http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/spor...ews/everton-koeman-lukaku-raiola-psg-12150772
Koeman was wrong - "It might be true but it's not for the Everton manager to say it"
Greg O'Keeffe (Everton Editor)
We've had it from the man himself.
We've had it from his agent.
Now, and perhaps most improbably, we've had it from Everton's manager.
No wonder
Romelu Lukaku feels free to talk about his career beyond Goodison so frequently.
Ronald Koeman's comments have slipped under the radar for some.
On the surface of it, they merely represented the Dutchman being himself; honest and upfront.
After three years of Roberto Martinez's bluster and filibustering, it's refreshing in almost every respect.
But there's still a time when it may be better to maintain a dignified silence or exercise a little diplomacy.
I'm not suggesting Koeman should do a Chemical Ali, put his blinkers on and suggest Lukaku should stay at Goodison because, after all, this time next season we'll be reigning Premier League champions and top of our Champions League qualifying group.
Nobody wants pointless platitudes over pragmatism
But the manager of Everton Football Club should also exercise caution when it comes to anything that could be seen to undermine what the club wants to do.
It wants to grow, to expand - into a new stadium and back into European football.
It does not need its manager suggesting that any of its players possess a potential which is beyond it.
They may well do. But it's not Koeman's place to say it.
When Mino Raiola, Lukaku's agent, once said he would never have let Lukaku join the Blues back in 2014 if he'd represented him then, it angered some.
Koeman's comments, even if not deliberately, consolidate the same mindset.
What message does it send to the next gems on the Finch Farm academy conveyor belt?
Why bother trying to make it at Everton? Grab your advisers, think of the bigger picture and join Manchester City asap.
Imagine if Jurgen Klopp said the same about Coutinho? Or Mauricio Pochettino suggested Harry Kane might be better moving on if he wants to regularly compete for the title.
Lukaku is only 23.
If he were 28, time was ticking at the height of his powers, and his need for Champions League football was make or break, you could understand Koeman suggesting that, in the player's interests, a move could eventually make sense.
Maybe more so if his goals had helped the Toffees win a trophy or break into the top four.
But Koeman doesn't speak in the players' individual interests.
In every other way he has shown that he is not a man to be crossed. He will drop players, sub them off, and make clear the line over which they dare not cross lest they lose his trust.
But he must not develop a blind-spot when it comes to Lukaku, simply because the striker's decision to stay in the summer has proven such a key aspect of allowing his side to be competitive in his first season.
Evertonians aren't mugs.
It's OK to be realistic. They don't want candied promises. They don't want fantasy.
It's NOT OK to say something which could be interpreted as suggesting that any player is bigger than the club
