It’d be down to admitting he was wrong. Keane has been the best defender at the club not named Lucas Digne for about 14 months now.
Honestly as this is the transfer thread, we shouldn’t even be talking about center backs. It’s pretty much last on our list of needs.
It really is. I'd be a bit confused if we did any business there tbh.
I would have thought two Americans would understand roster management better, given that it's such a big thing in the NFL.
@carolinablue232 they key is the very last word you've used:
needs. If we wait until we NEED a CB we will get hammered in the transfer market
, because everyone will know we need one. Instead we can use our current position of strength in depth at CB to create money, which can then be used to improve other areas of the squad where we a re currently desperately short. I'm not saying we HAVE to do it, i'm just saying it's a valid approach. Selling Keane when he is highly-valued by other clubs is better than selling him when he's finished (see Ashley Williams as an example) and we shouldn't ever sell a player if doing so would leave us scrambling about for cover in that position. It's the Ozzie Newsome school of roster management.
@TheBigIguana I would not be confused at all if the following happened:
a) Carlo or Brands identify younger hot prospect CB available at a decent fee (say, £22m) - let's call him "Ken Bodfrey"
b) Club signs Ken Bodfrey.
c) Ken Bodfrey makes a series of appearances, generally impressing everyone.
d) Six months later, another CB (let's call him "Terry Zina" ) at Everton is approaching contract renegotiation time.
e) Terry Zina is seen to be one of the two "best" CBs at Everton BUT he's on a big wage.
f) Terry's agent says "Give my client a big pay rise or he walks".
g) Everton has Ken Bodfrey waiting in the wings, so the agent has little leverage.
h) Everton says "we're offering £xyz. That's it. If you want to find your client another club during a global pandemic, go for it. We will want a fee of £40m as your client is still under contract, is in his mid-20s and has been playing well in the Prem."
Now this is where it gets fun. Either:
i) Agent finds a club interested in signing Terry Zina.
j) Terry leaves Everton in the summer for £40m, replaced in the lineup by Ken Bodfrey.
k) Everton uses the £40m to help fund a new RB / RW / CM / some lawnmowers / whatever
OR
i) Agent backs down, Terry signs new deal, stays at Everton on a wage the club can sustain.
j) Everton start researching which clubs are likely to be in need of a CB in the summer.
k) If clubs needing CBs are identified, Everton approach the agent of their other "best" CB at the club (let's call him "Cycle Bean")
l) Everton say to Cycle Bean's agent "there's a chance here for you, your client and us to make some cash. If you can get a personal terms agreeable to your client, we would accept a fee of £35m for him (plus any increments deemed sensible). If no-one's biting, no harm done."
m) agent either gets a couple of offers on the table for Cycle Bean or he doesn't.
n) If offers are there, Everton sells Cycle Bean for a profit and replaces him in the lineup with Ken Bodfrey. The funds generated by the sale go towards RB / RW / CM / lawnmowers
The point is Mina and Keane are assets, with fluctuating values. As good as they are, we aren't winning trophies unless we upgrade other parts of the team. We need cash to upgrade the team. We have a very able third CB who could conceivably step up and replace one of Mina or Keane permanently, AND we have another promising young CB out on loan who could become part of the squad next September if needed. That's before even considering if Carlo or Brands have spotted another young CB available on a decent fee...
You don't sell players from a position where you have no cover. You don't sell players who have a low market value. You don't wait until players are on the decline before you try to shift them.
There are lots of sensible financial / business reasons why Mina or Keane could leave the club in the summer and, if handled correctly, it would be advisable for the club to consider doing so. Having said that, if we don't need to improve cashflow then sure, we stand pat.
