[SOLD] Abdoulaye Doucoure

I don’t get it?

 

Second bid of €40m rejected [RMC]

 

Are you ITK or IDK?

 

IDK. Maybe ITK.

 

Seen a report saying that Silva is insisting this gets done and will not take no for an answer. Sounds like we have no choice in the matter.

 

I just don’t see where Everton are going with this. The BBC said yesterday that he won’t move to any club outside the Top 6. I’m sure they also know that €40m is nowhere near enough.

It just doesn’t add up. Would be like us bidding £15m for Sigurdsson. We know it won’t be accepted and he has no interest in joining us so why bother?

I still suspect the part about Doucoure having no interest isn’t wholly accurate and that he would accept the move if the bid came to enough. I just hope the reality isn’t that he will force a move or Gino needs the money. Digne still gets in the France squad - and Richarlison was almost instantly in the Brazil squad after going there. If he wants to play internationally, he may feel he has a better chance there than here.

 

I'm not changing my opinion - it's v unlikely this happens

If we are bidding it's because we know Doucoure would be interested in coming here, for whatever the reasons are - more money, international prospects, team desperately trying to break the top 6, etc - whatever, doesn't really matter. I can't imagine for a moment that Watford are going to let him go on the cheap (sub £50m), and we have other priorities before we think about this - a centre back (ideally Zouma) and a winger (can't see it being Zaha) are more important than signing a 4th centre mid this summer, even if he is probably better than the ones we've already bought

 

Is it possible you might offer money plus a player to swap? Not sure who that would be mind.

 

I seem to remember Silva has previous for drawing up lists of 'must have' signings just as the transfer window is closing. This is just further evidence that the bloke is a k nob

 

When Silva starts insisting, he ends up resigning or getting sacked. Can't wait.

 

I can't imagine we have anyone you might want

Players we would let leave...

Cuco Martina - Dreadful full back that Koeman saddled us with
Matty Pennington - centre back who has been kicking about the Championship on loan for a couple of years
Mason Holgate - decent prospect, better as a centre back than a right back but on the slightly small side
Mo Besic - centre mid who's again been on loan in the Championship for a couple of years
Morgan Schneiderlin - less said the better
James McCarthy - unlucky with injuries, could have been playing for a better club than us if all had worked out, but at 28 now needs a move. Palace linked.
Kevin Mirallas - we'd probably pay you to take him
Yannick Bolasie - See Morgan Schneiderlin
Henry Onyekuru - looks a great prospect but hasn't been able to get a work permit after trying in 3 successive summers, so being sold off to Monaco apparently
Cenk Tosun - Underrated - good finisher, clever touches outside the box, works incredibly hard but dead slow. He'll succeed somewhere else.
Oumar Niasse - possibly the worst player we've had in the last 25 years

The pickings are fairly slim and everyone else, barring the kids, are in the first team plans this season

 

We'll take all of the injury prone ones. They'll suit us down to the ground.

 

We'll take the FB who can't defend. It's a local speciality.

 

Slight fear that it’s going to get into the realms of ‘add-ons’ that take it near to £50m and that turns Gino’s head. Is he really going to ever be worth more than that? One bad season or even relegation and we never see bids like that again due to his age.

I’m not saying I’d sell. But I can see a point where it might be considered.

But no way I’d sell if we aren’t looking to reinvest a large chunk of it.

 

Paul Joyce and Andy Hunter (the two most reliable journalists when it comes to Everton) confirming Everton have had a 40m euro bid rejected and Watford insist they won't sell so close to the deadline

We'll have 48 hours more of the speculation, but I'd guess that's that

 

His age? He's 26 - not even in his "prime" yet

 

I think we'd have snapped their hand off if they'd offered 40m at the beginning of the 'window' but with two days to go before the shutter comes down the bid is ludicrous

 

Yes, his age. Look at the context in which I said that...

IF he has a bad season or we are relegated, we will unlikely get an offer near £50m in a years time and he will be 27. So then he stays or goes on the cheap if we got relegated. IF we remained in the PL, we’d likely have him for another year and his form may pick up but by then he’s 28, 2 more years down on his deal and unlikely to sign another one.

I’m not saying I would sell at all. But the above could well be factors when Gino is considering it.

 

I really hate the arrogance of clubs like Everton. It's the same formula they used when they went after Silva. Keep badgering the club into submission.

They leave it to the last minute, when they know Watford will not likely to be able to find a suitable replacement. They make a derisory offer, then bump it up a little, knowing full well these offers are well below current market trading.

This is all designed to unsettle Doucoure. Make him want to ask to leave. They're thinking if Watford want to sign someone (Sarr), they can take advantage of the situation and get a target on the cheap.

If Everton wanted Doucoure they should have approached Watford at the beginning of the window, and they may have even got him for £40m. But not now, it's all about timing.

I really hope they fail, but unfortunately they have enough talent to be successful now. Certainly not top 6 material, but definitely top 10.

 

Well, that's the end of that then.

 

Looking at the players they have signed and the way they finished, compared to us, and our lacklustre activity, I would be shocked if Doucoure wasn't interested in moving there.

Not only would it show ambition for him, but would also probably nearly double his salary.

The only reason I could see him not interested, would be if he was confident that by sitting tight for 6-12 months, he would get an even bigger move, but I dont see how that would be anything more than a massive gamble for him.

 

We wouldn’t have accepted £40mil. We rejected £50mil from PSG last window. If Everton want him then it’s going to cost them a bare minimum of £60mil in today’s market and this close to end of the window. Plus Doucoure doesn’t even want to go there, so it really doesn’t matter.

 

TBF we've only failed to finish in the top 10 three times in 15 years - if we failed to finish in the top half, Silva would be gone.

Don't agree about the approach being arrogant - it's a tactic to try to get a player for a price we are prepared to pay. Everyone does it. It's not nice being on the receiving end - vividly remember the Rooney deal - but if Watford don't want to sell, they won't.

 

Wasn't Doucoure the one caught mouthing 'always the same' after Everton's equaliser against us?

He wanted out last season and if he's as **** as he was then, he can go.

 

Of course you think it’s all ok. You support the club that does this. Doh.

 

According to my source*, Doucoure is currently between Everton and PSG.







*(source = Google Maps)

 

I don't mind Everton anymore. Bored of that mini rivalry. Think they or wolves will break the top 6 this year.

My mini rivalry for this year is Sheffield United as I work with loads of them.

Looking forward to boxing day!

 

Pretty much everyone does it - look at the number of clubs trying to seal deals close to the deadline. It's brinkmanship. In an ideal world all transfers would be done and dusted weeks before now, but that's not how it works

 

Is there not similarities with what we have done to Rennes over Sarr? Badgered them all summer making bids they won’t accept even after being told the asking price? Then the player says he wants the move and Rennes start negotiating the price a bit...

TB9 is right. All clubs do it.

 

Leventhal now tweeting about it. He’s getting increasingly late to the party...

Now with the obligatory link to The Athletic in his tweet.

 

No similarly at all. We’ve been in negotiations all summer. I’ve not seen Rennes give a firm no we don’t want to sell. No cease and desist orders have been issued. We’ve been patient while they’ve been looking for better offers from other clubs.

Rennes seem happy to sell and have had all summer to get their replacements in.

Just because you like TB, and he does seem to be a decent chap, doesn’t mean you have to side with him.

Everton’s owner is a c*** and so is their manager.

 

Paul Joyce - who seems to be a journalist EFC fans trust with rumours etc - has tweeted saying we have told Everton no at any cost and that he says apparently we are focussed on ‘incomings’ and not selling.

 

What a bizarre comment. I’m agreeing with him because I agree with him. I couldn’t care less about his character. Not really sure that you get to assume my reasons! And you wonder why people argue with you - it’s arrogance such as that.

 

That won’t stop them. They think we’re just playing hard to get. Expect a £45m bid tomorrow.

 

Didn’t he used to be the drummer in The Smiths?