SpartyBlue

Me too if that’s the end result but looking like a star against that level of competition is what he’s supposed to be doing. Maybe an agent or a club would try to sell that but I don’t think Real Madrid or whoever is gonna care much.

You’re making my point for me. The amount invested in an average Everton 1st team player (including transfer fees) over a 3 year span has to be over 25m. Gray costs a fraction so the level he needs to produce to be good value for money is far lower than our average guy. Just being a player we have for cover who gets time in some cup games to give starters a rest is worth 7.5m over several years in today’s market. The frustration comes when you get a Bolassie or an Iwobi who we’ve heavily invested in. Gray is a flier. If it works out then great, if it doesn’t *shrug*. He’s shown enough to be worth a relatively small gamble. There is far more upside than downside here.

Yep. I don’t think it’s even a critique of his toughness the way it was for Klassen. He’s just not big enough. What can you do?

Negotiating doesn’t have a ton to do with how a player goes on to perform. If we coulda gotten Richarlison for 30m and ended up paying far more it’s not that relevant that he’s worth more than that higher number in terms of the negotiation. Player evaluation is a different thing.

I don’t think scoring goals vs u-23’s is gonna move the needle at all for a player who is already 50m+

Good player and one of the few we’ve had lately that can really create problems for the opposition on his own. Always gonna be limited by his size though both defensively and in attack. Wouldn’t surprise me if he does very well in a less physical league.

It’s good business either way. Would be like saying it’s only a good pass if you end up scoring. Very low risk, reasonable upside.

Yeah, I haven’t seen enough of him to know. I thought that I read he plays on the left more often than not which would make him a bit of an odd fit for us

And that’s how with one tweet you get the fanbase on your side. Well played.

I am actually kind of excited the club has made two good, low-risk, sensible signings to start the window. We will all expect a bit of money to be spent but these types of signings make that more possible. Both experienced professionals who will know the role they’ve been brought here to fill.

Already a proven premier league player. He can never be Bolasie because he’s cost us nothing to sign. Not much downside here

Yea, current circumstances notwithstanding I was happy to keep Gylfi as a veteran squad player. He works hard and has ability when given time on the ball. I suppose McNeil is more of a winger than a central player . Nunes is probably the rumored transfer that would fill that role. I also imagine James might play in that position under Rafa if we get a more traditional winger out right (and if he stays). Guess we will just have to see how it all shakes out.

I take your point but you’re being pretty speculative here. Do we know what our budget is? Do we know if guys like Kean and James are staying and what fees they will command if they leave? I certainly don’t. My point was simply that for what he is, a 21 year old with ability and 100 premier league caps, 25m is not that much in today’s market. It’s also on par with or less then we’ve paid for most of our current starting 11. If you’re saying that you think that with our likely budget and needs we should be getting the finished article for 25m then fair enough. But in general 25m is usually not buying you the finished article. We spent far more on Iwobi and Richie, to name two, and they weren’t anywhere near having reached their potential. For that price I’d expect a player with good ability who can start for us right away if need be but also has plenty of room to grow into a top player. Sort of like Godfrey was when he came, though unfair to expect any young player to take to it as quickly as he did.

It’s quite an accomplishment to command a fee around there for a 21 year old but it’s not top dollar. We have many players on our current roster that have gone or would go for far more. Crazy as it is that’s a pretty average free for an upper half premier league club to spend.

Uses that size well if highlights can be trusted (they can’t).

To be fair I think Mina eventually turned himself into an effective player for us, though it took some time.

But aren’t you saying then that he’s a replacement for an aging Gylfi?

Guy is certainly dangerous on the counter/in attack. That speed, physicality and willingness to drive into the box is a rare combo for a RB. If he does come I wonder how much it will be because of Seamus. Would be a great spot for him to learn and then take over the role.

Agree here. Started well but by the end of the season he was getting beat regularly and was a liability at times. Age catches up with us all. I’ll be glad to have a healthy JPG and Davies if his late season form proves to be the new normal.

Why do we act like the cupboard is bare? We had our best record vs. the traditional top 6 in our Premier League history. I think we’d all agree we have quality at the back. We have DCL and Richarlison at last check. We have Allan and Doucoure in the middle. Yes, we have holes to fill but so do most squads. Why is there any reason to believe a relegation type season is even a remote possibility? Is our confidence really that low as supporters?

I agree it’s unlikely. It’s just that he’s either willing to step into the fire or he thinks the fire won’t burn him which would take a special sort of ego. I’m not sure at this point he could get an offer from anyone “bigger” than Everton but perhaps I’m wrong.

Or, alternately, he is tremendously arrogant

Yea, this is a good take. You would think a man who knows he’s walking into the fire would bring with him a certain level of commitment and determination. He could get an easy paycheck lots of places.

A manager’s expectations are largely determined by their resources. Nobody in their right mind would have been expecting Newcastle to immediately compete for trophies or finish really high up the table. Was Moyes a failure because we never won anything under him? Context matters.