new ownership is eventually going to bring us back to compete at the top of the table. I don't see anybody else predicting that, you included.
88 Posted 06/08/2026 at 08:25:35
I don't like, however, that you seem to be insulting large groups of Everton fans in your more recent posts. I actually think people have settled for mediocrity -- but I don't think it's what they want... nor do I think it's their fault.
Years of nothingness have, in some, faded memories of winning and in other's they will never have known it. It is not snarky, it's an observation from someone who thinks we can and should be better, thinks our owners need to show up, and thinks our manager has played a huge part in removing ambition over the years.
89 Posted 06/08/2026 at 16:35:22
Maybe I can't convince you that a decent signing would gain us the extra points, but maybe if you cast your mind back to a certain Super Kevin Cambell signing in January where he bagged for fun and saved us, I'm sure he was good for a fair few points!
One player in and another shifted to his preferred position can change things drastically, and although Liverpool finished 11 points clear of us, Sunderland got Europa League football with just 5 more points than us... I'd have settled for that with a big smile on my face.
So whether it's a forward bagging or a defender stopping us conceding, we could and should have finished stronger and gained them 5 points with ease. All about opinions, though, Mike, and you're perfectly entitled to yours, mate... maybe we see this one a tad differently.
90 Posted 06/08/2026 at 17:06:01
To put it in player's terms, I believe Everton was severely injured on the pitch over that 4 years. We are finally being properly treated for that injury, but full rehabilitation is a slow and incremental process, and I think it's perfectly okay to recognize those small increments as progress.
We're back on the grass, continuing to work towards regaining full function and stamina, and we're not going to be satisfied with anything less than a return to full speed, but there will be setbacks, and the progress won't come by leaps and bounds. We'll have to grind it out over time.
I once spent three years rehabbing an injury. I played a lot of mediocre and even sub-mediocre football during that time, but I made it a point to acknowledge every time I did something a little bit better. And I eventually got back to where I wanted to be.
That's how I see Everton.
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1 Posted 04/08/2026 at 16:16:22
Proven. Ready to go. 10 goals minimum per season for at least the next 3 seasons.