Idrissa Gana Gueye to sign a new contract with Everton imminently

Good news this. Best player last season and like a fine wine, ageing really well. Keane as well, apparently.

Obviously the travel expenses for the scouts will be minimal so far - Alcaraz, Coleman, Gueye, Keane and a couple of the kids, plus a rumour Jack Harrison is wanted by the Moyesiah, who must have sent them to Yorkshire to see if he's still working hard. The guy asked to checkout Barry, most probaly worked from home, watching the U21 competition, which is why the James McAtee rumour started.

Jack (2) I’d welcome a good glass of Gana’s wine Jack I wouldn’t even taste Michael’s !

Great news to hear-a man with a real professional attitude and playing better than ever in my opinion.

Great news about Gana.

Delighted about Gana. And Barry. And Jarrad. And Alcaraz.

…and we are only just into the window. Lots more to come.

How nice is it to have a club management that actually takes assertive action!

Si, isn’t that the way football commentary used to be years ago? I distantly remember games where the commentator would just recite the names of the players on the ball one after the other, and then exclaim “goal“!

Not that I remember Mike. I thought it used to be more detailed and descriptive about what was going on.
Now they seem to fancy themselves more as analysts (which they already have in the studio) or giving ‘background’.
They don’t even say whether a corner has gone near post, central or far post.
If you have good eyesight they are basically redundant, but it must be terrible for partially sighted or blind who don’t have another commentary source. It’s bad enough when you are doing something else and are relying on them to alert you to some skilful play / well timed tackle or such.
They give it their all on replays so they are are basically fixated on ‘chances’ and ignore the rest of the play. You don’t count as a proper football fan in my opinion if you don’t appreciate all that goes into it.

“the commentator would just recite the names of the players on the ball one after the other, and then exclaim “goal“!”
Even that would be a massive improvement on ‘dead-air’.

It is starting to look like a First XI and Second XI is taking shape like this:

Beto
Ndiaye
?
Alcaraz [good business]
Garner
Gueye [good business]
Mykolenko
?
Branthwaite [good business]
Tarkowksi
Pickford

Barry [promising]
McNeil
?
Armstrong [unless loaned]
Iroegbunam
?
?
Coleman
Keane
O'Brien
?

Still a lot of work to do, but the gaps are filling up.

The right side now Robert and it will be looking positive.

On commentators, I'm glad I don't have to listen to them most weeks as I'm at the match.

I don't even watch Match of the Day on the night, often because I'm still travelling back. I'll switch it on the next morning to catch up on other matches.

I think what Mike is saying is previously, the commentators would comment on what was happening on the pitch in a simple way.

A bit like me talking to the person next to me in the ground.

Without sounding like a fossil, I just think the modern-day pundits over-analyse the game and there is a tendency to zoom in on mistakes and be overly critical. Well, considering most of them have been, or still are, professional footballers and made many themselves, they surely know football is a game of mistakes?

Robert, you’ve seriously put Jake O’Brien on the bench behind Seamus and Michael Keane?

Are you ‘channeling’ Sean Dyche?

Robert, don't forget that for the first couple months of the season there's likely to be a "gap" where Tarkowski's name is.

I thought the back half of last season there weren't many teams with a better record, and while as yet we haven't signed anyone who wasnt playing for us last season, the extension contracts of Branthwaite and Gana are as good as any new signings. I have no doubt that there will be additions to our squad and we will be a lot stronger than last season.
Also with many clubs playing in Europe for the first time we may have an advantage over these clubs, as many wont be used to playing 2 games a week plus all the extra travelling. We looked fitter under Moyes than we did under our previous manager, and the results and style of football were a joy to watch at times. I think getting the best young CB in England to sign a long term contract is a massive plus for Moyes who Branthwaite cited as one of the main reasons he signed a new contract.

Si # 15, it is just an account of players we have against the various positions to highlight certain glaring gaps.

Mike # 16, no I haven't forgotten. But any of them could get injured at any point.

Looks like we're keeping faith with the excellent team that finished last season. Can't be bad with a few new faces.

Martin (16), is it ‘keeping faith’ if it’s ‘Hobson’s choice’?

Danny, I take in plenty of TV commentary across a wide range of sports.
Football commentary is variable, but I’d rather they said pretty much anything than the massive gaps of silence that peppered the commentary on ITV for the Sweden v Denmark game. The two who did the Germany v Poland game were much more normal, although the female commentator could’nt get more descriptive than referring to the first German goal with variations on ‘a (blank) strike’. Nothing about it being, say, left-footed, angled into the top left hand corner, from about 20 yards out.
Rather than the way you might comment to someone next to you in the ground, the commentary today reminded me of a new (to me) type of behaviour I witnessed at the Ipswich game at Goodison. That is fans who don’t even keep their eyes on the what is happening on the pitch most of the time, instead relying on the reactions of others to alert them to the fact something is developing on the pitch that could result in a goal-scoring opportunity.
It bemuses me. I go for 90 minutes plus immersion, not just for the thrill of goals.

Mike #7. I remember a goal in a dead rubber World Cup game years ago. The commentator obviously from the country of the minnow South American team did the usual 'Gooooooooal', followed by a high pitch rant for five minutes. Our commentator, good old Gerald Sinstadt, as if his neighbour had just woken him up, simply said; 'two - one'!

Danny#11

That was always the way.I remember at home after a match watching Jimmy Hill go 5 moves back to a alleged infringement before a great goal.I swore at the Television.When Var go back three moves I think of Jimmy.He was wort than VAR.

Si,

I'm with you. I talk to the people next to me, but I'm focussed on the pitch. I don't always worry about the player on the ball. I look at the shape, the positions and the pattern. Where is the ball likely to go or should go next? Where is the space.

Probably the only exceptions to that in the current team are Ndiaye with his superglue boots and trickery and Alcaraz with his direct running on the ball.

Still not officially signed, hope that changes soon. I agree he's good for a couple of seasons whilst we bring through or identify a long term replacement.

Ndidi on a free makes sense, experienced, got a bit of pace, stamina and work ethic about him.

Taking too long…

Sign up, Gana lad — we need you!

I reckon he will sign a two year contract with us, and then get a better offer to play Champions League football and be off.

Not sure what the hold up is, hopefully done by tomorrow.

I think he was allowed an extra few days before returning to training as he and Ndaiye and Pickford played International games after the season finished. So I guess the club want a picture of him signing his contract extension so will probably happen this coming week.

Gana has now signed his new contract

Yes Ryan, the bobble reporting it on X, he’s pretty reliable.

Done and dusted.

Looks like Gana has signed a new deal.

Being reported on a lot of sports sites.

Paul,

Yes, confirmed by Bobble.

In response to the above comments about Gana, this is what AI is saying:

According to The Bobble, talks are currently underway between Idrissa Gana Gueye and Everton regarding a contract extension, and both parties are keen to extend the deal. This suggests a mutual interest in continuing the relationship, which bodes well for Everton’s midfield stability.

Interestingly, there’s also speculation that if Gana doesn’t sign, João Palhinha — currently at Bayern —c ould become a potential target, possibly on loan. That adds a layer of strategic contingency planning from the club’s side.

This is what AI is saying about Gana by The Bobble. So nothing signed as yet contrary to what has been said! Apparently. So believe what you want.

Fabricio versus AI is a tough call.

AI tells me and... my Lottery jackpot is true. Love close season.

Wow! We just signed fantasy says computer in South Carolina.

Makes sense.

Now that he's finally signed, hopefully we can start getting some new players in.

Official club website now confirm signing of Gana Gueye.

Been a great signing.

Done and dusted, I believe is the proper expression.

Great news. One of our best players last season and indeed one of the best defensive midfielders in the Premier League.

It would be hard to replace what he does for the team without spending a big chunk.