Everton January 2022 Transfer Thread

[CielosGrises]

Weird the Longstaff shouts unless it is the only thing we can afford - and even then, it's not more bodies that we need - we need better bodies.

 

[Marius57]

Do you really believe what the media said?
Did you see the last match? Coleman played more attacking in the left side compared with Digne.The rumours between Benitez and Digne probably was not true.
Digne was sold because of our financial problem. We cant give extra fund to Benitez to strenghten the squad. And Digne is the most suitable one to be funded.
To be honest, if we can recruit rightly, I dont think the sales of Digne is wrong.

He has spent 30m without digne being sold though. Digne is still here. And if you think longstaff is recruiting rightly then God help us all.

You are saying that there's no issues between benitez and digne, yet he has dropped digne from the squad entirely and would rather play a one footed RB who has been one of our worst players for costly errors this season in his position instead. Really?

 

[Tree13]

Newcastle strengthen bid to make second quick deal after landing Trippier

The Magpies are ready to add another new face to their ranks

www.chroniclelive.co.uk

'A £22.5million offer plus Geordie midfielder Sean Longstaff is believed to have been placed for the ex-Barcelona star.

Although, while Everton’s interest is long-term, we understand that Longstaff has held no talks with the Toffees at this stage or been informed of any fresh approach.

Digne is yet to agree to a move to Tyneside - despite an offer to end his Goodison Park nightmare after falling out with Rafael Benitez.'

Most reliable journo for Newcastle news there. £22.5m plus a player we can sign for free in the summer? Koff with that. Has to be £30m+ if we're selling him to a direct relegation candidate.

Surely at the stage Digne has reached in his career he will want this next move to be one where he can expect to compete for trophies? I can understand him looking at Chelsea and I'd praise his ambition.

But Newcastle? With Trippier being reported as earning £175k per week? Money would be the only motivation.

 

[JimmyK]

Erm correct me if I’m wrong but we’ve not sold Digne to bring in players like Rondon & Townsend though?!

We’ve just invested his probable fee on a 22 year old promising Ukrainian international LB, and a 20 year old promising Scottish international RB?

Yes I'm more than happy to correct you for being wrong because I said more players like that not those players specifically.

 

[chazzle_dazzle]

We shouldn't be going near Longstaff with a bargepole. Unless its to replace Davies going out.

Even then, its hardly an improvement on Davies, and would have similar impact (albeit different players).

We need to improve the squad and the players we put out, this doesn't do that.

Seen people saying Gray wasn't wanted, maybe by some, but EVERYONE admitted he had the one thing we badly lacked - pace. Longstaff doesn't fit any requirement we have.

 

[BlueToff]

Allan should be one of the first put up for sale before his contract runs out and his value plummets to virtually nothing. We can still probably get back about half of what we paid if we sell now. He has been pretty abysmal this season and I still have no idea what he does.

We need midfielders ready to start right now. And that shouldn't be hard because we have only 1 decent one, Doucoure, and he isn't even that consistent.

I don't think he's been abysmal really, at the start of the season when there was at least a bit of compactness to our play, he was good.

I'd still look to sell in the summer but if you play him right he's a good player. He does press well, he wants to hassle. He just isn't a 6 and I've got no idea why Ancelotti and now Benitez think he is. He is at his best in a midfield three with freedom to press and hassle and win the ball back. Weirdly enough, like Longstaff. Neither have the discipline to play a sitting role.

There is no midfield in the Premier League other than West Ham and Chelsea that is successful as a 2. Even Spurs under Conte have had mixed results and inevitably will switch to 3-5-2 once he has a deep-lying playmaker in. Their best performance under him, v Liverpool, was in the 3-5-2.

Tuchel's Chelsea control the possession so well and have the two tens who drop in to make it a midfield four, so their 2 midfielders are not really exposed (they are also brilliant players anyway, obviously). Moyes has West Ham set up with two huge units in midfield, with Rice able to travel with the ball and Soucek able to support, but they are defensively compact so the space isn't as big. Their 10, whether it be Fornals or Lanzini, also drops back into the shape.

Every other team that plays a midfield two doesn't really have any success.

 

[davek]

Yes.

He's a pretty big lad, so does cover ground well even if he isn't quick.

A few years ago he played a deeper role and was a bit like Carrick in the sense he liked to move the team up with some decentish passes. However, his form fell off a cliff and defensively he lacked the positional sense to play as a six.

He doesn't really have any creativity to his game, his passes aren't progressive but then under Bruce and Benitez that's hard to tell. He has played recently more under Howe, but more as a hassler in midfield. He's not very disciplined and not very creative. He's basically a slightly bigger Tom Davies but on the footballing side they're very similar quality. If anything, Davies is better at the deeper role but Longstaff a slightly better passer over range.

He did have a very promising start but he's had injuries and lack of form in the last 2 seasons

I think our midfield needs a sitter if we're going to get the best out of Allan and Doucoure or, if Benitez insists on playing 4411/4231, we need a proper attacking player who can transition with the ball in the '10' slot. I don't think Longstaff is either.

Thanks, that's a comprehensive run down.

I'd have thought Allan would be the sitter. He played that way for Ancelotti when he arrived. I think if we do get an injury free player with a bit of everything (but not a master of all trades - which is how you describe Longstaff) that allows Doucoure liberty to get further up the pitch a lot more where he does damage.

 

[ToffeeTim]

I don't think he's been abysmal really, at the start of the season when there was at least a bit of compactness to our play, he was good.

I'd still look to sell in the summer but if you play him right he's a good player. He does press well, he wants to hassle. He just isn't a 6 and I've got no idea why Ancelotti and now Benitez think he is. He is at his best in a midfield three with freedom to press and hassle and win the ball back. Weirdly enough, like Longstaff. Neither have the discipline to play a sitting role.

There is no midfield in the Premier League other than West Ham and Chelsea that is successful as a 2. Even Spurs under Conte have had mixed results and inevitably will switch to 3-5-2 once he has a deep-lying playmaker in. Their best performance under him, v Liverpool, was in the 3-5-2.

Tuchel's Chelsea control the possession so well and have the two tens who drop in to make it a midfield four, so their 2 midfielders are not really exposed (they are also brilliant players anyway, obviously). Moyes has West Ham set up with two huge units in midfield, with Rice able to travel with the ball and Soucek able to support, but they are defensively compact so the space isn't as big. Their 10, whether it be Fornals or Lanzini, also drops back into the shape.

Every other team that plays a midfield two doesn't really have any success.

I don't think Allan is good enough. Can't help the defence and can't create at the other end. A typical Everton midfielder.

 

[MACCA75]

I was very happy with Gray. I'll give Longstaff a shot, he just isn't what we need in midfield. He doesn't sit very well and he isn't creative.

Yes, a manager who is this bad, his decisions should be met with suspicion. He just played 33-year-old Seamus Coleman, who struggles at right-back, at left wing-back in a Premier League match.

I think Longstaffs good form was sitting in front of the the back 3, as you said, very reminiscent of Carrick at the time, composed on the ball, decent passing.

I’d guess if we sign him then this would be Benitez’ plan.

 

[Spadge Vernacular]

I can see inside your head. It's empty.

Lol.

next post

Stop the personal abuse.

 

[DanEFC92]

Rafael must know Seany inside out.
So if Seany is good enough for Rafael then Seany is good enough for the School of Science

Rafael had a dream, to build a football team...

 

[chazzle_dazzle]

Thanks, that's a comprehensive run down.

I'd have thought Allan would be the sitter. He played that way for Ancelotti when he arrived. I think if we do get an injury free player with a bit of everything (but not a master of all trades - which is how you describe Longstaff) that allows Doucoure liberty to get further up the pitch a lot more where he does damage.

Allan has always been a chaser, he has never just sat and swept up.

 

[ToffeeTim]

Thanks, that's a comprehensive run down.

I'd have thought Allan would be the sitter. He played that way for Ancelotti when he arrived. I think if we do get an injury free player with a bit of everything (but not a master of all trades - which is how you describe Longstaff) that allows Doucoure liberty to get further up the pitch a lot more where he does damage.

We need to chance the system to 433 or 352 for that to work. Every week we start a midfield 2 ends up being very predictable.

 

[davek]

If you look at his statistics, his off the ball stats are pretty good but his numbers in possession are pretty woeful. He might win you the ball back a few times, but he won't do anything with it. I think the eye test backs that up as well. I've always saw him as someone who can break up play and maybe cover for full backs, but lacks the technical ability to be really effective at this level.

Thanks.

Winning the ball back a few times sounds like an upgrade. If he arrives and can be relied on to stay fit then that allows reshuffling elsewhere.

Sometimes lateral thought is needed on players.

 

[ToffeeTim]

Thanks.

Winning the ball back a few times sounds like an upgrade. If he arrives and can be relied on to stay fit then that allows reshuffling elsewhere.

Sometimes lateral thought is needed on players.

Well actually his injury record is the other concern I have. He has had an ankle injury, a hamstring injury and a bad knee injury in the last 2-3 seasons. The knee injury looks to have been around 4 months, so I assume not an ACL or anything like that, but still must have been significant enough,