The media meltfest roadshow has rolled up at L4 4EL this week after the news of Everton turning down a £28m bid for both Fellaini and Baines.
In the least surprising football news of the summer, well apart from the Suarez transfer request and subsequent kopite meltdown, a bid was long expected to come.
The main contention with Everton fans was Manchester United´s valuation of both our players. Including adds on we paid around £24m for them both and that was five and six years ago respectively. Since then the club have done a fine job at developing both of them into two of the finest players in the entire league for their respective positions.
When you factor in Fellaini´s supposed fee including a sell on percentage to his former club Standard Liege it´s a bit of a pisstake valuation but I think Man Utd were calculated with it being an opening bid. And for a change it was nice to see Everton react with a strong riposte, although it was notable there was no mention of either of them not being for sale in that response.
I would find it doubtful that both players will remain on the payroll come the 2nd of September as we´ve been here before and we know how it works. This however isn´t bad timing for Everton necessarily.
If you are to take Martinez´s word then we don´t need to sell to survive this year and at present neither player is angling for the move, well publicly anyway. They are also tied up on contracts that don´t expire in the near future.
Replacing them would be a very difficult task as they are two fantastic players and vital to the team, no matter what the demonisation process says if they do leave – they would be sorely missed.
Since were not in a desperate position to sell though the ball is firmly in our court. We are apparently a team looking up the league rather than down so if we are to sell any of our best players then it needs to be on our terms, and our terms only.
We would have to benefit where we could utilise the money gained from their sale of each player to purchase possibly two good players of decent potential. For a squad of our size that could long term be a benefit but obviously its going to cost us short term.
Any of this money used for new players would have to strengthen the team and not just supplement the squad as there would be a giant hole in either defence or midfield, or indeed both, where the former players were. A Gareth Barry replacement or “lets just go with Oviedo” would have lids hanging off director cars´ speeding bonnets faster than you could say Park Food Hampers.
The club will acutely aware of that. There´s also the two other main factors of time and replacement availability. There´s two weeks left before the window closes so something would have to move fast. As soon as any sale is made then the likes of the shrewd Whelan knows we´ve got wedge so the inevitable move for James McCarthy would see him suddenly become very much more expensive and therefore much more of a risk.
Or we could just say do one they´re not for sale and concentrate on the season ahead.
Whichever way it turns, it´s going to be a very important week or two coming up for us. Until that meltfest roadshow rolls out of town anyway.
There´s a thriving forum buried under the homepage on this site if you want to electronically hold hands with fellow blues throughout this ordeal which will be built up to be a matter of life and death throughout. Or you could just relax; its togger after all.
Have a nice day.