Confirmed Signing Demarai Gray

[Rooney_Tunes]

I'm very down on Everton at the moment. If 18 months ago somebody told you that in the summer of 2021 we would still be in the midst of a massive global pandemic, that Rafael Benitez was Everton manager, that we would be signing Andros Townsend, Asmir Begovic and Demarai Gray, and that somehow we managed to sign James Rodriguez but that a significant minority of our fan base and our new koppite boss wants rid of him despite him getting 6 goals and 4 assists in his first injury ravaged season you would laugh in their face and call them a WUM but here we are.

We have to start looking for positives in all of the above.

We have to try and do that until these new signings step onto the pitch and prove that our optimism was misplaced.

 

[Barnfred 55]

I'm very down on Everton at the moment. If 18 months ago somebody told you that in the summer of 2021 we would still be in the midst of a massive global pandemic, that Rafael Benitez was Everton manager, that we would be signing Andros Townsend, Asmir Begovic and Demarai Gray, and that somehow we managed to sign James Rodriguez but that a significant minority of our fan base and our new koppite boss wants rid of him despite him getting 6 goals and 4 assists in his first injury ravaged season you would laugh in their face and call them a WUM but here we are.

WUM

 

[windymiller]

We have to start looking for positives in all of the above.

We have to try and do that until these new signings step onto the pitch and prove that our optimism was misplaced.

What are the positives, exactly?

 

[windymiller]

WUM

I wish I was, but all of that is true. Remarkably!

 

[Gav_Fox]

Yes all interesting points. Just to add a bit of context though on certain things. Firstly, the reality is a club like ours currently lacks pace in the team. That's the biggest problem we have had. We have some good technical footballers and a tactically well drilled but lack pace. He helps with that. It also seems, potentially until a sale is made at least, that money is a bit tighter. So if you want a guy for 1-2m on relatively cheap wages, who add pace to the side, there aren't many out there who are better options than Gray in my view.

In terms of trebling, I agree with you. I mean in the last few years, even amongst the case, we have probably doubled/trebled our money Lookman, Vlasic, Onyekuru. We probably got more than treble for Lukaku, 5 as much for Gana Gueye, John Stones probably went for 20+ x what we paid. We would also make substantial profits on DCL, Holgate, Digne, Richarlison, Pickford and Kean. So it's not perhaps as awful as some may think. Our issue has just been overpaying in wages and fees for replacements.

I like Tielemans, but I believe you paid 45m for him. I don't see you doubling, never mind trebling that fee. Madisson was what 20m? I mean maybe you get double, but he needs to keep on improving.

Aside from the specifics though, there is a lot of competition for these type of signings and surely it depends what fee you pay for them. I gave you the example of Ben White. He ticks a lot of those boxes, bit feels a pretty awful buy at 50m to me.

As I just said to another poster, you can get in players that will give you not only what you’re looking for, but much better quality and much better sell on value, it’s very doubtful Gray will give you that and Townsend definitely won’t.

We’ve managed to acquire numerous players like that over the years, price wise Stones & Holgate are the two that spring to mind for you.

The thing with us, just like we did with Mahrez, Maguire & Chilwell, we have no reason to sell, we are in a great position where we don’t need the money, but in the end a team will come and bite, pay £50, £80 million or whatever, then brilliant.

Tielemans will go for £60-£70 million, Maddison will probably go for £40-£50 million, you may not think that, but Leicester fans know that it’s pretty much guaranteed to happen.

You take Ben White for example though, a Premier League player going to another Premier League club, for an inflated price. Like ourselves with Maguire & Chilwell, it’s great business from Brighton’s standpoint.

With the likes of Tielemans & Maddison though, we either picked them up from abroad or the championship, like you with Godfrey we got Maddison for a similar fee from Norwich, those are the exact type of players you should be going for more often.

Abroad or the Championship is where you’ll get better value, and find gems that you’ll end up selling for double or triple in a few years. We’ve done that strategy with Mahrez & Kante in particular previously and Tielemans, Maddison, Soyuncu & Fofana more recently.

If you scout well enough, the long term success will come.

 

[Gilbert..]

Obviously they are not going to play for free, that's my point, you don't get better by signing mediocre players, small transfer fee or large transfer fee. We're obviously broke. New manager, free agent. New players - Begovic - free, Townsend - free, Gray - £2m. Signing bang average players for big fees is worse than signing them on frees but we just need to stop signing them full stop.

Or
We're just not going to spend ridiculous amounts like the club has recently on real average players. The transfer policy of this club in the past 5 years has been utter madness. Time will tell but i think theres a bit of value for money here. Not every low fee or free transfer is crap.

 

[windymiller]

Or
We're just not going to spend ridiculous amounts like the club has recently on real average players. The transfer policy of this club in the past 5 years has been utter madness. Time will tell but i think theres a bit of value for money here. Not every low fee or free transfer is crap.

You're right, not every low cost transfer is crap. We should be looking to unearth some gems but these players are not unknown quantities we all know what they are about.

 

[Terrarian]

 

[Milkman]

We are going to go proper old school, bus parked and lob it into box at every chance.

Doesn't sound that much worse than the football under Ancelotti tbh

Fine with me if we have the players for it. Horrific when Ancelotti did it with players that can't cross.

 

[ChesterBlue]

Gotta be honest, I’m happier with us spending 1.5m on 3 squad players than significantly more on the likes of Delph and Iwobi

 

[APN_EFC]

If this is part of a strategy that includes getting rid of Bernard, Siggy, Iwobi, Tosun and Delph, but also buying in 1-2 young stars, I'm for it.

 

[WA Toffee]

As I just said to another poster, you can get in players that will give you not only what you’re looking for, but much better quality and much better sell on value, it’s very doubtful Gray will give you that and Townsend definitely won’t.

We’ve managed to acquire numerous players like that over the years, price wise Stones & Holgate are the two that spring to mind for you.

The thing with us, just like we did with Mahrez, Maguire & Chilwell, we have no reason to sell, we are in a great position where we don’t need the money, but in the end a team will come and bite, pay £50, £80 million or whatever, then brilliant.

Tielemans will go for £60-£70 million, Maddison will probably go for £40-£50 million, you may not think that, but Leicester fans know that it’s pretty much guaranteed to happen.

You take Ben White for example though, a Premier League player going to another Premier League club, for an inflated price. Like ourselves with Maguire & Chilwell, it’s great business from Brighton’s standpoint.

With the likes of Tielemans & Maddison though, we either picked them up from abroad or the championship, like you with Godfrey we got Maddison for a similar fee from Norwich, those are the exact type of players you should be going for more often.

Abroad or the Championship is where you’ll get better value, and find gems that you’ll end up selling for double or triple in a few years. We’ve done that strategy with Mahrez & Kante in particular previously and Tielemans, Maddison, Soyuncu & Fofana more recently.

If you scout well enough, the long term success will come.

I think every club tries to do that, but it takes a lot of luck as well as a great scouting network. When Everton signed Steve Walsh, the expectation was that he would get us the type of players he got for Leicester. Unfortunately it didn't quite work out like that

 

[LouReedwalkonthewildside]

As my RS mate said “Gray and Townsend, agent Benitez’s work begins ”

 

[tsubaki]

What are the positives, exactly?

Gray is exactly the sort of player - young, talented, career took a misstep - that we have had success with (Pienaar, Arteta) in the past.

I don’t agree with signing Townsend at all, but Gray for £1.5 million would be a fantastic buy.

 

[MikeH72]

As my RS mate said “Gray and Townsend, agent Benitez’s work begins ”

What, have they sent agent Rafael here to keep us mid table where we have been for the last 8 years?