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Everton News

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Everton to make second bid for Ashley Williams via Royal Blue Mersey

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Wales captain open to move to Goodison Park

Everton are determined to sign Swansea captain Ashley Williams and are ready to go in with an improved offer.

The Guardian’s Andy Hunter – a reliable source when it comes to Merseyside football – reports that Ronald Koeman is keen to bolster his defence before the start of the season and Williams is his prime target.

Williams is believed to be interested in a move to Goodison Park and the deal looked close to competition earlier this week.

However, Swansea rejected Everton’s £10m offer and reiterated their desire to keep hold of the Wales captain.

They may just be a play to squeeze an extra few million out of Everton though, with Koeman determined to get his man.

Figures vary according to which report you read, with some suggesting a fee of £11m will be enough while Sky Sports say the Swans are ready to do business at £15m.

The deal is not believed to be related to the future of John Stones, who has been heavily linked with Manchester City.

Although aged 31 Williams remains at the peak of his powers and would be a valuable addition to Everton’s backline.

Phil jagielka aside Everton’s central defensive options remain short on experience so Williams would slot in nicely alongside the likes of Stones, Mason Holgate and Brendan Galloway.

If Everton do lodge a bid that is to Swansea’s liking than a deal could be wrapped up fairly quickly, perhaps even in time for the Premier League opener against Tottenham in nine days time.


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Conor Grant to go on season-long loan with Ipswich Town via Royal Blue Mersey

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Everton youngster seeks playing time in the Championship

Everton’s 21-year-old midfielder Conor Grant will join Championship side Ipswich Town on loan until June 30, 2017, according to the Blues Twitter account. He had spent the pre-season with EFC’s senior team, but was not given a squad number when they were released on Tuesday.


LOAN: #EFC midfielder Conor Grant has joined Ipswich Town on a season-long loan to 30 June. Good luck, Conor! pic.twitter.com/TorQaHA2Nq

— Everton (@everton) August 4, 2016

Grant is an Everton Academy graduate who joined the club as a 13-year-old in 2008. However, he is yet to feature for the senior squad and has only been named on the bench once, during a 2014 Europa League game against FC Krasnodar.

This will be his third loan period in as many seasons. The second half of his 2014/15 season was spent with Motherwell in Scotland, where he scored one goal in 13 appearances. Last year, he spent nearly the entire campaign with League One’s Doncaster Rovers, playing 22 games and netting four times. In between loan time, Grant has made 12 appearances for the Everton’s U21s and scored one goal.

The Fazakerley native’s contract with Everton runs until the summer of 2018, but it may prove difficult for him to force his way into the senior side before then. His time with Ipswich will be crucial for him. As a Championship team, they are just one level below the Premier League. If he can start there on a regular basis, he may be capable of becoming a squad player with the Toffees.


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Everton to return with improved £12m offer for Swansea captain Ashley Williams after opening bid rejected via Daily Mail

Swansea rejected Everton's opening £10m bid on Tuesday night but accept that the Wales international is keen to speak to the Goodison Park club and he hopes a deal can be concluded.
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Everton looking to hijack Arsenal bid for World Cup winner via Royal Blue Mersey

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Take this one with the proverbial pinch of salt

With the Premier League season now less than two weeks away, Everton are finding fewer and fewer transfer targets still available. Which also means that the second phase of ‘silly season’ kicks in, where the names linked with the Toffees get even more fantastic.

British paper The Independent is reporting that Arsenal’s bid for German player Julian Draxler has hit a rocky patch, and that Everton could be swooping in for the World Cup winner.

Draxler has expressed his desire to leave Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga in an interview with German paper Bild –


“I have expressed myself clearly to [coach] Dieter Hecking that after the Euros I want to leave Wolfsburg.

“We had a verbal agreement when I joined in August 2015 that I could leave the club if the possibility arose. It was always clear between all parties that I would like to go to a top international club if the chance came.”

But the club refuted those claims saying that the 22-year-old would not be leaving in this transfer window.


"VfL Wolfsburg wish to make it absolutely clear that at no time did those responsible at the club make either written nor oral commitments on the transfer of Julian Draxler within the current transfer period, which is due to end on August 31st, 2016. This is reiterated by a contractual release clause agreed upon with Julian Draxler and his management, which does not come into effect until summer 2017.

"VfL Wolfsburg will not be selling Julian Draxler during the course of the current transfer period. In joint discussions with Julian Draxler, VfL Wolfsburg again made it clear that they would not be granting the player’s wish to make a move."

Draxler himself has expressed interest in Italian champions Juventus and English club Arsenal, but the Bianconeri took themselves out of the running with media reporting that they have called the player’s agent to say they are not interested.

Arsene Wenger is a long-time admirer of Draxler, but if Wolfsburg refuse to sell than the only option would be to convince the club to activate his £63million release clause (which Wolfsburg says only kicks in next summer, his original contract runs until 2020). That price would be too rich for a tight-fisted Wenger, but opens up an opportunity for Ronald Koeman bankrolled by billionaire Farhad Moshiri to get the marquee signing he has been looking for all summer.

While the Blues stealing the player still seems unlikely, he would provide the creative spark that the team so desperately needs as we saw once again last night in the dour 0-0 draw against Manchester United in Wayne Rooney’s testimonial.

Koeman has shown that he is not tied down to a 4-2-3-1 formation, and a three-man backline allows him to field one or more playmakers in the middle of the pitch, as well as getting Leighton Baines and Seamus Coleman further away from defensive responsibilities they do not necessarily relish.

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WhoScored.com

Julian Draxler characteristics

Draxler’s strongest position looks to be where Everton already have another 22-year-old playing, Ross Barkley. Where Draxler is superior though is his flexibility to move out to either wing where he has excelled as well.

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WhoScored.com

Julian Draxler positions

Again, Draxler to Everton sounds highly improbable, but if there were a grain of truth to the news of Koeman’s approach, this would definitely be a kickstart the Blues need in this offseason.


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Everton midfielder could miss season with knee injury via Royal Blue Mersey

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Besic could require surgery, faces a long spell on the sidelines

The news coming out from the Muhamed Besic camp is not looking positive for the player. The combative midfielder was injured during Wayne Rooney’s testimonial as Everton took on Manchester United. An inadvertent knee-on-knee collision with Morgan Schneiderlin left the Bosnian writhing on the turf, before he hobbled off soon after.

Bosnian media site Sportske Novosti is reporting that the player’s father Meho Besic told them that the injury was serious and that he would be on the sidelines for some time.


“I spoke with Muhammad. He was disappointed and just crushed because of injury. Hardly had dropped the whole situation. Good began preparations, but unfortunately no luck. I believe it will recover soon, God willing."

Besic, who had just been on the field for ten minutes at the time of his injury, looked to be in great pain and it looks likely that the ailment is of a torn ACL/MCL variety.


Rehabilitation and return to full fitness after surgery for an ACL tear can take six to nine months. The challenge is balancing trying to make a quick return by overdoing the required physical therapy and doing too little while resting the ligaments.

While Ronald Koeman just completed the signing of Idrissa Gueye, Besic’s injury could force him to make another move to bolster the midfield. Alternatively, this could mean an extended run in the senior squad for youngster Tom Davies who has been impressive so far and just signed a new five-year contract.

Former Everton midfielder Mikel Arteta also ruptured his anterior ligament (ACL) in February 2009, but returned in January the next year. Current club captain Phil Jagielka has also missed time with a similar injury last season, eventually returning after close to three months out on the sidelines recovering from medial ligament (MCL) damage.


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Besic out for six months via GrandOldTeam

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Muhamed Besic has confirmed he will be sidelined for six months through injury.

Besic limped off injured during an appearance in Wayne Rooney’s Testimonial game for Everton against Manchester United on Wednesday evening.


6 months out! #devastated pic.twitter.com/0jg3w3OP9k

— MoBesic (@Mo_Besic) August 5, 2016

The injury is the latest in a series of successive injuries Besic has endured during his Everton career. A hamstring injury sustained against Chelsea last September ruled him out for four months, then a recurrence in January sidelined him again until March.

His latest injury on the eve of the new season is likely to keep him sidelined until at least February.

The post Besic out for six months appeared first on GrandOldTeam.

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