Summer Transfer Window 2025 Thread

[Lord Byron]

Rigg looks a bit special to me mate, i got these wow vibes anytime i watched him earlier in the season. Hes something a little bit special in my opinion.

To be completely balanced, he regressed as the year went on. Which you would absolutely expect of a 17 year old in their first season in club football.

For me the question is less about should we sign him - we should - but rather can we sign him.

Hes the type of player like Brennan Johnson, Bergvall or Archie Gray that Spurs would stockpile and let percolate for a year or two. An investment to develop.

So the ultimate question is are Everton now in a position were it can spent what 20 -30 mill (prob more) on a prospect for two or three years time when he is probably ready to start games or does the budget need to be spent on say a Soucek who has to come in and hit the ground running.

Then if we don't compete to sign him - the likes of Spurs or Villa will - so another question is - do we want to compete with them.

I know im talking about Rigg - but that could be true of any young player really - buy for now or buy for the future and how much - the going rate in this bracket id suggest is 30 -40 mill, Sunderland would be stupid to sell for less and dont need to.

I don’t think Rigg is ready for the premier league with Everton.

I have watched him (admittedly more second half of the season so as you say he may have regressed) and he looked lost at times and was subbed a lot.

My mate who is a Sunderland season ticket holder thought he would be good eventually but thinks he needs more time to develop before moving to us. His suggestion was Everton could buy him this summer but loan him back to Sunderland for a season. At the time, Sunderland were looking likely to stay in the Championship.

 

[caliblue]

I agree he'd be a good squad player if the price is right. He's a decent age and proven in the league. He started over 30 games per season when Newcastle finished 4th and 8th in 22/23 and 23/24. Not every signing can be a next level player. We need some ballast.

A player like Longstaff doesn't excite many because he'll end up playing next to Gana.

Gana has been good and are arguably one of Everton's best and most important players, but due to his limitations it will always be hard to shine for the midfielders playing next to him.

While being very important for Everton, opponents often look at Gana as a weak link. They want Everton to try to play out from the back. They make sure to leave Gana free, they want him on the ball and him receiving the ball is often the trigger for when to press. Gana on the ball can't hurt you. He'll need an extra touch to control the ball, his passing isn't the best and more often than not he'll end up passing backwards or sideways.

If opponents allowed Garner to have as much space and time on the ball as Gana, he'd be rated much higher by Evertonians. He can hurt teams in ways Gana never can.

Not sure Longstaff in for Garner is much of an upgrade. As they both are allround players that can do a bit of everything. They would probably look better together than next to Gana. And they would both need a Gareth Barry type player next to them to really shine.

It will always be difficult to get a balanced midfield with Gana as he is so much better out of possession than when the team has possession. He is built for teams wanting to have less than 40% possession. No midfielder signing in the world can change that. We can spend £60-70 million on a new midfielder and still have one of he worsts midfields in the league.

 

[Neiler]

I don’t think Rigg is ready for the premier league with Everton.

I have watched him (admittedly more second half of the season so as you say he may have regressed) and he looked lost at times and was subbed a lot.

My mate who is a Sunderland season ticket holder thought he would be good eventually but thinks he needs more time to develop before moving to us. His suggestion was Everton could buy him this summer but loan him back to Sunderland for a season. At the time, Sunderland were looking likely to stay in the Championship.

I think this is the conundrum mate, i dont think hes ready for the PL either, but i think once he is he will be very, very good.

There is a defo a market for hoovering up these talents before they are ready - whether we are a club who are able to that - like the few Spurs examples i gave - i don't know, i guess im posing the question - can we or should we.

Maybe its getting someone like Rigg at 16 before he makes a first team appearance, maybe as a horse hes already bolted for us.........

 

[Paul Rideout]

Dont think is the time unless you pay big would think rigg would atleast keep his value even if they do go down. Being more likely if they do could ask for more money a year expericence under him, same with dinbling in the future we should be in for players like him but the talk of 50 mill the club is not in the position for that atm

More importantly, Sunderland are not going to want to get rid of their rising stars as they come into the PL, the premium to prize them away would be hefty!

I struggle to understand how our fans don't think we'd get our pants pulled down on buying any of the promoted teams' players - it's a horrific strategy to get the best value out of our transfer kitty.

More likely to get McAtee for cheaper than we would Rigg, personally. And Southampton won't change their minds on Dibbling this season... The time for those 2 (Dibbling specifically) are if Southampton don't get promoted & the bills keep coming in.

Doak will be too expensive now the RS pulled the pants down on that Quansah deal (if it goes through) - Doak is also a full international (albeit with a smaller sized nation).

 

[Librarian]

We get all these fancy Dan appointments and buy out a sports data analytics company and then go, fk it, Longstaff can fill in a gap somewhere

Hardly

 

[Mitch Ward's Minder]

That and he's bang average.

Longstaff is one of those players that you can drop in most teams and he'll play to that same level. He's not someone who will improve a side or lift players around him, it's other players who'd lift him hence why the last few years he's looked decent with far better players around him. We might as well get Brownhill on a free than splash money on the same type of player.

I don't want either btw as our current squad stands

 

[toffeeblue9]

I think this is the conundrum mate, i dont think hes ready for the PL either, but i think once he is he will be very, very good.

There is a defo a market for hoovering up these talents before they are ready - whether we are a club who are able to that - like the few Spurs examples i gave - i don't know, i guess im posing the question - can we or should we.

Maybe its getting someone like Rigg at 16 before he makes a first team appearance, maybe as a horse hes already bolted for us.........

Don't disagree with any of that - we are (hopefully) a year or two away from being able to make this sort of signing I'd say.

He looks a great prospect, but we just aren't in the position where we can throw £30m at a lad who probably won't have any impact for us in the next 12 months

 

[Noisy noise annoys]

That's not the flex you think it is because there is a list of about 200 young players that you have wanted us to buy and 99% are complete duds.

Thank you!

 

[toffeeblue9]

We get all these fancy Dan appointments and buy out a sports data analytics company and then go, fk it, Longstaff can fill in a gap somewhere

Hardly

It probably says that Longstaff, despite us all thinking it's about as average a signing as you could wish to see, probably shows up well in the data profile of what we want in midfield

 

[DanB90]

Think we have filled most our allocation of inbred players as well. Not 100% though as the rules are a bit confusing.

I think we should be ok this year, as we aren’t in any European competition. That’s where things start to get a bit messy.

 

[John from Bootle]

God knows. 2017/18 we signed Pickford, klaassen, Rooney, vlasic, siggy, Keane, Sandro and martina. As well as some other young players.

Bringing in 8 players and a couple of youngster isn’t exactly rare.

We also are keeping 9 of our starting 11 from the end of the season, with Charly effectively replacing Doucoure. It’s only Harrison that is being replaced from the starting 11 really.

Some might be upgraded, but it’s mainly the crap fringe players that have left.

Yeah, I think that's why keeping Gueye is important. If we keep him, then we really have got a solid foundation to build upon. Any new signings can intergrate over the season, they don't all have to be in the starting xi on day one. Truth be told, it'd be a terrible idea to have too many new faces in there from day one.

The defence is largely intact, a bit of full back cover is needed, as we speak, and possibly a Keane replacement.

Centre mid; If Gana and Garner have to start the season, I've no issue with that, though I would like to see somebody brought in who can push for a place, with the likes of Tim and possibly Armstrong providing back up. Again, no real major surgery required providing we keep Gueye.

Attacking mids. We've needed a right winger since god knows when. Funnily enough, it was always an area we were lacking in Moyes' first spell. Arteta and Donovan were brief highlights, but please god, this has to be the priority. We have N'Diaye, Alcaraz and McNeil so possibly 2 needed including a first choice right winger.

Up top we need at least one, ideally 2, a lot will depend on what happens with Chermiti. As long as one of the two is gonna push for a starting spot, I think we'll be fine.

 

[DanB90]

 

[BainesontoastNEW]

Can Gyökeres and Jonathan David finally pick which clubs they want to go to so my pipe dreams can be shot down? Thanks.

 

[Neiler]

Don't disagree with any of that - we are (hopefully) a year or two away from being able to make this sort of signing I'd say.

He looks a great prospect, but we just aren't in the position where we can throw £30m at a lad who probably won't have any impact for us in the next 12 months

Fingers crossed mate. in a year or two, a settled squad growing together and we can invest in these lads and bring them on - without having to bring in half a match day squad like this summer.

Its going to be that natural tension of the summer amongst the fanbase - take someone like Soucek if he comes in he's hitting his 30's, but will also give you 7 goals plus a year over three seasons and make an impact in the engine room now - many will be deflated with that "profile" - yet its probably the most sensible thing to do. The counter to that is getting the "right" profile like Rigg or Dibbling, but a work in progress who is 12-36 months of making an impact in the PL, equally people will be frustrated by that - imagine we had a player we paid £30 mill for and we didn't play - people would loose their minds.

You can see the conundrum and also the compromises that needs to be made, either way some people will be dissatisfied.

 

[ValBlue]

More likely to get McAtee for cheaper than we would Rigg, personally.

McAtee is the one we should be going ALL. OUT. for.

Technically gifted, actual end product, plenty of experience in the English game, perfect age to contribute at a high clip now but still have resale, England U21, in a position we need. And most importantly- available.

30m was always a ludicrous price for Doak but is a snip for McAtee.

I hope we don’t spend all summer mulling over Barry and his apparent release clause. Other players will be snapped up!