The Fab Four

[Azzurri]

Deulofeu has also been binned off by yet another manager, fella can’t run 20 yards without bursting a lung, and flattered to deceive almost as much as Mirallas. Not too arsed about that one.

 

[Thomasc]

To be honest though @Sir Alan

Unless I am mistaken, I would have thought your username suggests you aren’t a kid, in which case I am sure you have seen many a false hero come and go at the club, so unsure why you are particularly perplexed with these 4.

 

[Deulofeumygod]

Rom was always using us as a stepping stone, del is just not good and has no fitness hence why barca now want rid, ross is a rat but I also think some deeper issue outside of the club exists for him to make such a u-turn and stones got offered the chance to be coached by pep and also Martinez was an idiot.

The reality is is that EVERY club, bar Barca, real, Munich and maybe PSG is a stepping stone club.

It's horrible to see great talent leave the club but focus on the players doing a great job now and playing with pride.

 

[Deulofeumygod]

Deulofeu's time here is remembered more and more fondly as time goes on. Seriously, he had like four good games for us ever. Did he ever even score in a league game?

Arsenal - double gun celebration

 

[TheBigIguana]

Stones needs a very specific type of team and we weren't it
Lukaku is a tit of the highest order and my guess is he will agitate for another move before long. We weren't ever keeping him for his whole career no matter how well we did.
Deulofeu is clearly just not very good. He's talented but in an actual match he too often is detrimental to his team.
Barkley hasn't progressed much from where he was 3 years ago but is still solid enough. Sadly it appears he would rather be one of the homegrown players who makes up the numbers and maybe picks up the occasional medal. Can't say he's wrong and if that's what he wants we can't stop him either really

 

[LiamG]

Stones and Lukaku are top players.
Barkley and Deulofeu are talented but braindead.

Let's be honest. They would all walk on to our first 11 even if they didn't quite fulfil their potential.

But they are gone and if our recruitment was better we wouldn't have missed them. Unfortunately that wasn't the case.

 

[blueblue]

I am not talking about those 4 from across the park I am referring 4 young talents we had at our club all but gone in the space of 2 years.

Barkley, Lukaku, John Stones, Deulofeu.

Two left because we couldn’t match their ambitions, one because he’s a rat and the other well wasn’t rated by ham shank head.

Isn’t it worrying we haven’t kept any?

I think this points to far deeper problems.

Liverpool want to keep Coutinho but can't do so. Sometimes you have to admit there are more attractive propositions available.

 

[macdog]

I am more worried about who among our up and coming youngsters is being eyed off by bigger clubs. While we are justifiably excited about them so too would be other clubs whose attitude is: 'That Everton lot can certainly spot some talent. Let them do the hard work before we swoop in and pinch them.'

 

[LiamG]

Liverpool want to keep Coutinho but can't do so. Sometimes you have to admit there are more attractive propositions available.

100m and Lanzini softens the blow.

 

[nsno-chris]

100m and Lanzini softens the blow.

Lol

 

[LiamG]

I am more worried about who among our up and coming youngsters is being eyed off by bigger clubs. While we are justifiably excited about them so too would be other clubs whose attitude is: 'That Everton lot can certainly spot some talent. Let them do the hard work before we swoop in and pinch them.'

Pickford. I cant see any others at this stage but some are still very young.

I think our kids are a little overrated.

 

[Seanjd]

I am more worried about who among our up and coming youngsters is being eyed off by bigger clubs. While we are justifiably excited about them so too would be other clubs whose attitude is: 'That Everton lot can certainly spot some talent. Let them do the hard work before we swoop in and pinch them.'

I'm sure the likes of Barnsley and other lower league clubs say the same about us. We do have a great track record from the academy though - it hurts to see them go.

 

[bluestevon]

From four (potentially) world class players to Gylfi Sigurdsson, Aaron Lennon, Tosun/Niasse and Ashley Williams.

In the right system Sigurdsson is a very good player mate, Tosun let's just wait and see mate, Williams was a good buy whose flopped.

Prefer to look at Vlasic, Lookman etc for the potential myself.

They where always all gonna end up leaving mate, that's the sad game we live in nowadays

Even Spurs, shiny new stadium and top four finishes, will soon see that reality of the game with Alli, Kane soon following walker, rose, and others.

 

[Toffee-nerd]

Went to City, United, Barca, and Chelsea, we aren't stopping those clubs taking our players anytime soon, neither are most clubs in the world

Sad but true reflection of the game. The kicker is we didn't achieve a pot while we had those 4.

 

[bluestevon]

Sad but true reflection of the game. The kicker is we didn't achieve a pot while we had those 4.

Just look over the park, Liverpool 13/14 had the 'fab four' of Sterling, Sturridge, Coutinho and Suarez.

One left the next season to Barca, another the year after to City, another will leave very soon to Barca and another is a broken down bit part player who is getting touted to teams like West Ham and abroad to get his wages off the books and any sort of fee in return.

Similarly, they now have their new 'four superstars' and within a couple of months of them giving them that tag, Coutinho will soon be gone, Mane and Salah i'd be shocked if they are both still there in two years time, Firminho probably will because he's more a system player than individually a great one.

Most clubs have a small window with a group of players to achieve something, if they don't then you will see that group broken up piece by piece, key is always about the timing.

Think both Spurs and the rs focused so much on getting younger players in that they forgot to add the experienced ones, so by the time the younger lads are ready, half of them have become pissed off at lack of success so want to jump ship, and the cycle repeats itself over again.

Same with us, we had a set of 4 potentially brilliant young players at the same time, and some good solid players, but nothing in between, the ready made playewrs at their peak aged 25-29 for example - it was all 20-21 year olds or 30+ year olds really and the in between ages weren't good enough.