Everton

Iceland international Gylfi Sigurdsson has secured his much-awaited move to Everton after they paid up a club-record £45m to Swansea City.

Sigurdsson had opted out of the Swans’ pre-season tour of the United States earlier last month due to the impending interest, and the Toffees followed to make significant efforts in order to prise him away from the Liberty Stadium.

“Hopefully I will continue to create goals and score goals for the team and contribute to the kind of success we’re seeking at the club. This is an ambitious club and it is clear we are moving in a really good direction. The most important thing is that this team keeps winning games and climbing the table — and does that throughout the season.For myself, I would like to score as many goals as possible and create as many goals for my teammates as I can. These are my targets,” Sigurdsson told Everton’s official website. (more…)

Premier League side Everton have completed the deal for Jordan Pickford from Sunderland.

Sunderland would receive a guaranteed £25 million while the rest £5 million would be in add-ons based on appearance. The England U-21 star featured in 32 games last term. He was outstanding in a team that was churning out poor result. After their relegation to the Championship, it was likely that Pickford would exit the team.

Other teams signified interest but the fees were thought high. The Ronald Koeman led side persisted and eventually made Pickford the most expensive player in British history and the third in the world behind Juventus star Gianluigi Buffon and Ederson, who just joined Man City from Benfica few weeks back. Pickford is in Poland with England. He is expected to undergo a medical upon return to seal the deal. (more…)

It was the case and tale of hands in the mouth for Manchester United fans when it became clear that Ferguson’s private duels with then lynchpin Wayne Rooney was on the road of no return.

With City knocking at the doors to the high table andChelsea’s Abrahamovic showing no relent in his desire to disrupt the Red Devil’s dominance at all cost, an episode involving their talisman’s fallout with the club was the last thing anyone wanted.

To the Faithfull’s relief, Ferguson maintained an efficient relationship with Wayne on a professional level and even got him to stay put. The Scot’s immediate departure after delivering them the trophy reawakenedRooney’s drama reminding everyone that the matter was not explicitly settled. (more…)

Premier League club Everton FC have announced a sponsorship deal with SportPesa. The new deal is the most lucrative in the history of the club. The deal is poised to last for five years, starting from June 1. The African betting company and gaming brand name would feature on the front of Everton jerseys, based on details of the deal.

The club released a statement saying SportPesa invested in a new European headquarters that would generate jobs for the city of Liverpool. The office is an avenue to engage with supporters through “fan activities.” (more…)

Premier League side Everton FC are been urged to ban The Sun newspaper from press conferences and interviews involving the club.

Kelvin Mackenzie was the editor of The Sun when it published a viral article titled: ‘Hillsborough: The Truth’ four days after the disaster during the 1988/89 FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest. The incident recorded 96 deaths and over 700 injured – the worst in British sporting history.

The same Mackenzie wrote an inflammatory article where he compared Everton star Ross Barkley to a gorilla. The 23-year old Three Lions star was hit in the face in an “unprovoked attack” in a Liverpool bar. The article was published a day ahead of the 28th anniversary on April 15th, further angering fans.

The Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson condemned the articles amongst other soccer icons. The Mayor told the BBC that he has reported it to the police for a “racial slur.” (more…)

Everton manager Ronald Koeman is reportedly the man to replace Luis Enrique of Barcelona as the Catalan outfit seeks a replacement.

Koeman has helped Everton gain stability and dream of breaking into the top six in the Premier League – a club that struggled last year. The Toffees are also on a seven game unbeaten run.

De Boer’s agent Guido Albers said that Koeman has been attracting attention of top clubs in Europe and that Barcelona is not excluded as they are seeking a change in management.

Koeman, who played for Barcelona between 1989 and 1995, was an assistant manager there as well from 1998 to 2000. He seems to have the prerequisite advantage over others, aside his brilliant run of recent for Southampton and Everton that might get him the job if the club advertises the role.

Koemn has hinted at the idea in the past and might be interested when done with the Everton project. (more…)

Without a doubt, Romelu Lukaku is one of the best strikers in the Premier League. The Everton frontman scored 18 league goals last season, as well as netting a number of crucial strikes en route to the semi-finals of the FA Cup at Wembley Stadium.

He is key to Belgium’s hopes at Euro 2016 where the Red Devils will be banking on the goals that could take them all the way to the final

Unfortunately, his excellent individual performances have attracted plenty of attention and Lukaku may be keen on a move away from Goodison Park if one of Europe’s elite clubs comes knocking. In recent weeks, he has been linked with a return to Chelsea, as well as moves abroad to the likes of Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus.

On his way?
According to various local and national reports, Everton have put an estimated price tag of £65 million on Lukaku’s head. At just 23 years old, the Belgium striker is still a raw talent and he could blossom into one of the very best forwards on the planet.

His unique blend of size, speed and strength gives him a distinct advantage over his team-mates and Lukaku is more than capable of playing at the highest level of club football. He’s certainly shown enough quality to suggest that he could more than hold his own in a Champions League side.

If truth be told, Everton simply couldn’t turn down a bid in the region of £60 million for the 23-year-old. While Lukaku is a sensational footballer, £60 million is a lot of money and Everton’s new manager could build a strong core with solid, astute investment using those funds.

The Toffees are in dire need of investment in key areas and the money from Lukaku’s sale could benefit Everton in the long run. While former Arsenal shareholder Farhad Moshiri has promised to give the club ‘whatever he has’, the additional funds would be more than welcomed at Goodison Park. After all, Everton need to self-finance their transfer activity more than most Premier League sides do.

International Duty Calls
Lukaku will now join up with his Belgian team-mates for a number of international friendlies before heading to the European Championship in France. Marc Wilmots’ men are one of the dark horses to succeed this summer and Lukaku, who has scored 12 goals in 43 appearances for the national side, could be crucial to their chances of victory.

The Everton striker has struggled to inspire confidence throughout the last few months but Lukaku will be raring to perform well this summer. If nothing else, he will be self-motivated to prove his worth on the biggest stage of all – especially if the likes of Chelsea, PSG and Juventus are watching his every move.

Belgium will need Lukaku to be at his brilliant best if they are to challenge for glory at Euro 2016. Marc Wilmots’ side failed to convince at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil before crashing out to Argentina in the quarter-finals and Belgium will need to be much better if they are to enhance their reputation on the international stage.

At times, Lukaku can look laboured in Belgium’s attack and he sometimes cannot keep up with the likes of Eden Hazard, Kevin de Bruyne and Everton team-mate Kevin Mirallas. If Lukaku has one real weakness, it is his worth ethic. The Toffees man has been criticised for his lack of effort at times this season and he will need to put a shift in this summer if he is to make a lasting impression on the competition.

Romelu Lukaku is a real asset and Everton fans will be hoping that he changes his mind and looks to develop his career at Goodison Park. However, if he wants to move on then Toffees supporters will bear no hard feelings – especially if they can get at least £50 million for the Belgium striker…

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has said that he is extremely afraid that Everton will be up against it when the two teams face each other on Sunday.

United will be looking to go into the match against Manchester City on April 30 with their five point lead at the top of the table intact.

However, Everton can disrupt the plans made by Ferguson ahead of this crucial encounter, as they will be coming on the back of a FA Cup semi-final exit at the hands of arch rivals Liverpool.

This has warned Sir Alex Ferguson that Everton will be looking to make some amends by performing well at Old Trafford in order to please their fans.

Ferguson has always been a big admirer of Everton manager David Moyes and has said that Moyes will be looking to celebrate his 10th anniversary at Goodison Park by beating Manchester United. It was initially thought that Moyes was looking to the FA cup as a competition to celebrate this decade at Everton, but such hopes were brought to an end following the 2-1 defeat suffered at the hands of Liverpool last weekend.

Even though Everton have not been having the best record at Old Trafford since the arrival of David Moyes, Ferguson believes that his side should be braced for the worst. fergie pointed to the form of Marouane Fellaini, whose performances recently have seen Belgium’s euro 2012 betting odds shorten by the week.

“It was a bad one for Everton, they went into that game with good form. It was a disappointment for them, losing a semi-final in a derby. It’s always a blow to you and I’m sure David and the rest of them will have suffered from that. I think no matter whatever the circumstances of last week it was always going to be a hard game anyway,” said Ferguson ahead of the Everton match on Sunday night.

Former Chelsea winger Pat Nevin has said that he would like to see Everton manager David Moyes in charge of Chelsea in the future.

Chelsea recently sacked their manager Andre Villas-Boas after a string of poor results, which has left the club with a major doubt of being able to qualify for the Champions League next season.

Winning the Champions League has been one of the major aims of Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, and the prospect of not being able to qualify for this elite competition in the first place has resulted in the sacking of manager Andre Villas-Boas after just 257 days.

Former winger Pat Nevin has represented Chelsea in more than 150 appearances over the years. He left for Everton for close to £ 1 million during the late 1980s after Chelsea were relegated down to the second division. He is of the opinion that current Everton manager David Moyes would be a suitable option for Chelsea, who are looking to replace Andre Villas-Boas in the summer. There will be no announcement made now because of the fact that assistant manager Roberto di Matteo has been put in place till the end of the season.

“From a Chelsea point of view, it would be lovely if Jose Mourinho would come back, and we know he was in England last week. It’s such a long shot, although nothing surprises me in football any more. If it was me making the decision, I would grab Everton’s David Moyes immediately and tell him to start a new dynasty,” former Chelsea winger Pat Nevin said when asked about the potential candidates for the Chelsea managerial role by BBC sport.

Amongst fans placing football bets, Barcelona manager Guardiola and Real Madrid manager José Mourinho are the favourites to take over, while former Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez remains an outside option.