Should we prepare for life after...

[JLW]

And won zero in decades. And never sustained any of those positions.

Again we always hit the reset button because we're not in a position of power to prevent it.

Add to this a manager who's out in another 2 seasons...

Basically, unless a statement is made in the window, I won't be expecting to challenge for top 4 as per the "project"

What we have now we will be short again of a top 4 challenge
Yes we have a big summer ahead of us and im sure we will be stronger next season with or without Lukaku.
If we got lets say 80-90m for him and we spend it all on say 3 players (2 strikers and a AM) I would be confident that those 3 players would give us a better return than the 24 goals Lukaku has give us currently.

 

[a bell maul]

Sigurdsson is not a Koeman type player. I highly doubt he'll be arriving here. Lukaku cant be replaced. A club with limited resources cant make that claim that they'll get as good as they let go.

...Dave, you should have been christened Thomas lol

 

[Toffee-nerd]

It's strange. I thought I'd be gutted if lukaku leaves but the thought of Ross leaving is more painful. Even though roms contribution to results is more than Barkley. It's a real possibility at the moment that Barkley will go. I still think they will both pen new deals.

 

[Kenshin]

To be honest, on the subject of whether we should sell them or not, my opinion rests on not them leaving but what to do afterwards.

We could go and sell the pair for 100 million on july the 1st and have the whole summer to replace them. However if that entails another summer of failed negotiations, panic buys and just terrible all around then what is the point in getting rid?

Similarly if getting rid of them, again for 100 million and then using that money solely as our transfer funds for the summer leaves me thinking what is the point. If we put up 50 million plus their transfer fees then yes, we can look to invest in players that way. But once the sales do happen then the price of any player we want goes up. If selling them two meant a real squad overhaul and foundations for 5 years down the line then i would want them both gone tomorrow. However i do not believe that would be the case, and therefore wanting to sell them would be blind faith based on the previous transfer dealings we are used to.

All subjective opinions however, i just believe any sales would cover up a lack of investment or would be funneled into avenues that essentially would lead to nothing and waste weeks of the window like last summer.

 

[Thomasc]

It's strange. I thought I'd be gutted if lukaku leaves but the thought of Ross leaving is more painful. Even though roms contribution to results is more than Barkley. It's a real possibility at the moment that Barkley will go. I still think they will both pen new deals.

This is Barkley all over, he divides opinion massively!

Some think he can go on to be our version of what Slippy G was across the park, others just see him as decent and nothing special now, which also seems to include the manager.

 

[davids]

Koeman has done nothing yet for us or as a manager @AndyC

Qualifying for a European competition?

 

[bicycleheader]

Qualifying for a European competition?

I believe lopping off most of that sentence has unfairly mispresented my statement Sir!

 

[davek]

His goals will be difficult yes, but replacing a him as an all round footballer, Easy.

Lets say we sell Lukaku and sign a striker who gets us 12-15 next season do you think we will be in a worse position in the league come this time next season?

Of course we will.

Lukaku's goals have allowed Everton to seal games and make the last 10 minutes a nerve free stroll. Without them we'll be throwing away leads and drawing or losing more.

 

[davek]

Utter garbage.

Lukaku's 24 goals can't be replaced, don't make me laugh

This will be vaulted on a regular basis next season...a REGULAR basis.

 

[JLW]

Of course we will.

Lukaku's goals have allowed Everton to seal games and make the last 10 minutes a nerve free stroll. Without them we'll be throwing away leads and drawing or losing more.

I think we will have to agree to disagree on this one, time will tell. Hopefully i'm right and you're wrong for the good of EFC.

 

[Jokerdan]

This is Barkley all over, he divides opinion massively!

Some think he can go on to be our version of what Slippy G was across the park, others just see him as decent and nothing special now, which also seems to include the manager.

Personally, I just see him as HALF-decent and nothing special. Shame, really. He could have become an icon for this and future generations to venerate.

 

[davek]

Personally, I just see him as HALF-decent and nothing special. Shame, really. He could have become an icon for this and future generations to venerate.

If he gets another goal he becomes outright our top scorer in a single season since Lineker's 1985/86 mammoth effort. Only Cottee and Sharp have consistently hit the high teens/early twenty goal mark since Latchford in the 1970s.

He's special. Make no mistake about that.

 

[Neiler]

If he gets another goal he becomes outright our top scorer in a single season since Lineker's 1985/86 mammoth effort. Only Cottee and Sharp have consistently hit the high teens/early twenty goal mark since Latchford in the 1970s.

He's special. Make no mistake about that.

Agreed, but i dont think he is irreplaceable or rather i think Everton will change without him.

Look ive been thinking for a while we are to one dimensional, stop Barkley and stop Lukaku you stop Everton, now teams have had varying success on that score but essentially there is little variance in our attacking play. There is an argument to be made that if we diversify and have increased variance we become a far better creative and unpredictable team. Of course the spread needs to be covered, replacing Rom is replacing 25 goals. But is it impossible? I dont think so. Does it require a total overall of our attacking front 4? I think so. I would go so far as to say we need five players to go with my opinion. For the sake of the argument and not specifically the players:

Sigurrdson
Rooney
Hernandez/Vardy
Benteke/Josh King
Marhez/Zaha

A combo of any of 5 of any of the i think could very easily cover the spread and yet offer us a better variance, squad strength and enable us to be a less of a one dimensional attacking outfit, the players are example only not to get into the specifics of who we want or dont want etc.

 

[Jokerdan]

If he gets another goal he becomes outright our top scorer in a single season since Lineker's 1985/86 mammoth effort. Only Cottee and Sharp have consistently hit the high teens/early twenty goal mark since Latchford in the 1970s.

He's special. Make no mistake about that.

But not consistently to put him up there with any of our former greats. Believe me when I say that I will be gutted if he leaves and turns around his performances on a more regular basis with someone else but at the moment he just flatters to deceive and you never know which Ross is turning up on any given day.

 

[nsno-chris]

This will be vaulted on a regular basis next season...a REGULAR basis.

It won't at all, you don't think we will bring in players that will cover the 24 goals, if he adds 7 new players to the squad and each contribute 4 goals the total has been covered.

What you mean to say is that it'll be almost impossible to replace like for like, i.e. a striker who scores 24 goals