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Everton and Tottenham in tug-of war for Sissoko via Royal Blue Mersey

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Who will sign the player?

Updated 10:55pm BST

Everton are pretty steamed about how the last few minutes of the transfer window went. They withdrew their bid for the player when he refused to return any phone calls from the Toffees camp.


So. Stand up guy Sissoko is. Turned his phone off when Everton sent a private jet for him and had a room ready for a medical. Disgusting.

— UNILAD Football (@UNILADFooty) August 31, 2016
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While fans and media alike are unhappy about Sissoko’s poor behavior, it doesn’t really matter at the end of the day. Clubs are often at the whims of the players especially on transfer deadline day, so that was bound to happen. Without European football, Everton have to rely on Koeman to persuade players to come to Goodison Park, and if they won’t speak to him, there’s little else to be done.

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Updated 10:12pm BST

Tottenham have now matched Everton’s bid of £30 million for the player. The signing will hinge on the player deciding personal terms with one team or the other, with reports saying that Sissoko is looking for Champions League football.

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According to several sources including Tony Scott of the Echo it looks like Moussa Sissoko is on his way to Everton for a last minute physical. It’s unclear if he’ll be at Finch Farm or if this will have to take place elsewhere, but it appears price and contract have been agreed and this deal will get done.

Unconfirmed reports say the final cost will be £30 million for Sissoko, that seems extremely high for the player, with Newcastle United giving the Blues the option to pay it in five annual installments of £6 million each. We shall see as the final reports and signing is announced if it really cost them that much.

Sissoko gives Everton another midfielder who can play centrally as well as out wide and specializes in dribbling and crossing. He’s got his list of negatives as well, but gives Ronald Koeman another attacking option and central option with Ross Barkley.

This along with Enner Valencia look like the only deals Everton will be able to get done for new players today, but a reminder that they have added plenty this window, including Ashley Williams, Idrissa Gana Gueye, Yannick Bolasie and Maarten Stekelenburg. Hopefully Koeman can compete for European competition with this group and make a stronger pitch for talent next summer.


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Farhad Moshiri insists Everton pulled out of Moussa Sissoko deal because they could not ‘jeopardise James McCarthy’s place’ via Daily Mail

Farhad Moshiri has claimed that Everton pulled out of a deal to sign Moussa Sissoko because they did not want to 'jeopardise' James McCarthy's position in the squad.
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Learning To Fly via GrandOldTeam

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Hey there and welcome to September.

As we round the fancy cladding of Goodison it’s been a symbolic summer for Everton with everything that’s gone on. New owner, new manager, apparent new riches to compete with.

Exciting times for many.Speaking of exciting times, how you feeling out there? WOO! It was some ride, right? Transfer #deadlineday, a day so good it has it’s own hashtag. And texans with lad bible beards who take an actual day off work to “enjoy” it.

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Sky wanted to get their drama and over a couple of days they got it. Entree was texts from Moshiri and the main course was the sumptuous patting on the head of little ol’ Everton. Unlucky there. Unless of course it’s all contrived to keep viewing figures maximised from the aforementioned pool of FIFA Ultimate Team playing virgins hooked on the smack produce of Murdoch. Or even if Moshiri was texting Jim White after all?That’s not the issue, it’s the sideshow and drama that the media likes to generate, like they always have.

We’ve a hired manager with a name who raised our profile and is proficient at punching above his weight. That’s the playing side hopefully taken care of, but obtaining those players to move up a level or two when you don’t have European football is a bit harder – as we apparently found out. Will Koeman, with a face like a pained asthmatic triathlete, be happy with what was delivered to his squad?

One must resist the temptation to read too much into media chat but it will be interesting nonetheless. He’s got form for getting frustrated with lack of ambition, that’s you that Southampton, you cruise ship bothering sea mutants.

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Player recruitment or – as the old people like to put it – signing new players is no longer the domain of the manager. It’s big business now as demonstrated when we went to the English champions and paid them millions for another human who is good at spotting good humans before someone else does.So what is the crux of this? How did it turn out for Everton?We have a better team than we started which is a popular KPI of Martinez’s, a KPI you’d guess he set himself after his lazy line manager give him his appraisal and told him to write it himself and he’d sign it off.The squad improvements aren’t however what was expected to be able to kick on and move a few levels up in the league, an anticipated symbol of our new found wealth, in a league/competitive market full of wealth.

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Stekelenburg replaced Howard, Ashley Williams replaced John Stones, Idrissa Gueye seems to have relegated James McCarthy to the bench and Bolasie will do so to the likes of Lennon, Deulofeu or Mirallas over the course of a season. We crucially managed to keep hold of Lukaku. This Everton team will concede less goals and score more than the Everton of the last season or two and that should gain a few more league places.

The problem is managing expectations and these expectations have been pumped by the club since Moshiri took over, perhaps predictably when you market “nothing will be the same again” trying to flog – very successfully – thirty two thousand season tickets.

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Let’s look at some of those expectations with quotes from the summer (courtesy of GOT himself):

Before signing Bolasie;


Koeman: “We will do business for three or four more players. I don’t comment on rumours [but] we have had discussions with the board and with Steve Walsh, and we want three or four more players.”
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After signing Bolasie, Koeman said;


He said: “We always look at players [that will make us] have a stronger squad. That’s one of our jobs to do – to improve the team.

“If we don’t think we have that type of player in the squad, then we will sign that player.

“What we need in the team, we will bring in.”
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Moshiri, after signing Bolasie:


“We are very pleased about today’s signing but remain anxious to further strengthen the squad.”

“The chairman is relentlessly pushing things forward with my total support for him, Steve Walsh and Ronald Koeman”.
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On Friday


Koeman: “If we don’t sign any player before Wednesday then I will be a little bit disappointed,“
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That’s the Everton Manager and majority shareholder being clear about what their objectives are. Do you think they achieved them? To remain objective it is a very competitive market place they’re operating in and maybe some of these targets will be carried forward to January.

Interestingly talking of January there’s been the talk of the restrictions of the the Financial Fair Play rules and that the sale of Stones would benefit us to splurge transfer fees and increased wages. The problem being that this Stones money is applicable in the financial year only, so that may hint at a busy January window. Not the ideal window to be highlighting specific targets and trying to lure them away from their current club. Although you may save a few transfer fees on Bosmans if you’ve got your wits about you.

There’s many more facets to being successful at football than purchasing players and formations. That’s for computer game and app simulations and it’s bred a whole generation of quilts who have sleeve tattoos telling their life story despite being 22 and still living at home with mum.

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Better staff do many a difference when you want to improve in a competitive market place, including recruiting talent from your competitors to both benefit you and hamper your your competition. The likes of Bolasie and Williams may hint at this.

Have Everton done enough to move up where they want to be this season though? We will find out in good time, but a negative net spend and players jibbing us for other clubs seems like a missed opportunity for a team sat in fourth after a good start, and hoping to kick on.

We are left with some weaknesses in the team, notably up front where heaven forbid Lukaku’s goal drought continues or he picks up an injury for a period of time. That would leave Kone, Valencia and an out of position Deulofeu and Mirallas up front. In a league of unforgiving expensive defences there’s a feeling that would not be enough for progression. Scoring goals is a key attribute the better teams in the division have, it shouldn’t be left to chance.

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Targets were identified – although anyone outside of the board would be unlikely to have true accuracy on this – and seemingly one by one squirmed away or used to gain a better wage or offer from a competitor. If there’s a proficiency review of our transfer window then you wouldn’t be expected anything from an eight out of ten or above.

The very fact that you’re rummaging about on transfer deadline day is a sign that your summer recruitment hasn’t gone to plan, it prevents time to efficiently bed in new players with the team in pre season training and also creates a strain on the manager who will be hounded for in depth analysis of it every time he faces the media. Some of the quotes Koeman said above didn’t quite materialise and you can bet your bottom guilder than he will be asked more questions about this before we play Sunderland.

Moshiri has came in and from the snippets you find out from inside the club – I’m not staking a claim for ITK mantle here before you crucify me – it’s mostly positive and how there’s a definite air of professionalism and demand for results or else, this of course extending from Koeman himself who has carte blanche to make the changes he wants to achieve their shared aim of making Everton successful again.

It’s going to be interesting to see if he uses his press conference to put pressure on above as he’s adept on doing to those below, that will be be indicative of the true feeling around the club.

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So with the dust settled the day after the transfer window closes no doubt there will be a review of it’s success versus the objectives set at the beginning of the summer, like any business will operate.

There’s certainly room for development and maybe with the appointment of Steve Walsh the club see itself looking for value in their purchases rather than going out and getting obvious names, or maybe the impact of Steve Walsh will be felt in initial fringe players who are anticipated to develop over and above their worth and make an impact on the team.

I’m using too many maybes when trying to decipher a transfer window but you never really know do you? Unless you’re a fly on the wall, or Jim White’s graft phone, or Moshiri himself.

Where we are is subjective depending on the Evertonian you’re speaking to. You may have logged online today and recoiled at a positive assessment of the summer transfers, or a negative one, or even fumed at those being impassive towards such an important thing, in your view of course. There’s validity in all angles if the truth be told.

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Maybe the cladding of Goodison that I started with really is the perfect metaphor for how I feel we are at the moment after all. We’re a mid table team aspiring for something better, like a waterside stadium. Reality bites in the interim, and until we do get there (if indeed we get there) then we need to make the most of what we got.

I believe that’s over to you Mr Koeman.

The post Learning To Fly appeared first on GrandOldTeam.

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Poor execution leads to failed delivery – Everton’s transfer window via GrandOldTeam

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The over-riding feeling of this transfer window is frustration that we’ve again failed to take full advantage of an opportunity presented to us given our new major shareholder, new manager and Director of Football. It’s clear our recruitment process failed us and as a result we will find it more difficult to advance at the pace we the fans, and I’m sure Moshiri and Koeman had hoped.

I want to give some thought as to why the window has turned out the way it has.

Anyone who has successfully sold products or services, or anyone who has successfully recruited people at the highest levels knows that the most difficult part of the task is usually getting the initial interest. It’s getting that first communication compelling enough to engage the customer or target. That’s why companies spend billions each year on promoting their brand, so that when the opportunity comes along to present the brand to a customer or target there’s as high an engagement rate as possible. Why? Because once you have the engagement, assuming your product or proposition makes sense the rest in my experience is, on a relative basis, much easier.

Now what’s the above got to do with Everton?

We operate in a highly competitive environment and we’re clearly not a premium brand in our own right in the modern game. There are plenty of positives of course, our Premier League status, our fan base, our manager and some of our previous recruitment successes with our players and current squad. There are also negatives – we’re not consistently in Europe, we’ve not won a trophy in 21 years, and we’re some way off being able to guarantee levels of performance and success that attract the very best players.

In examining what we achieved in the transfer window, it seems to me at least that we got the initial pitch correct. We were able to engage our targets and their agents early on in the process of them becoming potential Everton players. The range of players we were linked with suggests that getting through the door to speak to a Witsel, Mata, Carvalho, Brahimi etc was not overly problematic.

The real issue was how and why none of these prospects and several later in the window, even though of lower stature in the game, could not be closed and become Everton players?

For some it was money – Witsel for example where ultimately we pulled out, others Carvalho as an example, listened to the pitch but was not convinced. However many, particularly later on in the window got down to final negotiations, and this is where the problem seems to lie, particularly with overseas players – ultimately we did not have the skills and experience to see the deals across the line.

So what’s to be done about it? Moshiri and Ryazantsev proved their abilities in attracting talent by bringing Koeman and Walsh to the club, and certainly in keeping Lukaku at the club through their meetings with Raiola. Kenwright and Elstone, well what can be said?

Something very badly went wrong in terms of preparation, negotiations and ability to close. I doubt Moshiri with all his experience will allow a similar situation in January. Was he wrong to entrust this element of the task to his Chairman and CEO as the window progressed? Where Moshiri went wrong was in my opinion, not remaining fully briefed on the progress, or lack of, and any issues that were arising. Perhaps towards the end of the window he became more aware of this, particularly with his comment on the state of the transfer window. However the truth is outside of Kenwright and Elstone he had few alternatives to turn to inside the club or board.

Where does it leave us? In organisational terms we need to be able to execute deals efficiently, and in a timely manner with a proper process. I’m not concerned about identification of targets, Walsh and Koeman are perfectly adept at this, Walsh in particular, nor about our initial approach. I am concerned though at Board level we do not have the right people to see us meet our objectives and that’s where the change has to come – something that won’t be lost on Moshiri.

There was considerable talk early in the summer about the prospects of David Dein being introduced into the club. Additionally the BP CFO, Dr Brian Gilvary has been heavily associated with a non-executive position on the board. Neither of these have come to fruition yet, perhaps the timing will coincide with the next phase of Moshiri’s acquisition when he exercises his options agreement with Kenwright, Woods and Abercrombie. I can only hope so.

I’ve read the local media talking about the successes of the window, adopting a balanced approach that we’ve done OK because we’re stronger now than we were at the end of last season. Well frankly that’s not good enough. We have to judge the window on the opportunity that was presented to us and how we failed to take anything like full advantage of that. Had we done so, especially given the start to the season on the pitch, we would have been in a great position to move forward. Sadly we haven’t, and again we’ve allowed our competitors to strengthen at a greater pace than we ourselves have done.

You can’t catch up if you’re still running slower than your competition, and because of the organisational and personnel issues in this window that’s exactly what has happened. We need a football man experienced at the very highest levels of the game in the Chair to run negotiations and a truly world class CEO to execute the deals as they are agreed. Sadly we had neither, and for a while at least our progress on the pitch will be much more difficult because of it.

The post Poor execution leads to failed delivery – Everton’s transfer window appeared first on GrandOldTeam.

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Enner Valencia jersey number announced via Royal Blue Mersey

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Forward to wear the vacant ‘19’ jersey

Everton’s communication department has been mostly silent in the aftermath of how the deadline day ended. Today however they announced that latest signing Enner Valencia will be wearing the ‘19’ jersey for the rest of this season.


| @EnnerValencia14 will wear the number 19 shirt during his season-long loan – https://t.co/qZSHrGRgIR #EFC

— Everton (@everton) September 1, 2016
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This is what it’ll look like –


Announced by the club: pic.twitter.com/oZiiYFNxjW

— ToffeeWeb (@ToffeeWeb) September 1, 2016
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Click here to read our scouting report on the player, and where he will fit in with Ronald Koeman’s plans for the squad.

Previous wearers of the ‘19’ jersey include Gerard Deulofeu (who switched to ‘7’ this season), previous loan flop Christian Atsu, the ‘other Gueye’ Magaye Gueye, one-hit wonder Dan Gosling, the mysterious Nuno Valente, Americans Brian McBride and Joe Max-Moore, the ‘Executioner’ Abel Xavier, John Oster, Marc Hottiger and Stuart Barlow.

Who are your favorite players to have worn the number? How do you think Valencia will do at Everton?


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