Transfer window closed and looking ahead to Fulham

The January transfer window is now closed, one player in and no first team players out. All month there were ‘stories’ of players possibly leaving the football club, the likes of Beto, Nathan Patterson & Tim Iroegbunam seemed to be heading to Italy at various points but with Beto, we couldn’t allow him to leave without getting a replacement in and in January, unless you’re spending huge money, you’re not going to really get a striker better than what you have, look at Strand-Larsen, gone from Wolves to Crystal Palace for a fee which can go up to 48m, he has score 1 PL goal this season, but I will say, he has been on the bench more than in their starting line-up.

While Gana Gueye was away with Senagal at the AFCON, Iroegbunam did really well, Burnley/Forest away spring to mind, he picked up a knock recently and came off the bench on Saturday away at Brighton but if we’re honest, he wasn’t very good when he came on at all. With Gana Gueye at his age, he may be getting rested now we’re pretty much safe in the league so, along with Harrison Armstrong & Merlin Rohl, Iroegbunam with fill in for the Gana Gueye in the centre of the pitch.

With Nathan Patterson, he has had a torrid time with injuries in his Everton career but he got himself fit this season and was available for selection, Moyes used O’Brien in the right back spot and although he has done a decent job, with Patterson, we have better balance as he is a natural right back. When Michael Keane first went out with a knock, O’Brien went into his favoured position of centre back alongside team captain James Tarkowski and they had a good record. Keane was back fit for the time Brentford rolled into town, Moyes reversed to type and put Keane back in as centre back which saw Patterson benched and O’Brien go back to right back, we lost 4-2. But this is about Patterson, most fans, despite not being sold on him, have said that it was a bit unfair that he has been put back on the bench so Moyes can accommodate Keane. Patterson wants to play and perform so he can hopefully get back into the Scotland squad for the world cup in the summer. I know we have O’Brien but for me, we couldn’t let Patterson go without getting an actual right back in and that seems it wasn’t on the cards for this window at least.

One player it seemed was very close to departing was Dwight McNeil, we had heard all month that Notts Forest were interested but I am not sure if there was anything in that or were people seeing that Dyche was the manager, realised McNeil had played under him at Burnley and Everton and he might just go there, I don’t know but what we do is on deadline day Crystal Palace tabled a bid which would’ve totalled 20m. However, just when Everton social media was going wild thinking McNeil was going and we were getting 20m for him the news eventually came out that the deal had collapsed. The reasoning is a bit murky if I am honest, the general feeling is Crystal Palace didn’t submit the paperwork in time but I also read, I think by David Ornstein and he said that after the Jean-Phillipe Mateta deal from Palace to AC Milan fell apart, Palace changed the terms from 20m purchase to loan with buy obligation and then pulled out. Regardless of what we think about McNeil, after going through a medical, thinking the deal sheet had gone through and he was about to depart Everton for a new challenge at Crystal Palace to have the rug pulled away from him like that, you have to feel for him. His partner had posted an emotional message on Instagram and now, McNeil will have to puff his chest out and try and do what he can for Everton for the remainder of the season and then see if something happens in the summer.

We did have one player come in in the window and in fact, it was only confirmed yesterday, we brought in young, exciting winger Tyrique George from Chelsea, it is a loan deal with an option to buy in the summer. He has played with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall at Chelsea so maybe that may have played a part in George choosing us because he did have other offers. George has also played with Tyler Dibling in the younger age group teams with England. I am really looking forward to seeing him in an Everton shirt, hopefully that will be this coming weekend at Fulham (a team he nearly joined last summer for £22m), if we had him on the left and N’diaye on the right, Barry up front with Dewsbury-Hall just behind, it’s really exciting. One final note on the George deal, the proposed fee, if we decide to take up the option, is being kept somewhat of a secret. Two times I heard it said that “I know the fee but have been told to not say what it is”. What I do believe is, the fee is below what it really should be so I am thinking quite a bit below the 22m deal that was agreed between Chelsea and Fulham last year, it may come out in the wash in the summer.

I mentioned it above, our next game is at Fulham on Saturday, they have Harry Wilson playing for them, he has had a really good first half of the season for Fulham but is out of contract in the summer, Fulham, I believe, want him to sign an extension but he hasn’t as of yet. This has alerted other clubs who may try and sign him on a free transfer when the season ends but Everton tried to get in there first and made an offer to Fulham, maybe between 8-10m but Fulham wanted 15m, which is ridiculous really, but it could be to scare people off, I mean, if he stays at Fulham for the rest of this season he could help them get a place in Europe next season and that could work out move valuable than any fee they could get from another club for his services. We move on, I just hope he doesn’t (or anyone else) scores against us when we play them.

In our last game against Leeds, we played with 4 centre backs, Branthwaite on the left, O’Brien on the right with Tarkowski/Keane in the middle. Someone had to fill in on the left as Mykolenko had a slight knock but Patterson was fine to play but because Moyes wanted Keane back in the team after his suspension, Patterson was sacrificed because he also wants O’Brien in the team too.

It’ll be interesting to see what he goes with on Saturday, of course, if we had won at Brighton I’d be the first to say don’t change a winning team, not that it matters to Moyes, but we didn’t win. I can’t say I wouldn’t have Branthwaite in at left back even if Mykolenko is fit because if I am honest, I put him in my starting 11 prior to the game but also had Patterson in as right back. I would still have Branthwaite in but Patterson too and have Keane on the bench. Armstrong played on the right against Brighton, as I said earlier, I’d put George straight in on that wing and in the middle, along with Garner it would be a toss-up between Armstrong, Gana Gueye, Rohl & Iroegbunham, it’s nice to have a choice I guess, I think like at Villa, I’d have Armstrong in there with Garner but Dewsbury-Hall in rather than Rohl.

OK guys, that’s it, thanks for reading, please subscribe if you haven’t already but most of all, if you see this on social media, please share it there with other Everton fans, all the best and Up The Toffees!