2022/23 Neal Maupay

[Lanolin]

Yes he also scuffed a shot that went straight at the keeper could say he saved it off the line too he needs to put it in the net

I was replying to you saying 'he doesn't even look close to having a shot'. If you now want to provide more evidence of how wrong you were that's totally your call mate.

 

[coleman=quality]

To be fair he held the ball up well for Coleman's goal this past weekend.

He did but didn’t do enough of it always bullied

 

[allezlesbleus]

I spoke to someone the other week who has a minor role at a fairly low level club and his throwaway opinion was Everton could have done worse than picking up a big raw strong lower level championship or league one type striker just to give us the option of playing the target man for minimal outlay . Watching maupay at the weekend give us what was effectively just hard work with no particular goal threat and no out ball through pace or height I could see the logic of the comment .

Hopefully maupay can get himself in the box and get on the end of something Saturday and that could really boost his confidence.

Like the lads at Coventry and Blackburn we were meant to be considering?

 

[Harryflashman]

Like the lads at Coventry and Blackburn we were meant to be considering?

Actually no , I was going to caveat my post by saying not them but that’s why I tried to use the word raw . I think the point they were trying to make was someone like a simms at a lower championship or league one but a simms with the attributes we need not a second striker . Not lads who’d cost us £20m plus but the lower end of the market , good in the air and perhaps quick . Someone who would be a risk but at a financially low level . Maybe someone a little older who’d have raised eyebrows but could do a job in the very short term .

If you look at our last two games I think having something to aim at could have helped , I’m not undermining the effort by maupay but that kind of out ball would have helped particularly at anfield . Maupay and simms are totally unsuited to the role of target man , I just felt it was something semi interesting. Maybe it’s why we had a look at the lad at reading as that’s the kind of level we’re talking .

 

[Joey66]

It's no surprise he has struggled he failed to score much playing for a very good Brighton side - he put an effort in without doing much in the way of scoring - Ellis Simms did more in 15 minutes as a target man & that ball through to Doucouré- who should have made it 2 was a delight to see from a young player .....

 

[GrandOldTeam]

It's no surprise he has struggled he failed to score much playing for a very good Brighton side - he put an effort in without doing much in the way of scoring - Ellis Simms did more in 15 minutes as a target man & that ball through to Doucouree - who should have made it 2 was a delight to see from a young player .....

There's only 4 years between the two.

At Simms age, Maupay was doing a lot more. At 21, Maupay scored 10 in 37 for Brighton in the Prem - 7 of them as a sub.

Maupay's conversion rate at Brighton was better than Richarlison's and Calvert-Lewin.

I still think all of this;

Reasons why I think at £15m he'd be a good, pragmatic signing.

- Brighton wanted to keep him. He wouldn't renew. He's been an important player for them and still would be if he wanted to stay.
- He's only available, and for a good price because he's in the last year of his deal. From January, he can open talks with any foreign club about a free transfer.
- League goals - 10 in 37, 8 in 33, 8 in 35. Their top goal scorer in those 3 seasons. Over those 3 years, he's contributed a third of their goals.
- Compare how he'd rank at 10, 8 and 8 in an Everton team the past 3 years.
- He's 25, he hit double figures (ok, 10 league goals) in his debut season as a 21/22 year old for Brighton.
- It sounds daft, but he tends to score goals that matter. It's not like he slots 3 in a 4-0 win to bump up his numbers - 'Take away the nine he netted in 2021-22 and Brighton’s record-breaking ninth place finish becomes 14th spot in the table. Maupay was single-handedly worth seven points last season.'
- He has a very good fitness record.
- People like to say 'Brighton create loads of chances, Maupay misses loads' - he has a better conversion rate than most, including Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison.
- He's low risk in that he's 'proven' in the Prem, young enough to do a few years and sell for profit.
- Playing style. He's a bit street footballer - he brings energy, tenacity and some snide. He's a bit of an angry ant - he can't play upfront on his tod, but he creates space for those around him. Evertonians tend to like that type of player.
- Long term target so it's not a knee jerk panic - we were linked last summer but had no chance because Brighton wouldn't sell;

He's just not the right profile for this Everton team.

Not many would be.

Still, when Calvert-Lewin isn't fit, I'd be starting Maupay with Simms the option off the bench. Leeds the blue print, rather than Liverpool...

 

[Sadken]

Brilliant. Well said.

That comment came from a world class striker, he knows what he's talking about .

 

[GrandOldTeam]

He looks exactly like a one-in-five striker who Brighton moved on from ages ago.

Seeing more and more of this type of comment.

It's a bit like saying we moved on from Richarlison, or Gordon.

He was a big player for them but circumstances dictated he was leaving them.

They didn't want to sell him.

Potter wouldn't sell him to Everton. They binned our bid.

Only when he was definitely leaving/he wouldn't renew his contract leaving did they 'move on'. He was money in the bank, was leaving - succession was needed so he dropped to the bench.

Maupay is a useful squad player/second striker.

With fans its like you're either a hero or a villain. Sometimes you can just be decent.

He's never a number 9 in this Everton team - that's not his fault, it's Everton's weird recruitment.

Though when there's no Calvert-Lewin, I think he's our best bet.

 

[micknick]

You know you're in for it when the multi quote and bold font comes out from GOT man.

 

[Marius57]

Seeing more and more of this type of comment.

It's a bit like saying we moved on from Richarlison, or Gordon.

He was a big player for them but circumstances dictated he was leaving them.

They didn't want to sell him.

Potter wouldn't sell him to Everton. They binned our bid.

Only when he was definitely leaving/he wouldn't renew his contract leaving did they 'move on'. He was money in the bank, was leaving - succession was needed so he dropped to the bench.

Maupay is a useful squad player/second striker.

With fans its like you're either a hero or a villain. Sometimes you can just be decent.

He's never a number 9 in this Everton team - that's not his fault, it's Everton's weird recruitment.

Though when there's no Calvert-Lewin, I think he's our best bet.

This. He was never signed as a first choice starting striker for our team. And now we have Dyche. He is even further from what we need as a first choice starting striker.

He will do a job and it likely won’t be pretty, but as long as we get some wins, I couldn’t care if he scores no goals. As long as he makes a nuisance of himself and wins us corners/free kicks etc and presses as we need him to.

 

[Lanolin]

Actually no , I was going to caveat my post by saying not them but that’s why I tried to use the word raw . I think the point they were trying to make was someone like a simms at a lower championship or league one but a simms with the attributes we need not a second striker . Not lads who’d cost us £20m plus but the lower end of the market , good in the air and perhaps quick . Someone who would be a risk but at a financially low level . Maybe someone a little older who’d have raised eyebrows but could do a job in the very short term .

If you look at our last two games I think having something to aim at could have helped , I’m not undermining the effort by maupay but that kind of out ball would have helped particularly at anfield . Maupay and simms are totally unsuited to the role of target man , I just felt it was something semi interesting. Maybe it’s why we had a look at the lad at reading as that’s the kind of level we’re talking .

I can see the logic, but I think sometimes it's easy to underestimate just how big a step up it is to come in and do well in the at the top level. The pace of the game and the overall quality of the defenders you're up against means that your bog standard lower league target man just wouldn't get a kick against decent teams. I'm sure there's someone who would fit the bill, but it would be a hell of a punt to take and you can imagine the backlash if it didn't work out.

 

[Harryflashman]

I can see the logic, but I think sometimes it's easy to underestimate just how big a step up it is to come in and do well in the at the top level. The pace of the game and the overall quality of the defenders you're up against means that your bog standard lower league target man just wouldn't get a kick against decent teams. I'm sure there's someone who would fit the bill, but it would be a hell of a punt to take and you can imagine the backlash if it didn't work out.

I don’t disagree with any of that , I just thought it was interesting that someone employed within the game of professional football, admittedly At the level we’re talking about rather than our level suggested it and felt it was an option . It wasn’t really something I’d considered .

 

[Carlito]

Seeing more and more of this type of comment.

It's a bit like saying we moved on from Richarlison, or Gordon.

He was a big player for them but circumstances dictated he was leaving them.

They didn't want to sell him.

Potter wouldn't sell him to Everton. They binned our bid.

Only when he was definitely leaving/he wouldn't renew his contract leaving did they 'move on'. He was money in the bank, was leaving - succession was needed so he dropped to the bench.

Maupay is a useful squad player/second striker.

With fans its like you're either a hero or a villain. Sometimes you can just be decent.

He's never a number 9 in this Everton team - that's not his fault, it's Everton's weird recruitment.

Though when there's no Calvert-Lewin, I think he's our best bet.

He didn't sign a new contract because he was no longer a guaranteed starter.

He lost his guaranteed starting place because he can't hold the ball up, isn't particularly fast and doesn't score many goals at this level.

He would struggle for game time anywhere in the Premier League because he's crap.

 

[Harryflashman]

Seeing more and more of this type of comment.

It's a bit like saying we moved on from Richarlison, or Gordon.

He was a big player for them but circumstances dictated he was leaving them.

They didn't want to sell him.

Potter wouldn't sell him to Everton. They binned our bid.

Only when he was definitely leaving/he wouldn't renew his contract leaving did they 'move on'. He was money in the bank, was leaving - succession was needed so he dropped to the bench.

Maupay is a useful squad player/second striker.

With fans its like you're either a hero or a villain. Sometimes you can just be decent.

He's never a number 9 in this Everton team - that's not his fault, it's Everton's weird recruitment.

Though when there's no Calvert-Lewin, I think he's our best bet.

Couldn’t agree more with the points made here to be honest .

My only slight issue is that overall in his Everton career I think you’d struggle to describe him as decent although I thinks he probably was Saturday . As you say scattergun recruitment as left us here but with Calvert-Lewin he’s almost certainly our best option , such as it is .

 

[Papa Shango]

He did but didn’t do enough of it always bullied

Well yeah he is hardly built for the role.

He does seem to do a bit better with actual teammates around him though. Under Lampard he was basically stood miles away from everybody else.