Confirmed Signing Demarai Gray

[Gav_Fox]

No offence taken at all mate, you make your point and you make it well.

Mentality is an odd thing isn't it? When we had the mentality above, we actually performed as well, if not better than what we do now. I think we have had a big club mentality, but not big club money and certainly not big club performance.

Re Bernard and Iwobi, that is probably fair. I think all of the above are probably similar levels, but there probably does come a point when you have to be pragmatic and look to lower costs. I also think Stylistically they fit the PL better and give us more of what we need. But either way, you can't discount the importance of lowering costs. We will probably get Townsend, Gray and Begovic for less wages than we pay Bernard. Eventually if you keep putting out huge wages on players it catches up with you, and this summer seems to be that moment.

As for Leicester, yes you do. You are in a position to now as well though. You have regular European football and have won trophies plural recently. You have also made big sales, which has given you the liquidity and freedom around FFP to be able to target the next up and coming thing. I don't know if say Leon Bailey would be interested in coming to Everton and with our own issues if there is the flexibility to afford him.

I also think in all of this, there is a question as to what price do you pay for growth? I mean Godfrey is a good signing, but can I see a world where we double our money on him? Yes probably. Treble our money? Unless there is another big inflationary run I don't see it. Look at White, who looks another good defender to me, at our about Godfrey level, has now gone for 50m. If he doubled in value he would have to be the best defender in the world. I mean it's possible, but it feels improbable to me. So you have to be careful what you pay for such players.

From a price and wage structure stand point, these types of signings are probably a sensible thing to do, from a quality stand point they are bizarre and perplexing, especially from a club like yourselves.

You’ve thrown a lot of money at a lot of players over the years. We’ve spent 20-30 million on good, young, upcoming players who’s prices will double within in a few years, that’s our usual strategy and it’s a strategy that’s been very successful.

The difference is that Everton have spent a good amount on the likes of Doucoure, Allan, Andre Gomes for example, but they aren’t the types of players who will get you 40-50-60 million in a few years time. With Leicester we’ve done that with the likes of Tielemans & Maddison, where they’ll come a point where they move on, but we’ll get double or triple for what we paid for them.

You’ve done similar in the past with John Stones, a young shrewd signing who you ended up getting about £50 million for.

Prices have blown up since then, but with Ben Godfrey for example, he is very much like Wesley Fofana for us. We spent £30 million on Fofana, a good, young talent with room to grow who’s price will double in a few years.

That’s the strategy that more clubs should employ, with Everton you need to make signings like Godfrey more often, it will end up being a real difference maker.

 

[Paulie]

I have no insights into the practices of oligarchs! I just have this sneaky feeling that Liverpool Waters is what Usmanov and Moshiri are really after, there's billions to be made there. Obviously, with the exception of clubs like Man Utd, there is no money to be made from owning football clubs. Any profits made would have to be associated with something else and BMD seems a good way for an outsider to get in on a huge development project. I'm probably talking wham, but something is going on.

Hard to know there intentions from the outside isn't it but Everton aside, if they got into LW, that is massive for the city.

 

[Rooney_Tunes]

We've got rid of nobody, all we are doing is adding more crap.

But you don't know if it's crap until they play?

The Everton players are definitely all crap.

 

[nsno-chris]

Did the dribbles lead to anything?

Yes, thrown-ins and goal kicks for the opposition

 

[Gilbert..]

Naismith had a great attitude but was a poor player. Ideally, you need both things. I'm sure Townsend is a nice lad and will try hard, he's still not good enough. Gray is supposed to be a bad egg, so your analogy doesn't work for him.

I'll give him a go before judging him on supposed.

 

[windymiller]

But you don't know if it's crap until they play?

The Everton players are definitely all crap.

It's not like we're signing obscure players, they have all played PL football in recent years, we've all seen them play. They're not going to suddenly become better players because they rock up at Finch Farm, we can count on the fingers of one hand when that has happened and they were all young players.

 

[nsno-chris]

But you don't know if it's crap until they play?

The Everton players are definitely all crap.

We do not need them to pull on a blue shirt to see that they’re crap.

Gray is an horrendous footballer, and Townsend is what Townsend is, a nothing player who will remain defensively sound and do as the manager says

 

[Rooney_Tunes]

Brands has logged into WhoScored’s Twitter account

Good; it shows he's thinking outside the box.

 

[windymiller]

I'll give him a go before judging him on supposed.

OK, good for you. It's weird you talking about character when it comes to Townsend and ignoring it when it comes to Gray, is all I'm saying. Maybe we should give Ravel Morrison a go?

 

[ForeverBlue92]

We've got rid of nobody, all we are doing is adding more crap.

Will be though - Benard will be off and hopefully Kean and Toshun/Delph by the windows end.

If not 3 of those 4 are out of contract the end of this season.

 

[Rooney_Tunes]

We do not need them to pull on a blue shirt to see that they’re crap.

Gray is an horrendous footballer, and Townsend is what Townsend is, a nothing player who will remain defensively sound and do as the manager says

Gray - Really; you've watched all the matches he's played in?

Townsend - Exactly what we need; really tired of Iwobi, Sigurdsson, and Gomes pulling out of 50/50's four/five times in one match.

 

[LouReedwalkonthewildside]

Andros Townsend isn't a bad footballer, and Demari Gray is a steal at £1.5m. Probably offers more depth and consistency than Bolasie, Iwobi, Bernard and Delph combined.

Deffo mate, Leverkusen are stealing £1.5m off us.

 

[nsno-chris]

Gray - Really; you've watched all the matches he's played in?

Townsend - Exactly what we need; really tired of Iwobi, Sigurdsson, and Gomes pulling out of 50/50's four/five times in one match.

Good grief

 

[windymiller]

Will be though - Benard will be off and hopefully Kean and Toshun/Delph by the windows end.

If not 3 of those 4 are out of contract the end of this season.

Then we should replace them then and not with crap cloggers.

 

[ForeverBlue92]

From a price and wage structure stand point, these types of signings are probably a sensible thing to do, from a quality stand point they are bizarre and perplexing, especially from a club like yourselves.

You’ve thrown a lot of money at a lot of players over the years. We’ve spent 20-30 million on good, young, upcoming players who’s prices will double within in a few years, that’s our usual strategy and it’s a strategy that’s been very successful.

The difference is that Everton have spent a good amount on the likes of Doucoure, Allan, Andre Gomes for example, but they aren’t the types of players who will get you 40-50-60 million in a few years time. With Leicester we’ve done that with the likes of Tielemans & Maddison, where they’ll come a point where they move on, but we’ll get double or triple for what we paid for them.

You’ve done similar in the past with John Stones, a young shrewd signing who you ended up getting about £50 million for.

Prices have blown up since then, but with Ben Godfrey for example, he is very much like Wesley Fofana for us. We spent £30 million on Fofana, a good, young talent with room to grow who’s price will double in a few years.

That’s the strategy that more clubs should employ, with Everton you need to make signings like Godfrey more often, it will end up being a real difference maker.

You've invested well no question - but it also helps being able to fleece daft clubs into paying £80 million and £50 million for bang average players like Maguire and Chillwell.

If we got £80 million for Michael Keane we wouldn't be having this conversation as we would have FFP manoeuvre to invest in more proven squad players.