Everton Banter 4

11 Jul 2026 08:57:12
I've been looking through the stats from a few different leagues from last season to see if there are any centre backs Everton should be looking at, and these are the ones that stood out to me.

Ryan Flamingo (23, PSV, €14m) is probably the one I'd go for if we could get him. He's quick, good on the ball, wins plenty of duels and still has loads of room to improve. For around €14m he looks like the smart, forward thinking signing we never seem to make at the right time.

Matte Smets (22, Genk, €10m) is another who looks a proper player. He reads the game well, wins his headers and is comfortable stepping out with the ball. Still young, still improving, and €10m isn't a bad fee at all for someone with his profile.

Leo Greiml (25, NAC Breda, €900k) is a bit of a wildcard. He's had injury problems, but for around €1m he's the sort of low risk punt that can quietly turn into a bargain. Not saying he'd walk straight into the team, but there's not much risk at that price.

Gonçalo Inácio (24, Sporting, €40m) is probably the best player on the list. Left footed, calm on the ball and already proven at a high level. The only problem is the price, as I can't see Everton spending that sort of money unless someone big leaves.

Nathan Zézé (21, Neom SC, €20m) is another interesting one. Big, athletic and left footed. He's probably more of a signing for the future, but you can see why clubs have been keeping an eye on him.

If we wanted someone with a bit more experience, Joseph Okumu (29, Stade Reims, €3m) looks like a bargain. He's strong, quick enough and for that sort of fee I think he'd be a solid signing.

Rasmus Lauritsen (30, Brøndby, €1m) would be another cheap option. Experienced, good in the air and reliable. Probably more of a squad player in the Premier League, but at €1m he's hardly a gamble.

Kobe Cools (28, FCV Dender, €600k) is another one that caught my eye. For around €600k there's very little risk, and he looks like someone who could do a job as a squad player.

Out of all of them, Flamingo is the one I'd be trying hardest to sign. Young, good value and I think he'd suit the Premier League.

11 Jul 2026 10:04:28
I've heard that Ryan Flamingo is so good he can play the game standing on one foot.

11 Jul 2026 11:02:33
If he turns out to be rubbish, he wouldn't have a leg to stand on..

11 Jul 2026 11:08:26
Haha, love it, JB. He would give us some balance at the back when the rest of the team falls over, and he would fit right in wearing one of them pink/salmon tops we bring out.

12 Jul 2026 11:09:38
Ah, if only stats won you matches.

11 Jul 2026 07:35:58
Why don't Everton go for a young British striker who has scored goals in a lower league, rather than paying huge money for foreign players like Barry, Kofane etc., who usually end up being no more than average anyway in the PL? I am thinking of soemone like Dome Ballard of Leyton Orient.

11 Jul 2026 09:22:40
Ballard is a good young striker, but he's not the type who jumps straight from League One to the Premier League and thrives. His movement and finishing are legit, but his physical profile isn't ready for Premier League defenders. He would still need another 2 years of development before he'd be ready to step up to that level.

11 Jul 2026 09:37:17
Big Dunc was skinny when he came to us. Didn't take him 2 seasons to get physically ready for English football. The players these days are soft as s****. They should all be ready no matter what league they came from. Problem is, they start off playing on plastic pitches when their kids are not allowed to head the ball until they reach under 12s, and don't play 11 v 11 until under 16s.

By that time all the tougher street kids have got bored and gone and tried rugby instead.

11 Jul 2026 09:42:26
Can you really tell that before you give him a chance? And which of Everton's expensive foreign strikers have thrived immediately? Why risk big bucks on players who have in any case not yet proven themselves to be big goal scorers at the top level?

11 Jul 2026 11:20:00
The point isn't that we shouldn't give young British strikers a chance. The point is that Dom Ballard's specific profile, what he's good at and what he struggles with, matters when you're talking about a jump to Premier League football.

But he's also not physically ready for Premier League centre backs, he isn't a natural hold up striker, he isn't strong aerially, he's still developing his back to goal game, and he can be inconsistent when he's isolated. Those aren't things you fix by "giving him a chance", they're fundamental traits that decide whether a striker can survive the step from League One to the Premier League.



You mention that Everton's expensive foreign strikers haven't all thrived immediately, and that's true, but those players at least arrived with elite physical profiles, proven senior minutes, and attributes that translate to Premier League intensity. Ballard is a good young striker, but he's not the type who jumps two divisions and suddenly becomes a Premier League No.9. He's a development project, not a first team solution.

If Everton were to sign someone like him, it would be with the intention of developing him over a couple of years, not expecting him to fix the striker problem this season.
That's the difference.

11 Jul 2026 11:24:15
Or alternatively, stop spunking money on "Goal Scorers" that are highly unlikely to replicate the number of goals in the toughest league in the world, against the toughest managers, defenders and goal keepers.

They aren't playing against the same level of opposition, they won't get the types of chances that they get in their respective leagues they are coming from.

That is why you see these players hit decent numbers and then come to the PL and fall on their arse.

I would much rather us target a striker who is an overall decent footballer and is comfortable in most/all aspects of the game, that way, if they don't hit decent numbers straight away, in terms of goals, they can offer something else to the team.

11 Jul 2026 12:51:01
Bowen is that type of player BN would take him all day long, mate.

11 Jul 2026 13:45:59
Not wrong there, GB, mate.

I am hoping we can chuck McNeil to them and bring the price down to £25/30 mill and get it over the line.

11 Jul 2026 14:08:30
There are no guarantees that any player from a different league, whether Europe or lower English, can get the goal return we need. Even some high profile strikers from Europe's elite have struggled in this league. So the scouts do their homework and hope it pays off. The last prolific striker we had was Lukaku, who had already shown he could handle the league, even if it wasn't at Chelsea.


We'll all have our picks of players we think can cut it. I actually thought Beto would do well due to his strength and height, but that didn't work out, now did it.
We need a Lineker or a Heath or a Latchford.
So, could the scouts have a check to see if there's anyone that good out there that wouldn't be more expensive than our stadium?

11 Jul 2026 07:39:02
{Ed's Note - EHL2020 has posted a new article entitled, Why Patience and McInnes Matter at Rangers

10 Jul 2026 22:34:39
I've been reading various posts since this World Cup started.

From what I can gather, our fans want us to keep Gueye, Ndiaye, Patterson and Pickford then sign up Lukaku, James Rodriguez, Digne, Onana, Stones, Mina and Anthony Gordon. All managed by Carlo Ancelotti with Roberto Martinez as his number two.

Simple.

11 Jul 2026 08:58:17
Dentie lad (TL) , unless you are plagiarising from someone else on fb, your identity is known. Lol funny though.

11 Jul 2026 13:31:34
Yep, it's stolen from FB, but had to share as I thought it was very witty lol.

10 Jul 2026 20:04:39
AC Milan now after Doue.

10 Jul 2026 20:40:58
We cannot afford him, likewise, Grealish wages. Need to sell, I believe RB and striker priority now.

10 Jul 2026 21:29:07
How can we not afford anything. More income from sponsors and stadium than ever before. Coleman and Gueye have gone. Dwight will be gone soon, so will Patterson and Travers. We have money in from Gordon sale. Tom will probably go, so will Barry.

There's plenty to play with, as you won't outlaw the full whack income go. It's spread over length of the contracts. Plus, look at smaller clubs like Bournemouth, Brighton, Sunderland, all spend big.

10 Jul 2026 21:57:02
Outlay the full whack in one go. Had too much wime.

10 Jul 2026 22:36:24
Surely rb is a priority, it has to be, so surely we need to throw the bulk of our transfer budget to solve the situation? Are we really saying £30m on a rb is beyond our means?

10 Jul 2026 22:36:27
We have money to spend, which will be bumped up by player sales.

How much is Grealish asking for? Nothing has been reported, so you're just guessing there. For all we know, he might be willing to take a massive pay cut to make the move happen. It's not like he needs the cash these days!

11 Jul 2026 06:20:13
I think that we're playing down just how big our transfer budget is. If other clubs thought we were spending big then a player's transfer fee would suddenly rise.

Moyes knows the positions that need looking at, & this being the final year of his contract, will want success.

Whether you agree with him or not, nobody can deny that relegation fears are a distant memory under him.

UTFT NSNO. 💙 💙 💙

11 Jul 2026 07:57:03
Totally agree. I would like to think the club and us all have learned from Moshiri telling everyone the budget, then other clubs fleecing us for it. Claim poverty but still spend on the right player. The Man Utd, Liverpool and alike can get away with players demanding to go there due to Champions League etc, but we don't have these privileges just yet.

11 Jul 2026 11:45:48
The club have got plenty to spend.

Look at the spending of clubs last year. We were below them. We have only got more breathing room this year.

It could be that they just don't want to spend 40/50m on Doue, and I don't blame them. The lad went from Rennes to Strasbourg for 5m. He has played well in his 2 seasons there, but to increase his value to that amount is laughable and typical BlueCo behaviour.

There are plenty of other options available to us that are more reasonably priced.



I still can't understand why we haven't gone and bid for Sanchez. A well-balanced RB, and available for around 10m, still only 22. That would then give us breathing room, if we wanted to, to go and spend a little bit more on another right back and target a different profile, there are plenty - Jon Aramburu, Omar El Hilali, Wesley Franca, Givairo Read, Wilfried Singo, the list goes on.

11 Jul 2026 12:20:48
That income, blue-dev, has to materialise. We had roughly £50 mill ready cash, I believe. Deals are currently being negotiated to buy players, then once agreed, structure has to be dealt with. Under SCR, how much do we earn? Of which (not in Europe) , we can spend 85 percent on everything. We still have a massive debt (Stadium) millstone. City etc have massive income.

10 Jul 2026 11:55:02
Alexander Sorloth transfer. We are being linked with this guy again. What do you reckon bluenose and optimum shots?

10 Jul 2026 12:34:01
Last few seasons in Spain have been his most productive and he's been used plenty at Athletico Madrid. Did not do particularly well in the Prem for Palace. Suits the Moyes type striker, strong and powerful. Better than what we have perhaps, would hope we'd be signing two strikers if we go for him.

10 Jul 2026 15:08:05
Just feel like we are going round in circles and looking desperate again, we've only really signed Hackney. We've lost Gueye and Grealish, so technically we are down.

10 Jul 2026 17:24:02
Tbf Blue Dev, eve the mega rich sides like City and Arsenal take stock after buying players the club needs to access which players they can let go to not only get some cash flow going but also to free up the wage bill also.

10 Jul 2026 19:30:55
Everton's interest in Alexander Sørloth is real. We've made enquiries, and there's been talk of a £25m+ move. But let's also be honest, the only reason we're even still in the conversation is because Juventus haven't agreed a fee with Atlético yet, even though Sørloth has already agreed personal terms with them. If Juve sort the fee, he's gone. If they don't, we're basically the backup option. But he also wasn't initially open to a move back to the Premier League.

And that's exactly why I'm not sold on this transfer.

Yes, Sørloth has improved massively since his failed Crystal Palace spell (1 goal in 20 games) . He's stronger, more experienced, and he's become a proper goalscorer in Spain. Fair play to him. But the reasons it didn't work for him at Palace are the same reasons it won't work for him at Everton.

Palace played slow transitions, left him isolated, gave him minimal support, and expected him to win duels and create chances on his own.
That is literally our system.

We don't have runners off the striker.
We don't play quick combinations.
We don't give the No.9 consistent service.
We boot the ball forward and hope the striker wins a header with someone arriving late for the second ball.

That's why Beto and Barry are struggling, they're being asked to do everything alone. And Sørloth would be asked to do the exact same job. He might do it slightly better, but we'd still be watching the same patterns, isolated striker, scraps of service, long balls, slow support, and a forward expected to make miracles out of chaos.

So £25m+ for a striker who'll probably score around 10–12 goals in this system?
I'm sorry, but that feels like another expensive sideways move.
Especially when Beto scored 9 last season in the same setup.

We'd basically be paying big money for a more polished version of what we already have, not someone who transforms our attack or gives us the 20+ goals we desperately need.

If we're spending £25–30m, let's spend it on someone who actually solves the problem, not just survives in it.

That's why I'd rather we go for Ayase Ueda instead.

He's a genuine goalscorer.
He's hit 20+ goals.
His movement is elite.
He finishes chances Beto and Barry never will.
He's the type of striker who adds goals, not just structure.

If we're putting big money down, let's put it on someone who can actually change games, not another striker who'll be isolated, overworked, and expected to do everything alone.

For me, Sørloth is a good player in Spain just not the right one for Everton.

10 Jul 2026 19:36:53
Our recruitment team, could not receute monkey's to swing through tree's, they are stealing their wages.

10 Jul 2026 22:38:20
AB, it's the first week in July, in the middle of a World Cup, and we have brought in 3 players already. It's a different recruitment team than we've had previously. Let's see how they do over the next few weeks before jumping to conclusions.

10 Jul 2026 07:39:02
{Ed's Note - WhyAreYouSoGoodBrian has posted a new article entitled, Rangers Fans Embrace a Purposeful Summer

10 Jul 2026 06:57:16
Morning, what’s people’s thoughts about Coleman training with Sheff Utd? Good luck to him.

10 Jul 2026 07:50:16
Why not, he's a free agent and so can play for whoever he wants. Good luck to the lad if that's what he wants to do.

10 Jul 2026 09:03:13
He brings professionalism to another level. Everybody loves him. Good luck to him. Could be a future Everton manager in the making.

10 Jul 2026 11:16:06
If he wants to play on, then fair play.
As they say, you're a long time retired in this game. Will he play? Well, if someone is prepared to take a chance and give him a contract, then fair play.

I'd personally like to see him accept the coaching role he was apparently offered a few months back. But, we won't be losing him to anyone else for long, and he will come home soon enough.

10 Jul 2026 12:04:03
Excellent for him, true true Blue. Wish him all the very best.

10 Jul 2026 13:07:06
Would have loved the bloke to take his badges.

09 Jul 2026 18:56:05
Collina is either grossly incompetent, or perhaps something much worse, I don't know, but his observations in respect of the Egyptian game makes me wonder about this man's judgement, or just how much he is open to external influence. My feeling about this man remain as strong as ever, but if of course subscription and proof are to different things.

09 Jul 2026 21:48:16
I've been questioning this since Villarreal.

09 Jul 2026 17:45:45
Banned for two games FIFA on Quansah.

09 Jul 2026 18:50:45
Well it was a sending off. Come on Starmer grow a pair for once,

09 Jul 2026 19:28:30
If Starmer intervenes it will be for 6 games.

09 Jul 2026 20:23:14
How can we criticise Trump for phoning Infantino and then his (Infantinos) wholly unfair decision to suspend a ban for the USA player, then suggest Starmer does the same by"growing a pair"!? Why should we stoop to their level? Glad we're better than that.

09 Jul 2026 22:03:54
It's banter, mate, loosen up.

10 Jul 2026 14:07:16
If England have any chance of winning, then Quansah needs banning for three games.