Transfer Gossip and such

By: jamie | June 15th, 2008

Firstly, I’d like to apologize for the large gap between the last post; I’ve just completed the toughest two months of exams in my lazy football-orientated life.
Anyway, more importantly, I’ve been keeping a vigilant eye on all the players that have been linked with moves to Everton, whether they’re likely or not…

Of course, Premier League clubs are always linked with a multitude of players every summer, but mostly it’s just agents spreading rumours to up the value of their clients. Much like what my new job entails.
However, after sifting through the list of players linked to the Blues, some shit, some great, I’ve nailed down a few candidates who are more likely to come than the rest.
(It’s worth noting though that Moyesy likes to make moves at the end of the summer, so nothing is concrete)

1. It looks like Manny Fernandes is here to stay after all. After two loan spells at Goodison Park, albeit one more successful than the other, the gifted Portuguese midfielder must be looking to settle down now, and I can think of no better place than Everton for that.
In my opinion, Fernandes is a fantastically gifted player who is only let down by inconsistencies. Remind anyone of a young Mikky Arteta? Yup, I think Moyes is the perfect guy to make sure this guy fulfils his potential, so welcome on board Manuel.

2. Christian Ribeiro, the latest in a series of top-notch yong Welsh fullbacks (a la Bale and Gunter) appears to be on his way to Goodison. Not a particularly high-profile signing, but he’s good a good reputation and could eventually become a pretty good player. Won’t be world-class though, or so I’m told.
Still, not a bad signing at all, and anyway, Moyes always seems to sign one youngster from the lower leagues each year. And each year we scratch our heads and realize what a shitty signing it was. Here’s to Ribeiro, the man with the stereotypical Welsh name, proving me wrong.

3. Joao Moutinho.
I’m certainly not saying I think he’ll come, but it seems as though we’re ready to fight the big boys, with Everton ready to shell out as much as £15 million for him. Whether he’ll come to Everton or not is a different matter, but needless to say I’d be delighted with this signing. The guys obviously got as much talent in his left nut as I or Carsley (God bless him) have in our entire bodies, and would bring quality and grace to an otherwise gritty and robust midfield.
Only downside is lack of strength, and cut me up and strip me down if I’m wrong, but i feel this might work to out advantage as it would force him to be quicker on the ball and generally offload passes and crosses more quickly. On the flipside, he might just get destroyed, but hey, we’ll see.

4. A right back.
No name’s have come up yet, but it’s widely accepted we need a right-back. Tony Hibbert is defensively sound but utter shite going forward, and Phil Neville is err…Phil Neville.
This means we need an all-round, athletic and quick right back with a solid tackle and the ability to make runs and deliver crosses.
My solution? Aleksandr Anyukov. From what I’ve seen, he’s a beast in defence (the only Russian defender who looked competent against Spain) and is the archetypal wing-back in the sense that he makes strong, piercing runs, delivers decent crosses and likes to play neat, effective one twos with the other wide players. Hell, the kid can even score a few from distance.

5. A quality striker to partner the Yak.
Again, surpirsingly few names have been mentioned, although Moyes is apparently keen on buying another striker, which is understandable considering Anichebe and Vaughan are not yet first-teamers, and Johnson just isn’t good enough for a side looking to break into the top four. I’ve heard Scott McDonald being mentioned, but I don’t think that would be good for the club. He’s good, but he’s nothing special. Just like Johnson.
My suggestion? Rodrigo Palacio. Listen, I know it sounds crazy, but why the hell not? No other club seems to be moving for him, and I think Everton are good enough for him. He might struggle to adapt for a bit, but he’s a natural finisher, so he should eventually start rediscovering his Boca Junior form. Seriously though, give me one good reason why Palacio won’t come to Everton?

6. A genuine number 10.
I love soggy coco-pops at around 2 am. That is a fact.
Everton need a creative player who can win a game by himself. That is also a fact.

Yup, it’s that problem again. Everton are often perceived as a solid, efficient, hard-working team who are hard to break down. This is true, and it’s a good formula that means we can grind out results against the Wigans and Sunderland’s of the world.
However, it means that when we’re playing one of the Big Four or indeed the teams on par with us (I’m looking at Tottenham and Aston Villa. Oh, and the new Chelsea, Man City), we can often look out of ideas and about as dangerous as a whelk in the final third.
So what we need is perhaps a true number 10, a player who can win a game with a breath-taking free kick, a defence-splitting pass or an unstoppable one-man run. You could say we need a Ronaldo, or a Totti, or even an Aimar.
My humble suggestion? Andrei Arshavin, who is already on a lot of wish-lists for good reason.
OR.
Arda Turan. For those who don’t follow football outside of the Premier League, Arda Turan is a tricky left winger cum general attacking midfielder currently playing for Turkish giants Galatasray.
He’s got all the attributes to be genuinely world-class; two-footedness, fantastic ball control, vision, a wonderful array of crosses and excellent passing range. He bags shitloads of assists and is well known for loving the big games and scoring vital goals. Hence he would be a great buy, although admittedly expensive after his (so far) excellent showing at the European Championships.

Tomorrow I’ll post a much belated end of season review and ratings for the players. For now? I’m in a house with two Turkish guys so I’m gonna go and get very drunk and sing loudly. Just thought I’d be honest.