Everton Banter 3

18 Jun 2026 19:38:15
{Ed's Note - OptimumShots has posted a new article entitled, Everton Need One Clear Squad Plan

18 Jun 2026 18:02:25
Well there you go. Two of the most highly rated younsters have decided due to our manager refusing to use our youth system. They must have looked at Dibling, Azou and Graham and thought if they are not getting a chance we've got no chance. One of them is set to sign for the dark side, no doubt. Another lost that will come back and create more misery on us, so thanks Mr Moyes. How many current managers who are under pressure and boy is Moyes decides to go to the World Cup with talk s**** instead of staying at home to sort out the mess he has created, giving pennies instead of pounds to buy highly rated young players.

And look, we all hear stories but all can't be wrong when even the local press are calling out for his total disregard for young talet as the paper in question said he should hang his head with shame.

18 Jun 2026 19:00:51
Which two players are you talking about?

18 Jun 2026 19:14:03
Demi Akarakiri is another highly rated.

18 Jun 2026 20:09:15
I have watched and been to some games this season, and what Moyes sees in Barry coming off the bench is beyond me. Yeah, there's a kid in the Under-18s called Braided Graham who's smacking goals in for fun, yet the lad can't even get on the bench for 1st team. Am not saying Graham is the answer cause of his age, but he would put more of an effort in than Barry, and, yano, Graham if he wanted to leave you can't blame him now. Liverpool poaching our prospects, they have obviously seen something in him that we haven't.

What young player would wanna join Everton? It's a red flag as Alan points out. Aznou dibling 45 mil, he not even getting minutes. Mise we'll just shut our academy down cause these young lads won't get minutes in first team with dinosaur tactics and late subs when games dead. Am grateful and always will be for Moyes, but we can get better in my opinion.

18 Jun 2026 20:19:42
Moyes does not run the academy.

18 Jun 2026 20:30:49
But Moyes can pick players from the academy.

18 Jun 2026 21:58:25
He could, yes, if they were good enough.

18 Jun 2026 23:41:19
One of the lads the OP is talking about, the one linked to our neighbours, is 14, so how the hell is Moyes stopping him from the 1st team squad? He won't be our manager by the time that lad is old enough to represent the club at 1st team level.

As JB points out, DM doesn't run our academy, does he? Also, to keep things in perspective, less than 1% graduates from any academy to a first team squad, so the likelihood is that neither will make it to the top of the game.

19 Jun 2026 05:40:04
Same Moyes who turned down the chance to sign Truffert and Doue in the summer.

Has refused to play Aznou, George Armstrong and Dibling.

Moyes not running the academy isn't the point.

The owners are persisting with him, so it's no shock that young players do not see a future here, regardless of who the manager is, as clearly the club isn't very interested in them.



And the idea of "well they likely won't make it anyway" is great, if that's the case, why bother with any academy players, regardless of how talented they are.

19 Jun 2026 09:05:08
Dibling, a one season wonder, stood out in a hopeless side, but he has had first team chances, and proves he is nowhere near Premiership standard. A year in the Championship may let him rediscover his form and confidence.

19 Jun 2026 09:44:41
Swan, the point isn't that hardly any players come through. It is that the OP is using the fact that a 14-year-old is leaving, and it's because of Moyes, when in reality he won't even be the manager by the time this lad is ready for first-team football.

I just don't see the point in moaning about something that is out of the manager's control when there are realistic things that fans can have a go at, like use of subs etc. Honestly, it's like talking to flat earthers at times with some fans!

18 Jun 2026 15:17:13
It might just be a pipe dream. I am sure I am asleep and I will hear the alarm soon, and Barry will still be our starting striker, and this rumour of RB Leipzig will all have been a very pleasant nightmare. 😔😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😲

18 Jun 2026 12:38:01
Givern what I saw last night, plus his wage demands, would not touch Stones, slow, getting slower, and his ability to read the game, to compensate for his ageing performances, seems highly overrated.

18 Jun 2026 13:43:10
I agree, it just confirmed it for me. I saw him in a game towards the end of the season for City, can't remember who against, and he was all over the place.

I get that he's free and experienced, but wages and performance outweigh them for me.

We really need our recruitment team to start earning their wages.

18 Jun 2026 14:50:03
I posted yesterday that I'd be pro Stones under the right circumstances - but 💯 agree after last night would steer well clear.
Pickford spent most of his night shouting at him.

18 Jun 2026 16:51:34
The whole defence, excluding LB, were bloody awful, and that against a mediocre Croatia. That was a Brown Shoes of old performance.

18 Jun 2026 20:00:49
The England defence seemed very fragile last night, in particular, the first 25 minutes or so, and also looked uncomfortable when playing the short passes around between themselves and Pickford.
Very surprised Stones were selected in the first place, given the lack of game time this season.

18 Jun 2026 12:26:34
If Branthwaite and N'diaye really want to leave then Man City would probably be favourite to land them.
Give us Foden, Stones and £30 million

UTFT NSNO

18 Jun 2026 14:29:14
No thanks.

18 Jun 2026 17:13:31
Would take Foden but they can keep Stones or flog him off elsewhere, sick of Everton being loaded with baggage. Great player, gutted he left us but I understand it, do I wamt him back now...nope. If only we could scout like Bournemouth and Brighton do.

19 Jun 2026 01:20:20
Yeah, give the £30mill to Burnley.

18 Jun 2026 11:47:10
RB Liepzig after Barry - Sold.

{Ed025's Note - but how much do we have to give them Dev?.. :)

18 Jun 2026 12:45:03
I think there's a player in there somewhere, just not an Everton player.

{Ed025's Note - i beg to differ Dev..

18 Jun 2026 13:44:41
This comes from Paul Joyce, so could have legs. If true, then obviously he needs to go. If Moyes decides to keep him when we have an opportunity to get rid, then I would consider his position to be untenable.

18 Jun 2026 16:53:45
Called a newly born giraffe Blue_dev.

18 Jun 2026 11:39:48
Leipzig interested in signing Barry, please let this one be true.

18 Jun 2026 07:23:32
This age lark is sooooooo daft, Harry Kane, 32, another excellent footballer and super fit, yers left in modern footballers.

18 Jun 2026 07:57:44
Think it's more about making a profit, mate, only problem is Moyes won't play the youngsters so they will decrease in value.

18 Jun 2026 08:19:54
GB, you can identify good players over 30, and I wish we had Messi. However, not all players over 30 have retained the talent, skill, and physicality to prosper in the Premiership.
The problem is that we have too many older players who are nowhere near as good as Messi or Kane.
You need a balance of experienced older players and fast, exciting youngsters.

Unfortunately, we have a manager who has a strong tendency to have a first eleven of the more mature players, who, to be honest, have had their better days and leave the youngsters, who might make a difference, on the bench.

18 Jun 2026 08:59:51
That's exactly what I'm saying, mate, not all are good and also not all are good under that age, it's a balance. I have no problem if we have a couple of over 30s who are good, like Jack and Tarks. Not so good lately though, Tarks.

18 Jun 2026 10:05:48
Problem with the older players is the wages they want, for instance if we got Stones in, he'd want to be top earner like an ego thing, then Obrien and Branthwaite would get the hump cause Tarky and Stones are paid more then want to move so get 2 unhappy centrebacks just so 1 can have his last big payday sit on the bench or injured.

18 Jun 2026 15:38:07
GB, the defense and Tarks were a disaster for the last 8 games. He is not the answer going forward, but he will be playing since Moyes will not drop him.

18 Jun 2026 16:00:43
Best we have Mike.

18 Jun 2026 18:17:14
Because we only have 4 centre backs, one injured, one playing right back, and the other two are dogs that needed ditching, not given new contracts, mate.

18 Jun 2026 01:24:12
This Ghanian lad in the middle looks good - Caleb Yirenkyi.

18 Jun 2026 00:34:07
There is no disputing what a poor signing Wissa was for the Barcodes but if he were to recapture the form he had for Brentford, there is also no disputing that it would represent a great bit of business.

Chuck 30m at Delap or Wissa. I know who I am picking.

Much better finisher.

Can play up top on his own or in a 2. Can cover the flank positions. His age isn't a positive but getting 2-3 seasons out of him with 10+ goals a season makes good sense to me.

Prepared to get pelters for this but after all, the game is one of opinions.

{Ed025's Note - it is about opinions BN but for me Wissa is just a slightly better option that that what we have at the moment mate, for me we have to get away from hoofball and Wissa would just be another isolated striker looking to head the ball on to another forward who doesn,t exist in our set up..

18 Jun 2026 07:06:56
I thought the same Ed. I do agree with BN as a choice of him or Delap. But both of them had poor seasons due to injury or selection preferences. But ultimately they don't strike me as enough of an upgrade on what we have.

{Ed025's Note - yeah Ace im thinking the same mate...does that make me greedy and unrealistic?..i hope so..