TalkSport pundit and former Premier League player Michael Gray thinks that Everton might be forced to sell some of their bigger players this January.
Everton haven’t been afraid to spend in recent seasons, with Transfermarkt putting their five-year net spend figures at -£213.85m, putting them 5th amongst clubs in the Premier League behind the likes of the two Manchester clubs as well as Chelsea and Arsenal. However Financial Fair Play regulations have caught up with them, which saw a dramatic change in their outlook this past summer with a much more modest spending policy.
And speaking on how the club would attack the upcoming January transfer window, Gray, speaking on the TalkSport Gameday podcast (19:03), when asked by host Sam Matterface whether or not the club would have to sell some of their bigger name players in order to fund their transfer window, claimed that they would have to, but that it might not be a straightforward process:
“I think he has to. But as we’ve found out in the past, when these players are on good contracts, of two or three years, the manager can go up to the player and say ‘Look, you’re not part of my plans moving forward. If you can find a club, you can find a club.
“But then the player then has the power to turn around and say ‘I will leave this club. If you pay my three-year contract up, and I can find another club for myself’. Now that then puts Everton in a bigger situation, paying out player’s wages before they’ve actually brought anybody else in.”
TIF Thoughts on Michael Gray’s comments about Everton and their transfer policy
Should Everton sack Benitez?
Yes!
No!
It certainly is a tricky situation that Everton find themselves in when it comes to the January transfer plans, but it all comes down to whether or not Everton are willing to sacrifice what is left of this year in order to build for the future.
The Toffees haven’t made the best of starts this season, currently sitting 14th in the table, eight points above the relegation zone and eight points away from the top six, so their season is still pretty much in a state of nothing at this point, but a run of good results could send them shooting up the table, but a bad run could plunge them into a relegation fight.
If Everton think they can get by for the rest of this season without some of their bigger players, and are willing to put everything on hold until next campaign, then it’s a move that they should explore, but they have to be totally convinced that they can stay up with what whoever will be left and what replacements come in.
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