Seasons2019-20Everton News

Silva 'hopeful' over Zouma situation

Lyndon Lloyd Sunday, 7 July, 2019 27comments  |  Jump to last

Marco Silva says that he is hopeful regarding Everton's chances of signing Kurt Zouma this summer but stressed the club has back-up options in mind.

The France international enjoyed a successful loan spell at Goodison Park last season and did more than enough to persuade Silva and Director of Football, Marcel Brands, that he was worthy of efforts to bring him in on a full-time basis but the situation has been complicated by events at Chelsea.

The London club were handed a two-year transfer ban for infringing on FIFA recruitment directives and that has heightened their need to retain their current staff.

Additionally, new manager, Frank Lampard, wants to run the rule over the players he has inherited since coming on board this past week and Zouma was featured prominently in video clips shared to Chelsea's social media channels.

Lampard will need to jettison one more foreign player before Chelsea meet Champions League rules, however, and that could play into Everton's hands.

“I am hopeful,” Silva said when asked about the Toffees' chances of signing Zouma. “I think I am hopeful like all of our fans are but I have to tell you that we have different solutions because we cannot just have one solution.

"I am hopeful and if we can give our fans this fantastic feeling it will be key. But, if not, we have to go in a different way but it is part of the market, part of creating a squad.

"After that position we have three or four more to strengthen.”  

Reader Comments (27)

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Darren Hind
1 Posted 07/07/2019 at 20:26:37
Other irons in the fire?

Interesting... wonder who he has in mind?

Anthony Millington
2 Posted 07/07/2019 at 20:46:12
We will have to sign another good centre back unless Zouma signs soon. Can't see Chelsea letting him go. I don't think there are many available centre backs of equal quality that we could sign. Lascelles at Newcastle may be worth a punt with all the turmoil going on there?
Nicholas Ryan
3 Posted 08/07/2019 at 00:04:50
Interesting, that Chelsea haven't said: 'Get lost, he's our player!' which I think they would have, if that was the true position.
Jack Convery
4 Posted 08/07/2019 at 01:40:04
Fingers, toes, tonsils, nostril hairs etc etc all crossed for this one.
Kieran Kinsella
5 Posted 08/07/2019 at 01:42:58
Daily Mail had a headline last week: “Lampard Makes Zouma Decision.” It went on to day his “decision” is that he is going to make a decision later in the summer. Someone actually got paid for writing that click bait headline.
Si Smith
6 Posted 08/07/2019 at 02:12:16
After that position we have 3 or 4 more to strengthen!

Nice.

No good just buying bodies though, imo we need more quality than quantity, I'd like to see us strengthen our attack (as most blues would), we may need replacement for Gana and Gomes in CM, especially if Schneiderlin, McCarthy and Besic are moved on, but after that I cant see much else.

RB seems a position being branded about, but I'd only like this done if we were to buy a top top RB as Coleman is no mug, and JJ and Holgate should be backup more so than another Martina style back up player.

Dont get me wrong, we can clearly always strengthen, but unless we spend big then we cant get a lot better than we already have, going from 8th to 4th (and staying there) is done with a huge increase in quality.

Alan J Thompson
7 Posted 08/07/2019 at 06:31:06
Si(#6); I wasn't sure how to interpret that, whether Silva meant that there were 3 or 4 positions to strengthen or if he meant 3 or 4 options for that position in central defence. I know we need cover but if we have Keane, Mina and Zouma which of the three would be happy with the bench when it may affect their international positions.
Si Smith
8 Posted 08/07/2019 at 08:17:31
I think 1 more CB is what we will end up with, then we have Holgate who I firmly believe deserves to at least have a pathway to the first team, then Feeney and Gibson who should be nailed on for u23s, also with some glimmer of hope to at least the occasional spot on the bench in a Carling cup game.
Jim Bennings
9 Posted 08/07/2019 at 08:40:45
In all likelihood this deal will probably come to life in the last week of the transfer window if Chelsea do decide to sell.

It would be a monumental loss to a defence that had finally started to look really solid for once if we fail to add Zouma, I believe this was a bigger priority than Gomes even.

For me Zouma is the closest thing we've had since Distin was here to be being that beast, a man mountain of pace and athletism.

Mina, until he proves he can actually stay fit for more than two weeks, the jury is out and I've never been convinced about Holgate, physicality or temperament wise to deal with the Premier League.

My abiding memory of Holgate is him being totally bullied out of the game in last seasons 3-1 home loss to West Ham.

Sam Hoare
10 Posted 08/07/2019 at 09:38:27
Jim@9, I have to agree with you on Holgate. I used to have high hopes for him but he's never quite convinced me at CB. So far. Still very young of course. IOts a shame WBA did not give him a season there and that way we'd have a much better idea of his abilities and consistency in that position.

As for Zouma I hope it either gets done soon or that we move on. CB pairings take a time to build and if its not going to be Zouma then we need pre-season to start trying out Keane and Mina or Keane and whoever the Zouma alternative is.

Surely Lampard has a good idea of his abilities. Shouldn't take that long to work out.

If it's not to be Zouma then I really think it needs to be someone with a bit of acceleration to make up for Keane/Mina. Mario Hermoso at Espanyol could be good, not the tallest but very quick, very good on the ball and an excellent defender.

As for the 3 more players I expect to see a RW, a ST and maybe a RB or another CM.

Dream for me is:
Zouma
Malcom/Neres
Rafael Leao/Moise Kean
Ibrahim Sangare

John G Davies
11 Posted 08/07/2019 at 10:09:23
Jim, Sam.

Holgate can drop his shoulder and pass a lovely ball into midfield though.

Tony Everan
12 Posted 08/07/2019 at 11:40:57
With Chelsea's transfer ban appeal not being heard until after the window shuts, I cannot see Zouma being sold right now.

At best we can maybe strike a deal to sign him when the ban is lifted in Jan or next June. If that's the case we may get a quality loan centre-back in for the season.

Dale Rose
13 Posted 08/07/2019 at 18:08:22
Jack #4. Just crossed me nuts. All bases covered then.
Rob Marsh
14 Posted 08/07/2019 at 20:59:23
Tony # 12

I might be wrong here, but there's nothing (I believe) stopping Chelski doing a deal with another club under the proviso that it might be ripped up if that ruling goes against them?

As I said I might be wrong though.

Justin Doone
15 Posted 10/07/2019 at 22:03:39
Silvas talk of other options sounds as if a centre back is a priority for him and I totally agree.

Mina BIG?
Keane is OK but he needs to play with a better centre back to cover for his weaknesses ie lack of pace, strength and positioning.

Another 3 or 4 to strengthen.. Sounds promising. Hopefully it's additions and not to replace Gana, Ric, Digne etc.

Eddie Dunn
16 Posted 11/07/2019 at 08:35:38
Zouma played in the second half of Chelsea's friendly with Bohemians yesterday.
Andrew Ellams
17 Posted 11/07/2019 at 09:17:38
Chelsea still have their 3 first choice centre halves from last season plus Azpilacueta and a couple of youngsters, so, if Zouma makes it known that he'd like to join Everton, Lampard might just decide he can let him go. The last thing Chelsea need right now is unhappy players.
Dick Fearon
18 Posted 11/07/2019 at 23:23:00
We may not get any of the players we want in the transfer market but things are looking up.

Where we competed against and often lost to the likes of Newcastle we are now doing the same in competition with the top six

Michael Lynch
19 Posted 19/07/2019 at 13:57:14
Chelsea Twitter account wrote: "Lampard says he wants @KurtZouma to stay at Chelsea this season, stressing he is a fine player and a good man who will benefit our squad."

That sounds like curtains for us then. Can't imagine Zouma is going to beg to leave Chelsea.

Brian Williams
20 Posted 19/07/2019 at 14:21:49
Just read what Lampard actually said and I'd say that it's not curtains for us as far as the big man is concerned, depending on his own view.
Lampard, IMO, was spouting the company line in what he said and I think if Zouma said he wanted to leave they'd let him go.
It's all down to whether he'll ask to or not.
Sam Hoare
21 Posted 19/07/2019 at 14:46:44
Brian@20, it doesn't sound good. I'm not sure Zouma is the boat-rocker type. If Lampard says he is staying then I can imagine he will take that as a sign that he is very much in the first team mix.

I think Brands/Silva need to start putting plan b into action. I wonder who is next on the list?

Jay Harris
22 Posted 19/07/2019 at 15:02:53
Brian,
don't forget Rudiger is injured and will miss the early part of the season and Zouma seems keen to justify a place in the team so will look to impress in prseason.

I just cant see this happening before the start of the season and just hope we have a plan B which is not Mina, Holgate and Keane.

Mike Gaynes
23 Posted 19/07/2019 at 15:23:09
From the moment Rudiger went down, it was curtains for us with Zouma.
Michael Lynch
24 Posted 19/07/2019 at 15:33:50
Plan B is Niasse at centre half, DCL like a new signing up front, and Bolasie recalled on the wing.
Jim Knightley
25 Posted 19/07/2019 at 15:48:30
It's not looking good with Zouma, after what Lampard has said today. I think our only chance is if Lampard makes it clear to Zouma that he will be back up (which he probably will), and then he makes a fuss. I could see us getting him next season but their transfer ban has worked against us. That said they look weak and I could see us pushing them in the league this season.

We need a different plan for CB now. If we can bring in a top quality CB and striker, and retain Gueye, we can be very hopeful for the season ahead. I'm not sure if that will be possible whilst we still hang on to deadwood like Bolasie and McCarthy (no offence intended for McCarthy fans, but we have Gomes, Gueye, Delph, Schneiderlina and Davies ahead of him). Wasting so much money without a plan in the pre-Silva post-Martinez years may cost us this window. It will be a shame if so because United, Arsenal, and Chelsea sides in transition look vulnerable. Let's hope that the final weeks of the window brings better news and that Gueye is still an Everton player by the time it all kicks off again.

Martin Nicholls
26 Posted 19/07/2019 at 16:19:10
As others have suggested, Zouma will be nothing more than a temporary stopgap at Chelsea and will be surplus to requirements once their ban is lifted. Assuming he realises that and puts in a transfer request (ie looks after his own interests, as Chelsea have done by loaning him out for two full years) I think they'd sell if the price is right. That said, as I've seen £54million quoted for Lewis Dunk(!!!) I suspect Chelsea would price us out of the market.
As for Gana, Afcon final is tonight so picture may become clearer next week.
Brian Williams
27 Posted 19/07/2019 at 16:19:27
Bear in mind also that if Lampard was to say anything other than the things he did say he'd basically be knocking 㾶-15m off the price and really weakening Chelsea's position.
He couldn't say anything else (other than what he actually said) to be fair.
Even when managers say "he's not for sale" players have been sold and Lampard, noticeably, didn't say that.

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