Koeman Does Not Expect Romelu Lukaku to Stay at Everton for a Long

Everton manager Ronald Koeman has surprisingly admitted that Romelu Lukaku would probably leave the club since a player of his quality deserves to be playing in the best competitions.


It comes as a statement that may attract a lot of backlash from the club supporters. Lukaku is the club’s record signing after having cost £ 28 million from Chelsea in the summer of 2015.

Everton were able to play this figure after witnessing Lukaku’s impressive performances on loan at the club a year ago. A player of incredible talent, Lukaku has continued to remain as one of the top players in the Premier league even in the 2016-17 season.

The player came in with a transfer request in the summer which was turned on by the club. He has expressed his desire to play in the Champions League team for quite a while.Koeman expects this desire to be satisfied sooner rather than later, as he does not see a player like Lukaku staying at Everton for long.
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Gerrard welcome at Liverpool

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has stated that Steven Gerrard will always be welcome at Anfield now and in the future. He said that a player of his reputation is an incredible asset for a team like Liverpool and that he will always be a hero in Liverpool.

The former Liverpool manager who is currently playing with Major League Soccer side LA Galaxy has always stated that he wants to return to Liverpool at the end of his career. The player whose contract will expire at the end of the season has yet to decide on what he wants to do next.

Jurgen Klopp said that there would be no problem if the midfielder wants to return to the club and he will think of a possible job to give him. He stated that he has a good relationship with Gerrard and that it will be a great thing for the club to have him back at Anfield. Continue Reading

RONALD KOEMAN PRAISES EVERTON

The man in charge at Goodison Park, Ronald Koeman poured commendations on his team, Everton for the ‘incredible’ performance regardless of being left to settle for a 1-1 draw at home to Crystal Palace on Friday.

Christian Benteke snatched two points from the leading Everton, despite his return return to Merseyside with an awesome header four minutes into the second half of the match. This came after RomeluLukaku had put Everton on the lead through his goal in the 35th minute of the match, but Koeman did not permit that to take the shine off what he emerged an incredible performance.

The 53-year old was raring to see an improvement on the performance of his men in the 1-0 defeat at Bournemouth last time out in the Premier League and was satisfied with how his side reacted positively.<!–more–>

“The team performance was outstanding,” he told Sky Sports. “Of course we would like to create more opportunities and chances, maybe we had the biggest one through Gana [IdrissaGueye] in the second half, but they [Crystal Palace] netted and thought it was 2-1 [when Damien Delaney had a goal disallowed for offside].

“Maybe it was offside or not, I don’t know. It was difficult to understand all the refereeing decisions and maybe in that he made a fault. It’s a good point in the end, of course everyone like to win at home, especially when 1-0 up. You can’t stop every cross, even long balls from midfield. We did good defending, but it is also the quality of the player that you have to understand.”

The Dutchman in addition believes his defense was intact and tough enough against such a difficult team. Crystal Palace took the advantage from a drill immediately they saw it, but Koeman insists it was not a bad result for his men.

Everton Boss Ronald Koeman Speaks about Lessons to Guardiola

Everton boss Ronald Koeman has lavished praise upon his Manchester City company Pep Guardiola ahead of the meeting between the two this weekend.


Koeman and Guardiola will not be meeting each for the first time. The duo share a friendship going back to the Barcelona days when Koeman was a first team regular while Guardiola was just starting to make a name for himself after having been promoted from the youth team.Koeman has revealed how then-manager Johan Cruyff made the Dutchman as the mentor and tutor for Guardiola. Koeman has now given many insights into how Guardiola seemed destined for greatness even from a young age.

Guardiola is regarded as one of the greatest coaches in the world, but he was a hugely successful player as well. Koeman has revealed how the Catalan captain never allowed success to get into his head, while he was always working hard to improve himself. Johan Cruyff was a major reason behind the inspiring Barcelona’s current style of play. The concept of total football appealed to Guardiola more than any other Barcelona player according toKoeman. It is not surprising that Guardiola has modelled game on this philosophy even when he is in charge of the team.

Koeman has also revealed how Guardiola used to drive the same second-hand car for almost three years even after getting into the first team.“Pep was a fantastic guy. He was eager to learn, he wanted to know everything.Pep wanted to know about the Dutch school of ­football. More than any other player he wanted to know about one-touch football, about positional play, one touch in small spaces. He loved the way Cruyff wanted to play with Barcelona. But what struck me with Pep was that he was a very ordinary, down-to-earth guy. He never had arrogant streaks,” said Koeman.

Everton to make offer for Williams

Everton has not given up on the possibility of signing Swansea defender Ashley Williams.


It is believed that the Merseyside club will come back with another bid to tempt the player to make the switch to Goodison Park. Everton had a previous bid of £10m rejected last time, and they are now preparing an improved offer.

Swansea has repeatedly stated that their captain is not for sale and that he forms an integral part of their team for the new season. A Swansea’s representative said that Ashley Williams is a valuable member of the team, and it is for this reason that they have rejected the bid from Everton.

However, Everton who are in danger of losing John Stones are keen to bring the player to Goodison Park and are believed to be preparing a bid of around £15m. Some pundits believe that an offer of this amount might be enough to convince Swansea City to come around the negotiation table but at the moment there is no sign that the Welsh team is interested in selling the player.

Swansea has lost some players during the summer and will not want to lose a valuable member of the squad without having a replacement ready.

Everton who will be managed by former Southampton manager Ronald Koeman is keen to prepare a team that will be able to compete with the best in the Premier League. There are reports that John Stones might be leaving for Manchester City in the days to come and for this reason, Everton are eager to bring Ashley Williams as a replacement. They believe that the player has some good experience of the Premier League and that he will be an asset to help the team move forward especially if Stones make the move to Manchester City.

Everton Selling Price of John Stones on Yannick Bolasie

Everton have splashed out a significant portion of the £ 47 million that they received from the sale of John Stones on wingerYannick Bolasie from Crystal Palace.

Even though Crystal Palace have been struggling in the league ever since the return to the top division,Yannick Bolasie has been a bright light. The 27-year-old has had an air of unpredictability around him and opposition defenders have struggled to deal with him on a number of occasions. At 6 ft 1 inches in height,Bolasie also has the physical power to come up with headed goals now and then.

Just when it seemed that top clubs were starting to take notice of the DR Congo international, Everton has stepped in with a large sum of money. They have brought in the player for a whopping £27 million. This was after the club held in negotiations with Sunderland for a couple of their players without much success. The signing ofBolasie comes just weeks before the close of the transfer window and manager Ronald Koeman expressed his delight at being able to have a player likeBolasie. The club had also brought in Ashley Williams from Swansea for around £ 12 million. The Welsh defender is expected to be the like-for-like replacement for Stones.

“Yannick is a player who has been a long time on my radar because he’s the type of winger I like – fast, strong and he can play different positions in the forward line. He’s a really good signing for the club.At 27, he’s a good age and he has experience in the Premier League. He will give strength to the team and I’m very pleased to have Yannick as part of what we are trying to build here at Everton,” saidKoeman, who drew his first match 1-1 against Tottenham.

EVERTON BID £25MILLION FOR SIGURDSSON

Everton manager Ronald Koeman has submitted a bid of £25 million for Iceland international Gylfi Sigurdsson as the club continues with the wave of changes.

The club has made a lot of changes already both with the ranks of players and the background staff, especially in light of the poor result they had in the last campaign. They sacked the former coach Roberto Martinez, brought in a director of football for Leicester City for the first time and have been making lot of changes to the squad in a bid to restore their position in top flight football.

The Iceland player, who was impressive at the just concluded Euro 2016 tournament in France, is the latest major interest of Koeman and he wants to ensure the player joins in this summer. Koeman met with Steve Walsh, the new director of football to ratify the move for Sigurdsson before making the bid.

Both men are huge admirers of the player even while they were at their former clubs. They want the Swansea midfielder as a marquee signing ahead of the forthcoming season. The 26-year old has to make a decision, as even Swansea would find it difficult to keep him when the offers pour in. Swansea got the player from Tottenham Hotspurs in 2014 and he has gone on become one of the most consistent and reliable players in the team.

Aside the interest in the player, there are others that are likely to join in this summer, with only Maarten Stekelenburg already confirmed from Fulham. As they are signing new players, they remain careful of allowing their key players leave. Recently the club raised the asking price of their main forward Romelu Lukaku from £65 million to £75 million as other clubs were still interested. Chelsea submitted a bid of £63 million for Real Madrid’s Alvaro Morata but as the bid failed they runed back to Lukaku.

Ronald Koeman wants to bring Everton back into Europe

The new Everton manager Ronald Koeman has stated that he wants to take the team back into Europe.

The former Southampton manager believes that Everton should be playing regularly in Europe, and he will try to do everything he can in order to bring success back to his new club.

Everton have qualified for the Europa league only twice in the last six seasons and Ronald Koeman wants to change these statistics. He said that money is available in order to improve the team, and he will invest it wisely in order to build a team that can bring success in Europe.

He stated that his dream was to not only build a team that can play attractive football but also a team that can not only compete with the best in the Premier League but also in Europe. Everton finished 11th last season and failed to win a place in Europe.

So many times last season, Everton fail to hold on to a lead after having opened the score. Indeed, they managed to draw almost half of their league games.

In contrast, Ronald Koeman former club Southampton finished 6th in the League and will take part in the Europa League next season. It is this sort of success that Koeman hopes to bring to Everton, and he believes he can achieve it if he is given time.
Ronald Koeman believes that there is a confidence problem in the team, and that is the first issue that he will need to resolve. He said that if a team is low on confidence it is quite difficult to play football, and this is what made the difference in some of the games last season.

He believes that Everton has quality players and that they will have a great season next year.

Who Will be Euro 2016 Top Goalscorer?

As we approach the last 8 of this year’s European Championships, a number of players remain in with a chance of landing the Golden Boot. So who are the men most likely to finish as the tournament’s top goal scorer?

The outsiders

Arkadiusz Milik
A player that like his countryman Roberto Lewandowski, could be a household name post-Euro 2016. Milik opened up his account with the opening goal against Northern Ireland, and showcased why it will be him – and not Lewandowski – who will score the goals for his country. The Bayern Munich striker played more of a reduced role, creating space and offering up the running for Milik to centre stage. Milik showed his instincts in and around the area meanwhile, just like he did for Ajax this past season where he scored 24 goals in 42 games last term. His total for the Dutch side is now 47 in just 75 games both domestically and in European competition – an outstanding scoring rate for a player adept with both his feet and head. With games to come against a shaky German backline – who Milik already breached during qualifying – and a weak Ukraine there could be more goals to come from one of Europe’s most sought after strikers.

Graziano Pellè
The Southampton striker’s inclusion in the Italy squad was to the dismay of many back in his native country, but he could be set to play a key role for Antonio Conte’s team. Pellè is the man positioned to lead Italy’s attacking line, and with Conte’s men setup to counter and be clinical, it will be down to the 30-year-old to take those chances. He’s shown at Southampton he’s capable of it, just like he did prior in Holland. What’s more, if this is a low scoring tournament he could be someone to take advantage by scoring key, timely goals and sneaking above bigger names in the competition. His physicality, and tendency to get on the end of crosses, makes him a real threat. He also showed against Belgium he remains aware throughout the game, as he buried a chance that came his way with a superb volley at the death.

The obvious choices

Thomas Muller
When it comes to the big stage, few gobble it up more than Thomas Muller. With one Golden Boot from a World Cup to his name, and a Silver one for good measure, the German must now turn his attention to the smaller matter of the European Championship. It will surely be only a matter of time before the Bayern Munich man is off the mark, and as the true striker in the German squad opportunities will come his way to lead the line. More so, he is backed by an outstanding creative cast lead by none other than the assist king himself, Mesut Ozil. A haul of 20 goals in the Bundesliga this term shows he’s still fierce in attack, and it will be no surprise should he continue his incredible exploits for Germany.

Olivier Giroud
Like Thomas Muller, the French striker is backed by a brilliant supporting cast of creative players. If Antoine Griezmann or Paul Pogba doesn’t have a good day, Dimitri Payet will be waiting in the wings to supply the Arsenal man. Giroud’s capable of scoring in a variety of manners but he’s best when prowling in the area, looking to get on the end of a cross or ready to pounce on a loose ball in the box. He may not be entirely convincing as a striker but Giroud has an incredible knack of bagging goals as and when required. While Karim Benzema sits at home, it will be Giroud who leads the French line on home turf.

Cristiano Ronaldo
It’s time for Cristiano Ronaldo to finally deliver on the International stage, and backed by perhaps the best Portugal team he’s played with, there may be no better time. After his penalty heroics for Real Madrid in the Champions League final, Cristiano now turns his attention to Euro 2016. The hunger and drive in Cristiano is always there, but now he seems hell-bent more than ever on delivering success for Portugal. He will be leading the line given his formation into a striker of sorts, and also the lack of out and out forward players the Portuguese possess. Expect Cristiano to hunt chances down in the penalty area and look to latch onto crosses, and look for him to still pick up the ball in that trademark wide berth and drive infield.

David Unsworth happy with 3-0 win over Norwich City

Everton caretaker manager David Unsworth claimed that the 3-0 win over relegated Norwich City was the perfect afternoon for Everton.

The club installed Unsworth as the man to lead the club for the final game of the campaign after parting company with Roberto Martinez a few days ago. Martinez was relieved from his duties after a defeat against Sunderland, who secured their safety in the division with this victory. Everton have been poor throughout the campaign and this would not have been the result fans would have been hoping when the club spent big in the summer.

The match also witnessed goalkeeper Tim Howard playing in the Everton shirt for one final time before he heads to the MLS in the summer. Due to several factors, there was a lot of expectation from the Everton supporters ahead of the game. They had turned up in great numbers to witness one of their best players in recent memory leave the club. The win over Norwich was a fitting sendoff for Howard, who has played for almost a decade at Goodison Park. The win also helped Everton finish the campaign on a positive note. The team has been on rotten run of results for the last few months.

The win over Norwich was only their second in the last five matches.”It was the perfect afternoon, all credit goes to the players, they were fantastic.They took on board what we’ve done in two days – a real plus point from them that they have done that, I thought we were brilliant from start to finish. We got the goals, a clean sheet, and worked at a tempo that was outstanding for 90 minutes. There are some tired bodies in there and quite rightly so, that’s how you should feel and I’m just delighted for the boys,” said Unsworth.