Romelu Lukaku

[Stuartisitc1878]

If we sell to Chelsea i'd insist on getting batshuayi included plus as close to our valuation as possible. If he goes to United then rinse them for all we can and if it's too a PSG or someone like that set a price and stick to it. I'd want it sorted out early in the summer to avoid a saga.

 

[Barnfred 55]

I agree with what Osman said on Sky. Everton's setup is to get the best out of Lukaku. If he leaves he has to adopt other style of play. Might not be the best move for him.

I think this is our best chance of holding on to Lukaku in the short term. Rom is an intelligent lad and understands that he is not yet the finished article. He will also, on some level, realise that Everton set up to play to his strengths, and that elite clubs won't necessarily do this.

Most of us know that we are unlikely to keep hold of Rom in the long term, especially if he continues developing at the current rate. He will move on to one of the top clubs, of which there are probably only half a dozen world wide who could afford our fee and his wages. In my opinion, what will determine when he moves is :-

1). When Rom himself feels he is ready for the move.
2). When one of the elite clubs are ready to make the move for him and match our valuation.

If both of these coincide this summer, which is more than possible, then we won't be able to stop it. If it doesn't, then I would hope that Lukaku agrees to sign a new contract and continue his development with us for another year at least.

Whatever happens, when Rom does leave it does not mean the end of Everton FC. The likes of Atletico, Sevilla, Porto and many others actually run their clubs on this basis. We just need to have a boss recruitment system in place.

I don't read anything new into Bolasie's comments today. He hasn't said anything that Lukaku himself hasn't said over the last few weeks. Even if he does sign a new contract now, if both of those conditions above are met this summer, he would still be on his way.

 

[BlueToff]

Only debate is whether he's here next season. The one after he'll defo go.

Aye. Agree here. And wouldn't blame him at all.

Wouldn't blame him if he went this season. There's no blame to be attached to player or club really.

At the moment the club are in a very strong position because he's got 2 years left and he isn't going to refuse to play - he knows that would only be detrimental to his development.

So, we can feasibly demand £60/70m and get it this summer. If he signs a new deal that can be pushed up to £80m with perhaps a lower buy-out clause for CL teams, and of course means we can get pretty much the same amount the year after should he stay.

 

[BlueToff]

He'll demand the move in that case, and then it will happen. Everton can afford to turn down £70M nor can they have a disgruntled top striker on their hands.

See my post below though Dave.

Another caveat is that Rom - if he wants to be the best of the best - has to continue to develop at the rate he has this season.

 

[hallamblue]

Sounds like he definitely wants out and we can't really blame him. However, whilst I accept his ambitions, there seems to be a clear disregard by the media mostly and other fans about OUR ambition. We don't necessarily have to sell and Lukaku can't hold us to ransom when he has to prove to other clubs that he is a model professional, and wants to achieve his own targets like becoming the league's top scorer.

I don't like this attitude developing that Everton are some little nomark club and we have a player on our hands that is way out of our league. He has been great since he's been here, lazy at times with a poor attitude too, but he's proven he's among the best this season and can go to the very top of the game. However, he has had little pressure on him whilst here which will not be true at the clubs he wants to play at. He had a perfect chance to help us win a trophy last season and wrecked it with his misses in the Semi Final, he downed tools last season when he had reached 18 goals with 3 months to play and squandered a chance to be top scorer, and we still have an outside chance of the top 4 this season. Whether he steps up in the next week will be interesting.

We are 66/1 to get Top 4. If Man Utd or the RS were in our position they'd be about 6/1 to finish Top 4. We just aren't considered a threat yet.

 

[Julius Geezer]

Sky sports reporting that Chelsea's no 1 transfer target this summer is..........

Sanchez

 

[ExpatinBangkok]

Given we have a wealthy owner now money should be less of an issue so I hope either a) we keep him for next year even without a new contract to try and break into top 4 even if we lose 30-40 million having to sell him them. Or b) we refuse to sell to a premier league club even if it means selling 10-20 million less elsewhere. If he stays in the PL we will be reminded every week that we are still a feeder club for the big boys (plus he is likely to score against us frequently).

 

[Stuartisitc1878]

Sky sports reporting that Chelsea's no 1 transfer target this summer is..........

Sanchez

they've had 6 No.1 targets in the last month.

 

[davek]

If he slaps in a transfer request then that'll be that, it just depends on who shows definite interest and at what value.

it's not 100% certain for me that he'll leave this summer.

He's made a break with the club already. The rest is all about now or 12 months.

To me the damage is done. If he's retained next season and we or he is not playing like we/he are/is right now it will get very messy.

I cant believe he'll have an agent that's already overseen the gradual distancing of his client and placing him in the shop window to then stand down and wait 12 months when the environment might (probably wont) be as favourable as it is right now. And at next season's end is a WC summer which complicates player transfers.

Best get it down and out the way this summer. Better for him; financially and in terms of team spirit better for us...even though he'll leave a massive hole to fill.

 

[davek]

Played 30 plus games for the previous 4 seasons now, not sure luck has much to do with it tbh.

Well, we certainly can have no complaints over his appearances. I doubt there are too many players who've played top flight for 5 years or so who have avoided significant injury and time out.

 

[catcherintherye]

He's made a break with the club already. The rest is all about now or 12 months.

To me the damage is done. If he's retained next season and we or he is not playing like we/he are/is right now it will get very messy.

I cant believe he'll have an agent that's already overseen the gradual distancing of his client and placing him in the shop window to then stand down and wait 12 months when the environment might (probably wont) be as favourable as it is right now. And at next season's end is a WC summer which complicates player transfers.

Best get it down and out the way this summer. Better for him; financially and in terms of team spirit better for us...even though he'll leave a massive hole to fill.

I'll be honest mate, I'm not sure he was ever really connected to the club to begin with. He came to Everton on the basis of staying for another couple of seasons, honing his skills before moving onto a top club. It has probably taken him a couple of years longer than he'd have hoped to get there (and I know in his second season with us the first half of it in particular his seamless progress stalled a little).

I like Lukaku and he has done very well for the club, but he is in it for Lukaku and always has been.

 

[davek]

I'll be honest mate, I'm not sure he was ever really connected to the club to begin with. He came to Everton on the basis of staying for another couple of seasons, honing his skills before moving onto a top club. It has probably taken him a couple of years longer than he'd have hoped to get there (and I know in his second season with us the first half of it in particular his seamless progress stalled a little).

I like Lukaku and he has done very well for the club, but he is in it for Lukaku and always has been.

They mostly all are. There are very few who identify with the club they play for.

I dont mind Lukaku. He's hard headed about his objectives, but he's given the club a great effort over four seasons and probably could have pushed for a move if he'd wanted to.

 

[JLW]

I'll be honest mate, I'm not sure he was ever really connected to the club to begin with. He came to Everton on the basis of staying for another couple of seasons, honing his skills before moving onto a top club. It has probably taken him a couple of years longer than he'd have hoped to get there (and I know in his second season with us the first half of it in particular his seamless progress stalled a little).

I like Lukaku and he has done very well for the club, but he is in it for Lukaku and always has been.

Bang on mate.. Always thought this!

 

[Kenshin]

For all the comments and panic over Lukaku now, is this not the same conversation we could have been happening over the past 2 years?

Just because Bolasie has said this or Martinez has said that or whatever else, doesn't change the fact no-one has come in for him before and our valuation of him would put a lot of clubs off anyway.

So is this speculating for the sake of it it create news?

 

[VentureBrosEFC]

I find it funny that Sky is having to change their headlines (for whatever reason) constantly for this saga. They just changed the Bolasie article and have had to tone down the "he is leaving" headlines a couple other times recently.