Should we prepare for life after...

[PickeringBlue]

In my opinion it's much more important that we hold on to Rom, and I actually think it's 50/50 that we will. Despite his goal tally, he's less "complete" than other strikers in the league/world who have scored less and I just don't think there will be club willing to meet our valuation. We'll need two really good strikers next year and to try and bring them both in using money from Rom's sale would be way too risky.

Barkley on the other hand, I don't care either way, in some ways I'd just as soon see him go. Personally, I struggle to see him getting much better here or anywhere else...just doesn't seem to have the mentality to be world class (feel the same way about Rom to be fair, but he is a proven goal scorer)

If Rom were the life long Blue and Ross a boy from Belgium very few would be more upset to see Ross go. What we need more than anything is a true leader on the field who's vocal and not afraid to get at others during games, a real winner. Thats what we were really missing this year IMO.

 

[Cork Evertonian]

Im not overly arsed either way.If Rom and Ross sign new deals then great.If they want to leave then we'll just have to get a good price on them and make sure we get some top quality replacements in.

 

[Seathestars]

"I don't know what the board's plan is. I don't really know. Obviously stuff is changing and stuff is happening, but like I said there were some players that we could have got. That I knew the club could have got and they didn't get. And they are playing in this league. I am not saying names, but they are doing well."

Does my statement look mischievous or pretty much on the money now?

In fairness I remember similar words myself, and it did sound like Lakaku was fuming about it. But he's not the boss and shouldn't decide who we sign and who we don't. But yes, he did sound frustrated and he did make it sound like the board couldn't be arsed trying.

 

[macdog]

Just sign the whole Juventus team.

 

[Armaghtoffee]

Even if we didn't sell Rom and Ross this summer, given the scale of outgoings and the need to bring in an upgrade on them all, can we realistically do this in the summer window?

Please spare me any apologist talk, that really isn't what I'm about at all. I recognise that Koeman has largely cleared the squad of dead wood but now is when the real acid test is. Can Everton bring in 7 or 8 first team ready players to leave us in a position to be challenging for top 4 as well as going all out for a long overdue cup?

The importance of this window to the overall "project" that Koeman tells us about cannot be over stated. There really can't be any excuses this time either. That fact alone makes it unlikely that both Rom and Ross will be allowed to leave.

 

[chicoazul]

They've been two of our most important players this season. They're young with still room to grow for development.

I can only imagine this is part defence mechanism from some of you as they may leave or be sold.

Bottom line is if stand a better chance of success if we add to them rather than lose them. We haven't won anything for 22 years and a big part of that is not keeping good players and building around them.

Message ends.

 

[wiggum23]

They've been two of our most important players this season. They're young with still room to grow for development.

I can only imagine this is part defence mechanism from some of you as they may leave or be sold.

Bottom line is if stand a better chance of success if we add to them rather than lose them. We haven't won anything for 22 years and a big part of that is not keeping good players and building around them.

Message ends.

This.

Selling your leading scorer and a top midfielder will lessen the affect of new signings as you have to first replace them just to stand still. Then again you can't make them sign a contract.

Issue is that whilst we have money, we are not a CL club so will always struggle to attract the top top players, which means keeping the ones we have is massive.

 

[Steve Wigan]

"I don't know what the board's plan is. I don't really know. Obviously stuff is changing and stuff is happening, but like I said there were some players that we could have got. That I knew the club could have got and they didn't get. And they are playing in this league. I am not saying names, but they are doing well."

Does my statement look mischievous or pretty much on the money now?

Dave...you're implying that we wouldn't pay the money....yet some players(mostly based in Europe) that we were supposedly interested in didn't move anywhere. And who in the premier League do you think Lukaku is referring to? Mata...no....who else? Lukaku was talking double talk as usual. Tell me who is playing elsewhere in the Prem that we could have signed last summer(maybe the Southampton centre back, but I can't think of any others). I'm sure money is available for transfers, but the myth that 'net sales' is what matters had I thought been put to bed. If Lukaku goes and we spend 100 million, people will say 'we've just spent the Lukaku money', and whats wrong with that? Its a massive amount,and being close to breaking even on transfer dealings and improving the team is in my old 60 years experienced commercial mind,good business.

 

[dave abrahams]

In my opinion it's much more important that we hold on to Rom, and I actually think it's 50/50 that we will. Despite his goal tally, he's less "complete" than other strikers in the league/world who have scored less and I just don't think there will be club willing to meet our valuation. We'll need two really good strikers next year and to try and bring them both in using money from Rom's sale would be way too risky.

Barkley on the other hand, I don't care either way, in some ways I'd just as soon see him go. Personally, I struggle to see him getting much better here or anywhere else...just doesn't seem to have the mentality to be world class (feel the same way about Rom to be fair, but he is a proven goal scorer)

If Rom were the life long Blue and Ross a boy from Belgium very few would be more upset to see Ross go. What we need more than anything is a true leader on the field who's vocal and not afraid to get at others during games, a real winner. Thats what we were really missing this year IMO.

Your last paragraph tells us what Everton need more than anything, a leader, a shouter to make others play and most of all a winner, we haven't had a player like this for a long time.

 

[Thomasc]

They've been two of our most important players this season. They're young with still room to grow for development.

I can only imagine this is part defence mechanism from some of you as they may leave or be sold.

Bottom line is if stand a better chance of success if we add to them rather than lose them. We haven't won anything for 22 years and a big part of that is not keeping good players and building around them.

Message ends.

Not in the case of Barkley IMO.

He is decent but far from irreplaceable, in fact I would say very easily replaced. Rom on the other hand is a 20 goal a season boss slotter, so if he goes we need to find those goals from elsewhere which would be far more tricky a job.

We haven't achieved anything with both of them in the side for the last 3 seasons apart from this season and a Europa League place, so the injection of some fresh faces around them could spur them on I suppose. Got the feeling it will not make any difference with Barkley though, I think Koeman can see this in him too and is happy to let him go. (cue Barkely signing a new 5 year deal imminently)

 

[davek]

Dave...you're implying that we wouldn't pay the money....yet some players(mostly based in Europe) that we were supposedly interested in didn't move anywhere. And who in the premier League do you think Lukaku is referring to? Mata...no....who else? Lukaku was talking double talk as usual. Tell me who is playing elsewhere in the Prem that we could have signed last summer(maybe the Southampton centre back, but I can't think of any others). I'm sure money is available for transfers, but the myth that 'net sales' is what matters had I thought been put to bed. If Lukaku goes and we spend 100 million, people will say 'we've just spent the Lukaku money', and whats wrong with that? Its a massive amount,and being close to breaking even on transfer dealings and improving the team is in my old 60 years experienced commercial mind,good business.

I cant tell you who Lukaku meant, can I? As for 'tell me who we could have signed from the PL last summer?' the question is so vague as to be unanswerable...literally ALL of them or NONE of them, whatever your perspective.

On net spend: no, this is not a 'myth' nor has it been 'put to bed'.

Spending power = success in the PL. If you dont think it does I'd point you toward the massive amount of evidence that the greatest spenders consistently take all CL spots and domestic cups. Net spend matters, and it's very real.

I'm glad you brought the latter point up about net spend though, steve, because this seems to be the direction that this regime will be going in PR wise: trying to justify their lack of squad investment and continuation of the old regime's sell to buy recycling policies. That will be the battle ground on these forums in the summer and seasons ahead as this lot look to justify their existence as owners.

 

[davids]

Why is he spoilt?

I'd say he's spoilt in the way the club allow him to sound off on a regular basis about his looking for a new club.At least Fellaini left his Dad to do his talking (which I'm sure the club had no control over).As for his quotes about players we failed to sign maybe he was referring to Sissoko and Gabbiadini who both seem to be setting the Prem alight.

 

[GwladysPhil]

Your last paragraph tells us what Everton need more than anything, a leader, a shouter to make others play and most of all a winner, we haven't had a player like this for a long time.

I thought bringing in Ashley Williams was going to do that, how wrong I was.

 

[TrixyStevens]

The majority who are not arsed about Ross not signing on and leaving in the summer realise after 4 full seasons of football at Everton that he's not going to go to the next level. That's not a defence-mode reaction, just saying what I and many others see. I want him to succeed just like any other academy player but in terms of confidence, intelligent play, consistency, it's not happening.
Attacking midfield is going to be a very important position for RK to fill and if he doesn't see Barkley as the main man then he needs to get his own in.

 

[bluestevon]

I cant tell you who Lukaku meant, can I? As for 'tell me who we could have signed from the PL last summer?' the question is so vague as to be unanswerable...literally ALL of them or NONE of them, whatever your perspective.

On net spend: no, this is not a 'myth' nor has it been 'put to bed'.

Spending power = success in the PL. If you dont think it does I'd point you toward the massive amount of evidence that the greatest spenders consistently take all CL spots and domestic cups. Net spend matters, and it's very real.

I'm glad you brought the latter point up about net spend though, steve, because this seems to be the direction that this regime will be going in PR wise: trying to justify their lack of squad investment and continuation of the old regime's sell to buy recycling policies. That will be the battle ground on these forums in the summer and seasons ahead as this lot look to justify their existence as owners.

From 1996 - 2013 Arsenals net spend was 26.6m for those 17 years mate, so about 1.5m per season on average, they qualified for the Cl every one of those seasons

The correlation between finishing position is by a million miles more to do with Wages being paid over 'net spend' mate