Just get him sold and lets start buying players.
This summer really has to be the ultimate underlining of how rank Everton's owners are: they get £35M in through the door to hand to the manager like every other PL club, but they keep hold of it themselves and allow Chelsea to dictate our destiny.
Ok then: sell him and move on.
That's the way we roll at Everton, I'm afraid. There is no such thing as moving onto firmer footing with 'cash injections' from external sources like the tv deal. It disappears down the black hole along with any potentially top class players we unearth.
The problem is Dave that Chelsea are well aware of our method, just as City were all those years ago for Lescott. It's funny people attacking Martinez for not selling Stones and spending the money are the same people who had a go at
Moyes for taking too long to sell Lescott.
The reality is that Chelsea know they have us over the barrel regarding Stones, as we are unable to spend until they give us the money. Why would they give us 35 million before the season starts when we allow ourselves to be portrayed as desperately as we are in the press. If I were Chelsea I'd offer 27 rising to 30 next and test our bottle out.
I'm not having a go at you, but there is no way Chelsea are going to pay us the 35 million any time soon so that plan is a bit flawed.
It annoys me beyond words. I know some will say we have held a strong stance but we really haven't. Martinez likes
Moyes before him has tried to hold firm publically but has been undermined by the board who are clearly contemplating the deal. Like Moyes before him he has been sold down the river. What worries me is there was a marked change in Moyes after the Lescott affair and I really worry about Martinez suffering the same affects.
A strong board would have put this to bed a long time ago. They would have got behind their manager and made it very clear that Stones was not for sale. They'd have prepped every hack in the business that there is no way we are selling our best players and that Stones is part of an exciting group of player (Barkley, Lukaku, Deulofeu) who we have worked hard to bring through together. That he is under contract for 4 years and he will see that contract out. That when Mourinho said "all they need to say is he's not for sale" rather than him calling our bluff, we'd call his and say "he's not for sale" publically and privately to the press.
Then we would have gone out and bought Van Dijk (or whoever) and a creative number 10 player before clubs start over charging us. If then later in the window we fancied doing business with Chelsea we would re-enter negotiations, on our terms having no requirement for the money to buy players, from a position of strength.
It pains me to say it but this is what Liverpool's board did with Sterling. Unfortunately our board must be prepping the press we would consider offers of upwards of 30 million. In that context Chelsea are not going to willingly give us 35 as an act of charity. The question is, what are we going to do when they offer 28, which when we sell to Barnsley is 25. And Celtic sensing our weakness demand 15 for van Dijk, and Manchester United want 12 for Evans. Or Swansea quote 25 for Williams?
