Zoo 2.0

CONFIRMED!!! I've never doubted Silva and Brands throughout this summer and as expected they continue to deliver. Gbamin through the door who can either play in the midfield replacing Gueye or dropping back into the more natural centre-back position to provide cover. The striker we have been screaming for is announced too, an absolute steal for a 19 year old kid who has been banging them in since hitting the big time, always a threat for Juventus whenever he played and did alright with Verona too. I'm convinced that this is finally the replacement for Lukaku and can't wait to see him at Goodison.

Adrian Durham and TalkSport literally base their whole station on winding people up and getting them to have a meltdown on air. I was listening a few days ago and they had an Aston Villa fan on there saying that they would get the top four this season due to the signings they'd made. Durham himself has been banging on about West Ham being "nailed on" for the top four for ages. It's all just to get people rattled and call up, there's no actual intelligence or substance to his ramblings.

That was the best race of the season, loved every minute of it. A shame for Mercedes but with the Drivers and Constructors all but wrapped up, they can have the odd slip up and still remain at the top. Bottas crashing out was the best thing that could have happened on a very dismal day for Lewis, a poor strategy call really cost him as in the rain he was really comfortable in P1, without the cock-up in the pits he would surely have had more of a say in the race (and radio confirms he didn't want to go onto Mediums). Amazing for Kyvat though, Toro Rosso on the podium is nothing short of fantastic. With silly season starting this has now thrown a lot of questions around the paddock. Pierre Gasly constantly being overtaken by Alexander Albon in the satellite car and then pulling a DNF being one, it's becoming more and more clear that he's out of his depth at Red Bull and it's just a question as to whether they go with a rookie again in Albon or re-hire Kyvat for next season. With the problems at Renault, I honestly wouldn't be surprised to see Danny Ric making a surprise return too. He clearly has the pace and with the constant problems at Ferrari it's slowly looking more and more as though Red Bull will be the car to take the challenge to Mercedes, with Ricciardo desperate for a top car he should honestly but his pride to one side if the phone rings (although it has been speculated that he's a potential replacement for Vettel too). Toto Wolff stated this week that Bottas' position within Mercedes would be decided on how he performs over the next two races before the summer break. Crashing out whilst failing to catch a Racing Point is the worst scenario that could have happened and I fully expect Esteban Ocon in a Silver Arrow for 2020. It was one of my bold predictions before the season started that he would compete in a race for 2019 and whilst that was a bit optimistic I do think Mercedes will cut ties with Valtierri - over the course of the season it is evident that he's never going to get the better of Lewis. When asked by Ted Kravitz about Bottas after the flag, Toto simply stated ''Shit race''. Ouch. Haas have deep driver problems too, infamously crashing out in Silverstone after hitting one another and then doing the same this afternoon (albeit without terminal damage). Either K-Mag or Grosjean need to go and I think it'll be the latter. He's had a poor season so far and given that he struggled in 2018, he will more than likely be the driver sacrificed. Good drives from Sainz and the two Alfas in tricky conditions too, promising signs.

I got back from the game at 11:00 so wasn't really able to post anything about it . On reflection though it was a decent run out for the lads, we never really looked like threatening but then again neither did Wigan who are much further down the line in terms of pre-season. There seems to be quite a bit of negativity surrounding Yerry Mina but I think it's worth noting that this was his first game back after returning from the Copa America so I think we can forgive the odd spell of rustiness from him. Once he's back up to speed I'm hoping that he can be a real asset to us, having someone that's about 18ft. tall is really going to help both at the back and going forward from set-pieces. Pickford didn't have much to do but made a decent save in the first half when called upon, nothing that you would expect him to struggle with but still a solid stop. Michael Keane looked comfortable at the back before having his night cut short with an eye injury, Holgate replacing him in the centre looked good too and I'm hoping that he doesn't go back to West Brom, instead continuing his development in and around the first team this campaign. Lucas Digne and Seamus Coleman again rather comfortable on either flank, other than the save Pickford had to make it was very comfortable defensive wise, even for the youth team that came on for the second period. Nice to see Fabien Delph make his debut and he was very vocal throughout the first 45. Comfortable on the ball and always wanting it in and around our own third. Him and André Gomes dropping really deep and spraying balls to the flanks whenever possible, the latter getting a bit further forward. Siguardsson didn't really get into the game for me and something which was a bit worrying was that on one occasion he asked for the ball to be played elsewhere as opposed to into his feet (despite being in space). As we get up to speed hopefully he can be that pivot in the middle that allows us to switch flank and play through the lines with ease. Theo Walcott had some good moments on the ball but looked terrified to shoot, Bernard similarly had some great moments but never really looked like scoring - the service for DCL wasn't exactly great as both he and Hornby struggled up top. The youth seemed to hold up well in the second half too (especially Tom Davies), with nobody standing out for the wrong reasons and on another day perhaps could have put the ball in the back of the net. Overall though and workout and not much more, the chances for both sides were few and far between and it's when we fly out to Germany that we will hopefully see the team right up to speed. During the season I sit quite high up (I prefer the tactical element of football as opposed to seeing the players close) however with it being pre-season decided to try and sit near to the action. Some snaps that came out alright are included and a massive thumbs up to the Everton support last night, we took over Wigan and could be heard chanting in all corners of the ground walking up. Electric inside too when the teams came out considering it was a friendly, must be fantastic for the players.

The post wasn't aimed at you mate, I just saw that you'd posted about City/Liverpool being a bad example so I updated my post to reply to you too with an alternative.

We signed five players last summer, the first of which only signed on the 24th July 2018 (which is tomorrow this summer). Basically, what you're saying is that you want our whole transfer business to be complete in a quicker time-frame than we began it last season, in what was considered a successful summer by the majority of the fanbase? You say it as if these players aren't even being spoken to, just because we haven't heard anything about a new striker doesn't mean that we aren't working around the clock to get one. If you were Silva would you be listing off each and every player that you wanted to sign in a press conference and sticking it on Twitter for the world to see? It's a secret for a reason, nobody is going to disclose what they are doing behind the scenes transfer wise as it'd be business suicide. Just out of interest I didn't say anything about rumours either so not sure where that part of your post has come from although I think it's clear you didn't read mine fully as you're complaining about us not signing four players when I've stated in detail how football business in the real world differs greatly to that on a PlayStation. Just because you personally aren't being made aware about Everton's transfer business doesn't mean that Silva and Brands are sitting in Finch Farm smoking Chilean cigars and doing crosswords. Edit: @Finn balor if you want a better example regarding who has signed what then look at Wolves; playing European football this year and are yet to sign a single player. I'm sure some of their fans are jumping up and down too but they'll be in the same boat at us and the other 18 teams in the top flight.

Today is the 23rd July 2019. Last season we made our first signing, Richarlison on the 24th July 2018. In effect, this time last season we had signed nobody yet this season we have signed two (Lossl and Delph). It constantly baffles me as to how people can hit panic mode and/or have a moan about us being ''lastminute.com'' without actually sitting back and looking at the facts. Throughout the past 18 months fans have been in agreement that we need to shift the deadwood that is costing the club a fortune due to inflated wages and it is perfect common sense to focus efforts on reducing this wage bill and shipping off the players that need to go as opposed to signing twenty-five new players in the hope that somehow it'll fix the problem. Brands' stance from the beginning has always been clear, reduce the squad size and add players as and when we need them. Last season, after making our first signing of the summer on the 24th we then went ahead and added Lucas Digne, Joao Virginia, Yerry Mina and André Gomes in what I'm sure you will agree was a productive summer for the club. If we replicate what we did last year (and I see no reason why we wouldn't) then alongside existing signings we'll have added four new players to the squad (which again, I assume you will agree is a successful summer). I can't speak for everyone else but I trust Silva and Brands a whole lot more than Koeman, Walsh and Allardyce. The opposite of what we have now is signing players left, right and centre which is how we ended up with Sandro Ramirez on over £100,000 a week, Davy Klaasen arguably out his depth in the Premier League alongside Wayne Rooney and Nikola Vlasic. Four players who have all since departed, admittedly Sandro on loan. You have to remember that this isn't FIFA or shopping in Tesco, it's simply ludicrous to assume that we can catch a plane to Italy, knock on Juventus' door to sign Kean before hitting ''speed-dial #01'' for the Ajax reception so that we can get Neres too and save on petrol. The signings that we want of excellent, hard-working players take time as we'll need to open and close negotiations with the player, his club and agent himself. Not to mention that there will be other clubs at the table doing the same and all the legwork in-between of the player going on holiday, taking time to think about his decision, viewing the club/city/houses etc. If we are heading into the Crystal Palace game with what we have now then yes, it'll be a disappointing summer but there's two weeks left and it's only now that teams are getting into the swing of pre-season. As an example, we're rumoured to be interested in Malcom and FC Barcelona only starting their pre-season today, with Malcom himself in the squad. They're not going to let him go without having a last look at him which will delay the transfer that we so badly seek. Another club to look at is Manchester City, out in Asia at the moment with just the one signing in Rodri, Liverpool I believe haven't signed a single player yet? Don't panic.

Funny you should mention Ryan Gauld as he's just been released by Sporting and in turn has signed for SC Farense who play in the second tier of Portugal. He played quite a lot for their "B" team but never made it to the top class, even struggling to get game time for Hibernian when he went back on loan. Everyone is the new Messi these days, the only player looking remotely capable of being like Leo is Kylian Mbappé but he won't be as good because nobody can touch Messi, the absolute GOAT (greatest of all time) when it comes to football. We won't see another like him no matter how much the press think otherwise so let's just enjoy him while we can.

Palace have money in their pocket after selling Wan-Bassaka, so I do expect them to start throwing money at players. Hopefully with them having a bit extra cash we can sneak the price of James McCarthy up - Bolasie and Niasse too if they're serious about them. Tosun won't go as he's injured and it's just a lazy rumour as Allardyce wanted him at Palace before signing for us. Regarding McCarthy, it's only when you sit back and think about it that this move makes sense. At first thought there's no way I'd let McCarthy go, he's an incredible player but then when you sit back and think about it those fantastic games are many seasons away and he's been injured for a lot longer than anyone probably realises. To get a fee of around £8m for a player that hasn't played much for us in the past two campaigns and is heading into the last year of his contract is good business and takes away from the cost of the incoming players Gomes, Delph and Lossl (plus whoever we decide to bring in further). He's been worth every penny since joining and goes with my highest blessing if the move materialises. Once of the players that you'll definitely applaud when returning to Goodison.

We are heading in the right direction, looking to have moved up a gear against better opposition in Monaco. Good to see the youngsters getting minutes too although Lewis Gibson is showing his inexperience, caught out a few times and gave away a silly penalty that would have probably been buried in a Premier League game - great save from Stekelenburg though and again a few minutes later when they broke through. He won't get ahead of Pickford in the pecking order but it's good to have a solid number two in case of emergency. Michael Keane was caught in possession at the start of the game but seems to have found his rhythm, Nathan Broadhead continues to impress me as I thought he was fantastic against Sion. Oumar Niasse up top is struggling again, a handful of chances have fallen to him and he's failed to convert them. He doesn't even look that convincing linking up with the midfield, a definite weak point for us. Let's get Kean/Costa or whoever else over the line ASAP.

To put this into context, we signed Gomes for £22 million so selling Lookman for the above price means we've essentially acquired André for free. I really liked Ademola and had high hopes for him, especially after that goal against Manchester City but three managers have had a look at him and neither are willing to give him a run in the first team (remember that Brands will have had a big say in his Everton career too). Whilst I do think that he can go on to be something special I trust the powers that be at Everton to make the right call. Since Brands and Silva started working together they have got a lot of things right so let's hope this is another wise move to fund other signings in areas we need to strengthen. Let's not forget that Lookman hasn't had his heart set on Red Bull for a while either, it's a miracle he didn't depart last summer.

I am watching on the official site (STH's get the game streamed) and they've been saying that there were technical difficulties leading up to the match - the official broadcast went live a minute and a half late so keep trying if the YouTube links are dead, chances are they are playing catch up and behind due to the official stream being poor. @Shukes @Matt We've just scored too, but ruled out for offside! Not sure what the reasoning was as it looked onside, pretty much all Everton too in the opening 15 minutes. André Gomes and Morgan Schneiderlin with Tom Davies at the top of a midfield triangle - Nathan Broadhead getting a lot of the ball on the left wing which is good to see. Not seeing much of Kevin Mirallas although he has been wedged as a makeshift right-back. Despite putting in the effort there's nothing up top from Oumar Niasse who appears to be a second behind to each ball, hardly influencing the game at all.

You have to look at the sides that will get worse over the summer which unfortunately in the Top 6 isn't many. Manchester City and Liverpool are surely going to compete for the title and won't be anywhere near P5, nevermind out of the Europa places altogether. Chelsea, even with a transfer ban should be good enough to keep European football. I don't know if I'm in the minority but think that Lampard is the best appointment for the situation that they are in, Eden Hazard gone and a transfer ban means they need someone who knows the club inside and out and there's no better than Frank, especially after doing a year getting his managerial feet under the table with Derby County. Spurs will be up there so that's four pretty much nailed above us but then you look at the potential fallers, Arsenal and Manchester United. Both have always been up there but it's anyone's guess as to how they will do next season, there are real problems at Arsenal (captain Koscielny is on strike at the moment) and obviously United have their own problems with Pogba and Lukaku wanting to leave alongside a relatively unproven manager in Solkjaer, someone who started well but crawled to the end of the season with a bucket full of poor results. I don't know if we are good enough over the full season to better these teams but if anyone it's going to be those two. Around us, there's the unknown of Wolves, a great season after promotion and without losing any big players they should have the capacity to do it again, it's just a question as to whether they can keep it up or whether this is just "first season syndrome" and they drop back down. They've got quality in Ruben Neves, Rui Patricio and Raul Jiminez but haven't strengthened too much which might come back to bite them on the backside. Leicester on the other hand have spent arguably well with Youri Tielemans and Ayoze Perez but I just don't think that Brendan Rodgers will improve them in the time that he stays there, he fluffed a league title with an outstanding Luis Suarez and a five point lead and since then managed to win a one-team league with Celtic. I expect them to still be behind us, as will West Ham (who finished 10th and have sold three of their strikers). Looking into the bottom half, there's nobody that I can see making the leap into the top 10. Watford, Crystal Palace and Newcastle United who finished the highest in the bottom half won't challenge and the latter two have worse squads at the moment than when they finished 2018/19 with the departures of Wan-Bissaka, Benitez and Perez. Therefore, wrapping this post up. I think we will be 7th. It's an uninspiring prediction but the most realistic one, if anyone drops out of the top 6 then we look the best outfit to pounce but if we don't have a ridiculous fall from grace then there's no reason why we should be worrying about anything 8th and below. Hopefully that's enough to give us the European nights at Goodison again that I've been craving. Edit: Regarding players that will have an outstanding season, Richarlison on the back of Copa America triumph will be on fire. We still need a striker, but he's going to be tough to handle in and around the box.

Wayne Rooney was a supposed ''bad egg'' in an era that was riddled with incompetence from Koeman, Walsh and Allardyce. Even though I don't think he would have dragged us to a league title I do think Wayne still had a lot to give in an Everton shirt and despite the deal to sell him being a good one financially for the club, I would rather he stayed at Goodison as part of the squad. A great figure to have in the dressing room and a presence on the pitch, he managed 11 goals in a season that we were absolutely shite which speaks volumes (especially when you consider he played in the centre of midfield). It's no surprise that he's head and shoulders above most in the MLS for DC United, I just hope that he comes back in a coaching capacity once his time in the US is up. Any excuse to post the above video too, had a great view of it in the ground and was blown away. Take a bow.

Brands is more than likely trying to work Malcom into the deal. The Yerry Mina transfer was delayed in order to sign André Gomes as we wanted to loan and Barcelona wanted to sell. Barça are really interested in re-signing Neymar from Paris Saint-Germain and are still desperately trying to put a deal together for Matthijs De Ligt from Ajax. In order to do so and meet FFP they are open to offers for the likes of Umtiti, Cillessen, Coutinho and of course Gomes and Malcom. I'd bet confidently that the deal for André is complete, but there will be a sticking point on Malcom as Barcelona try to recoup as much money as possible.

Ajax have already confirmed that Ziyech will be leaving. Apparently he enquired about a transfer last summer and was promised that he would be sold should an acceptable offer come in and if he continued with the club for another year. Ziyech kept his side of the bargain playing the 2018/19 season with Ajax and Marc Overmars (Director of Football) confirmed a few weeks ago that Hakim would be leaving as a result. He's currently on international duty with Morocco but as soon as that's done and dusted he'll be off for a new beginning. He's being chased by Arsenal but he could do so much better than them, he needs to move to a Champions League club IMO to continue his development. Promes has been signed to replace him and it is true that they are also looking at Bergwijn (another young star who will be at a top club in a few years). The fact that they are looking at another winger suggests that Neres could be off but the fact that he could quite literally play for the likes of Madrid and Barcelona every week means that I refuse to get excited about his transfer. There's absolutely no way that he comes here unless Richarlison can somehow convince him to use us as a stepping stone for a season or two.

You do realise that Arsenal, Brighton, Crystal Palace, Leicester, Liverpool, Manchester City, Newcastle, Sheffield United, Spurs and Watford haven't made signings either? Ironically, we are one of the teams that have signed a player so far this summer so I'm confused as to how with all of this information at hand predictions are being made about the window being ''last minute'' and criticisms of Brands are coming to the front for not acting fast enough in the market. No South Americans will be signed as the Copa America is currently underway. It is incredibly unlikely that national teams will allow players to skip training to discuss contracts and transfer fees with domestic clubs which is fully understandable. We've also had the Nations League taking place recently so anyone taking part in that (basically the best players from the top leagues of England, Portugal and the Netherlands) will now be on holiday and thus not available for negotiation. As an example, look at Matthijs De Ligt who is absolutely nailed on to leave Ajax this summer but as of today hasn't moved anywhere. If the rumours are true, André Gomes is set to sign within the next few days which will take our signings up to two for the summer - not bad when you consider all of the above. If we are sitting with just two signings come August then by all means throw some criticism at Brands, Moshiri and the rest but at the moment I think it's borderline bonkers to be panicking about our summer business. Take a deep breath!

It's hard to say considering it's my own club that's involved but is there really anywhere else that he should go? After making his dream move to Barcelona from Valencia he stated in an interview that he was too afraid to leave his house due to the shame of under-performing with his new club. He even said whilst still at the club last season that if he could sum up his situation in one word it would be ''Hell'' so with all things considered would he want to go anywhere else than a club that has allowed him to love football again and play in front of a crowd that want him to do well? Don't forget that the whistles and jeers Coutinho has been getting this year were doubled in intensity when André Gomes stepped onto the field. He was despised and continues to be, they don't want him anywhere near Barcelona and would like the deal done as soon as possible. With Everton he's guaranteed to be supported at the very least. We might not have the Champions League football that Spurs would offer but we do have the security and comfort that he has been looking for ever since he left Valencia. It's easy to think that this deal will go pear shaped and that he will end up elsewhere but I honestly think it would be a rather foolish decision to turn his back on Goodison considering what has happened since his move to the Camp Nou. £30,000,000 would see Barcelona re-coup all of the money that they spent bringing him to the club so I can see that figure (or something similar) being accurate.

They can't afford it, but they will spend it. Turkey's "Big 4" (Galatasaray, Fenerbache, Besiktas and Trabzonspor) have mounted debts that combined reach around the £1bn mark however the government has bankrolled the four of them for years and don't look like stopping. There are serious whispers that the bubble is about to burst on Turkish football where we could see the four teams mentioned literally removed from existence as we know it but for now they are operational and free to spend so long as the state back them. Galatasaray would happily spend £30,000,000 on Onyekeru and give him as much money as he wants regardless of whether it is sustainable in the long run, given the fact that we won't get a work permit for him and he himself has stated that he wants to stay in Turkey I think this deal will be done over the coming months. It's a shame what has happened with him because he sounds quite the player but I'm sure we will live without him just fine considering he never set foot in Goodison Park.

It's just the typical anti-Hamilton brigade which makes me like him even more. You've got a young kid with a terminal illness and Lewis sends over his car along with some signed stuff and that's not good enough because he didn't go in person? Have a word with yourself. Just be happy that he's took the time to do anything rather than constantly looking at the negatives and why it's not good enough. As for the second, drama queen? Seriously? He's flying around Monaco, arguably the hardest circuit on the calendar when you consider how close the walls are, he's got tyres that are literally shredded (did you see them at the end?) and has Max Verstappen all over him who's desperate to get past. How else is Lewis supposed to behave? You'd be concerned in the same situation and had it been Max, Charles, Seb or Bottas who was saying the same nobody would bat an eyelid but because it's Lewis it's a massive problem. He did 17 laps more than what Pirelli advised, I totally get that it's Monaco and easy to defend but in that situation you have to applaud him. Don't get me wrong, I can see why some people dislike Lewis but the constant overreacting over anything that he does it laughable in the extreme. Can't wait to see him lift another World Championship to see the amount of rattlement it generates.

See the top quote for an insight into how Barcelona and Real Madrid operate when it comes to South American talent. Most of them are bought for commercial reasons and it was no different with Yerry Mina. He was never going to get ahead of Gerard Pique, nor Clement Lenglet that had just been signed from Sevilla. As for my personal opinion I really like Mina. An absolute unit that could do a really good job alongside another centre half, he's been dogged with injuries this season which has held him back but he's got plenty in the tank to do a job for us.

I'm surprised that there isn'ttt already a thread for this lad as according to some sources this is all but confirmed. According to one outlet he had a medical this Friday and is set to sign for us this week, Huddersfield have confirmed his exit after relegation and he's available to sign on a free transfer. I'd expect João Virginia to be loaned out, back home in Portugal or in the lower leagues with Stekelenburg either hanging up his boots or settling for a final season as third choice. With Lossl being 6'5 it certainly gives us another option with the "small" Jordan Pickford as our current 'keeper! Considering it's a free and it's for the bench I don't think we can complain, he came highly rated to Huddersfield and I think their problems ran much deeper than who stood in goal.

Never like the last home game of the season, always hard to say goodbye to Everton properly for a few months. Despite this though, I'm looking forward to what should be an attacking and fluid display from us and a convincing win. Burnley are very good at what they do, don't get me wrong but a Friday night, the last home game of the season and on the back of a 4-0 win against Manchester United? I'm expecting a good performance with three points to go with it. Pickford to start in goal as expected with Digne (I believe he's fit?) and Coleman covering the left and right, the final game at Goodison for Zouma (as I don't think he will stay) alongside Keane or Jagielka. A goodbye to Gueye in the midfield alongside a goodbye to Morgan, or Tom Davies pushed forward in his place that I would probably prefer. Bernard and Richarlison on the wings to get inbetween the lines with Gylfi in the hole and DCL up front, another chance to prove himself before we look to sign a striker in summer. Can't wait to hear that siren again UTFT.

Absolutely embarrassing "debate" on here this afternoon, proper Evertonian of some people to actually get up in arms about a player having the audacity to run into the box with the ball and stick it into the back of the net. I can only imagine the the trauma and upset that has been caused by Everton comfortably beating Arsenal, Chelsea and United - fingers crossed we get battered by Palace at the weekend to put people back in a good mood. I suppose by the logic of some at the moment we should also be hurling abuse at Lucas Digne for shamefully volleying a ball from the outside of the box rather than looking for a pass, looking to sell Gylfi for shooting from miles out when it would have been more sensible to wait for a striker making a run and I personally don't want to hear the name Richarlison after a ridiculous bicycle kick that nine times out of ten wouldn't have worked. Unless he's dropped and improves his decision making I won't be setting foot in Goodison Park ever again. I don't post on here much but when I do log in there are some proper weird agendas knocking about - Liverpool and City forums will have rants about how they can win the league, United fans will be debating if Ole is the right man for the job and on ToffeeTalk there's folk booting off about us scoring. To be perfectly honest as the goal panned out in the ground I thought that Theo should have passed but fair does for putting it into the back of the net, when viewing it back on the TV he made the right choice as DCL was under pressure and probably wouldn't have got to the ball. If we ever win the league, I'm convinced we'd have complaints on here that Jagielka didn't hold the trophy high enough - Jesus absolute wept.