Seasons2020-21Rumour Mill
Interest in Bernard from Middle East
According to Sky Sports northwest correspondent, Alan Myers, the Dubai club are "considering" a bid of around £10m for the Brazilian, although. no formal offer has yet been lodged.
Bernard, whose contract expires next year, has been linked with a move away from Goodison Park during the current transfer window, with AS Roma also reportedly interested in his services.
Reader Comments (73)
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2 Posted 20/01/2021 at 05:22:19
Unfortunately though, his wages of £120k/week do not justify a backup / squad player, and I suspect we will sell. Probably to Roma for Olsen plus cash.
3 Posted 20/01/2021 at 07:09:02
Bernard has got all he skill in the world, grace and balance. The problem is the physicality of the Premier League. James Rodriguez in his interview alluded to the friction and physical nature of the league, it sets it apart. Bernards game is too disrupted by it. In a less frantic league he could be a much more effective and that why Fonseca wants him back.
If we could do a deal with Olsen coming to us and a cash adjustment in our favour I think that is good business for the club.
He is an increasingly peripheral player at the moment and getting his wages off the books will allow us to strengthen with a player who will have more impact and improve us.
4 Posted 20/01/2021 at 07:45:21
5 Posted 20/01/2021 at 07:51:06
Sad that he didn't become our David Silva but you can't be too sentimental. He's not worked out so you shift him on and try again.
6 Posted 20/01/2021 at 08:13:35
I think we all like Bernard, but let's face it – how often do we see what he is capable of? Not only down to limited appearances, but when he has been given a run-out, he spends an inordinate amount of time on his arse!
You would think a small player would have a low centre of gravity and increased stability, but it seems the opposite in his case. Plus the extortionate wages he is on (not his fault btw) is not proportionate.
7 Posted 20/01/2021 at 08:16:55
The big stumbling block will be Bernard's wages. I can't see Roma matching or getting close to the reported deal he's on here. This is where we have made major errors with Bolasie, Tosun, Sandro and a few others.
I'm always sceptical when we sign a player on anything longer than a 3-year deal. I get the idea. The practicality of it is the player will force a move regardless if he wants. On a 3-year deal, we can evaluate a player inside the first 12 months and extend their contract.
Bernard is 28. It is stick or twist time for him and Everton. His agent will want him to get a final payday with his next move. Agents fees etc. Al Nasr might be the easier deal. Probably offer better wages. Longer contract and similar transfer fee.
The downside is Olsen stays on loan and we might lose him come the summer. Shows how tricky our transfer dilemmas are.
8 Posted 20/01/2021 at 08:31:31
My son just found a good sea shanty song about Michael Keane, catchy and stirring tune, Ill try and dig out the link, as it's on TikTok.
Worth a mooch, it's by The Keggerman.
9 Posted 20/01/2021 at 09:09:12
10 Posted 20/01/2021 at 09:19:00
Bernard has done neither.
Perhaps if he played for the Sky darlings, he might get more freekicks/protection from the refs, but too often he is left on the deck without the ball. He would be better suited to European footy.
11 Posted 20/01/2021 at 09:22:36
Given the number of players we have in that squad (23?) and on loan having been a recent part of the squad, it might be interesting to number who we have in various positions: 4 keepers, 5 central defenders, 9 or 10 midfielders and 2 strikers?
12 Posted 20/01/2021 at 09:35:04
Yes, he shows some nice ball skills on rare occasions... but to what end product? A couple of goals and a couple of assists each season, if you're lucky. He is basically a total failure as an attacking threat, a complete waste of space on the team.
Simply and absolutely not good enough. How anyone can compare his pathetic contributions to David Silva just defies comprehension. I will be overjoyed if he leaves in this window but the lack of anything real happening despite the daily stream of clickbait nonsense, the deflating words from our great Blue leaders, and the history of many previous transfer windows anticipated with such rampant enthusiasm and unbridled optimism by our resident fantasy football fanatics, suggest we should not expect too much to actually happen by 1 February.
13 Posted 20/01/2021 at 10:32:47
14 Posted 20/01/2021 at 10:36:37
£6M a year off the wage bill and an incoming fee would be a result given that we have so many other options who are all equally ineffective, but a lot cheaper.
Bernie will remain a good player when he is allowed to play by less physical opposition. I think he has always tried so will be remembered, on the whole, fondly but with little regret at his departure when it happens.
15 Posted 20/01/2021 at 10:50:04
16 Posted 20/01/2021 at 10:55:33
Although some say well we got him for nothing, well, we may not have paid his previous club a fee but you can be pretty certain that he and his agent will have pocketed a tidy sum for him signing on. Then, to add insult to injury, we paid him a reported £120,000 per week complete madness. Just to put that into context – that was more than most of Liverpool's team earned when they won the Champions League a couple of years back.
Hopefully we will have learned the lesson and with Ancelotti now in charge lets only pay big money to players who have shown they are worth that sort of money. As I keep saying with us being close to our FFP limit we have to be far more circumspect when spending money in future.
17 Posted 20/01/2021 at 11:00:32
Take the money.
18 Posted 20/01/2021 at 11:19:49
David Silva is one of the best midfielders to have graced the Premier League, a perception of space, incredible passing, amazing control and ability to collect the ball and move it on at rapid speed. Also had a wicked shot and could really get power behind the ball. A really quality player who had everything you want from a creative midfielder.
Bernard, on the other hand, fails to impose himself on games, loses possession easily, doesn't pass with any particular quality, falls over all the time..he occasionally moves quite well and beats a couple of players, occasionally. But generally he's been very poor. £10 million would be a smashing deal, especially if it gets his £120k wages off out payroll.
19 Posted 20/01/2021 at 11:49:05
I like the player he can pick a pass and has quick feet, however if he does not feature in Carlos plans and only has 12 months left on his contract ? A move to the middle east for £10m pharaoh enough.
[BRZ]
20 Posted 20/01/2021 at 12:31:34
He didn't make the grade with the national team. He had the misfortune to replace the injured Neymar in 'that' 7-1 semi-final v Germany and hasn't been near the Brazilian team since.
In his first season there was a bromance going on with him and Digne which promised much along the lines of the Baines-Pienaar partnership, but IMO he has been largely poor since.
He is actually a lot more resilient then some give him credit for and he is capable of the sublime and great skill. But in equal measure he also displays at times woeful control and jaw-droppingly bad passing.
As for playing in the Middle East, plenty of Brazilians play there. The biggest surprise in recent years was Everton Ribeiro. In 2013-14, aged 24-25, he was the star in Cruzeiro's back-to-back title wins and named the league's best player in both seasons.
I would have LOVED to have seen him at Everton. Very Joao Moutinho-like in his prime, but with more goals. United and Real Madrid were sniffing around. And to the surprise of all, he took the shekels and moved to a club in UAE for 3 seasons.
He returned to Brazil and Flamengo, once again showing all his skills, climaxing in winning the league and the Libertadores under Jorge Jesus. He is playing so well he was recalled to the national team last year after being overlooked for 5 years.
Now 31, little chance of seeing him play in Europe now. But a really lovely player. Ribeiro is a game-changer. A conductor of the orchestra. Bernard isn't and never will be.
Lovely fellah, though.
21 Posted 20/01/2021 at 14:57:54
22 Posted 20/01/2021 at 15:41:12
Scrawny little blokes like David Silva can succeed in the premiership but as the whole league is moving towards more physical athletic species like Pogba it is becoming even more difficult for "smaller" players.
They have to be exceptionally quick in their thinking and their feet and have to be aware of defensive duties too.
Unfortunately Bernard is not good enough in these respects and at 120k per week is an extravagance we can ill afford.
23 Posted 20/01/2021 at 15:47:48
If not Zirkee then at least some other striker and a right back.
Outs for a transfer fee, Bernard, Tosun, possibly Moise Kean.
Incomings, a right back and striker for now, strong midfielder in the summer, if and only if needed, after our injury front has cleared up.
If we can get a couple more out through the door, surplus to requirements in a positive way, rather than deadwood, then will have been a very good transfer window for me.
24 Posted 20/01/2021 at 16:05:47
That would be corking.
25 Posted 20/01/2021 at 16:07:37
26 Posted 20/01/2021 at 16:28:49
He'll do two or three good things a season. One of the most irritating sights is seeing him pushed off the ball and then him berating the ref, arms wide whilst sitting on the turf. It's up there with Sigurdsson finding the keeper's arms at a corner. Infuriating. Would much rather see Gordon given a chance. Bernard isn't good enough for an Everton team aspiring to be in the top 6. I'd snatch any team's hands off for anywhere near £10 million and get him off our wage bill. Comparisons with David Silva begin and end with his height.
27 Posted 20/01/2021 at 16:57:11
Silva shows more strength on a football pitch than Pogba
28 Posted 20/01/2021 at 17:04:54
29 Posted 20/01/2021 at 17:30:11
He'd also be a huge statement signing to signal our ambition of truly challenging top-4.
30 Posted 20/01/2021 at 17:31:38
Bernie flatters to deceive, and needs to be moved on whilst he still has a value.
31 Posted 20/01/2021 at 17:48:50
What players would you liken his style to lads
32 Posted 20/01/2021 at 17:56:15
33 Posted 20/01/2021 at 18:03:22
34 Posted 20/01/2021 at 18:05:47
35 Posted 20/01/2021 at 18:05:47
36 Posted 20/01/2021 at 18:17:19
Some names you liken him to there!
Will look at some of his performances later online
Thanks
37 Posted 20/01/2021 at 20:52:07
I strongly doubt he would come as a backup, however -- not with the likes of Roma, Inter and Sevilla able to offer him the #1 shirt and Champions League football. He'd only come in to replace a sold-off Jordan.
PS... NBC Sports and Sky both reporting that Odegaard is likely headed to Arsenal on loan.
38 Posted 21/01/2021 at 00:56:53
I understand he was a free agent and it's not my money so I try not to get into that but, for all his skills, he gives the ball up cheaply far too often. As someone else said, for a small lad, it's like he never learnt to shield the ball and win free-kicks; rather, he is easily dispossessed.
A forward attacking player is about end product, decision-making, being good on a consistent basis. He isn't any of these things.
Again he's not a winger and I'd like to see him play centrally behind a striker. But I compare him to Mata at Man Utd, Eriksen formerly at Spurs, our own Osman and Pienaar. All 4 of them often played out of position but produced, ie key passes and goals, crosses, high work rate, link-up play.
Sorry to say but Bernard just isn't pulling his slim weight. We need better. I'll ask for £15M but would accept £10M.
39 Posted 21/01/2021 at 07:28:36
40 Posted 21/01/2021 at 09:32:51
I think it is more likely that Roma will pay us €5M and Bernard will be given that to pay off his contract and only then will accept a €50k pw 3-year deal with Roma. In effect, no fee for the player but we are relieved of his eye-watering wages.
41 Posted 21/01/2021 at 09:49:16
I've never seen Rui Silva but, if he's really good, then he might well be given the goalkeeper spot ahead of Pickford.
42 Posted 21/01/2021 at 10:08:41
I total agree, who would take Pickford at £30M plus? I can't see us accepting less than that either. So, I guess we have to continue to develop him and build him up.
I've given him stick but we must as Toffees give credit where it's due, he has upped his shit and is seemingly (touch wood) in better form, we should be encouraging this.
I'd love us to sign a goalie that provided real opposition; Olsen seems like a safe purchase, however, and seems at least to be keeping him on his toes.
I read an interview with Pickford where he was saying he is seeing a sports Psychologist which is helping, fair play to him. Maybe also he finally got his ADHD diagnosis and is on Ritalin also! :)
43 Posted 21/01/2021 at 10:44:21
44 Posted 21/01/2021 at 11:48:56
Skilful, small but ultimately not effective enough!! And I bet he's brilliant at 5-a-side!
When all weighed up, if we can get a good fee and a replacement, he's probably worth selling but I'd wish him good luck!
45 Posted 21/01/2021 at 13:32:25
This may be the problem with some players who the club want to sell but the players don't want to loose the finances they are on at Everton, and the buying club cant afford the players contract demands.
46 Posted 21/01/2021 at 16:21:43
47 Posted 21/01/2021 at 22:33:18
48 Posted 22/01/2021 at 03:44:15
49 Posted 22/01/2021 at 06:13:09
Difficult to compare him with David Silva. For most of the time at Man City, Silva had outstanding players around him giving him seemingly endless opportunities to pass to etc and whose overall movement would often allow Silva his own goalscoring opportunities.
Would have been interesting to see how Silva would have performed in Everton's team, likewise Bernard at City.
50 Posted 22/01/2021 at 07:53:46
Doesn't score or assist enough.
If we can take €10 million on a free transfer then put it towards a player with more end product, then get a deal done, innit?
51 Posted 22/01/2021 at 11:46:07
A very shrewd buy for Monaco, they will make money on that one. It will be interesting to see if he kicks on.
52 Posted 24/01/2021 at 22:05:10
53 Posted 25/01/2021 at 23:43:36
Another comparison is our former Russian, 'Bily'. I can't spell his name but a Moyes buy who never adapted. He was another Number 10 but often deployed left wing.
Can't we just find a Kanchelskis? Pacey winger who can score goals. Forget the technique. Keep it simple, run fast, pass, shoot or cross. None of this backwards to go forwards nonsense. Its not Rugby.
54 Posted 25/01/2021 at 00:14:24
We have long had a habit of signing wimpy players, either in stature or character, on mega contracts and, surprise, surprise, have had zero success in moving them out on terms remotely useful to us, for decades.
I wonder who the self-appointed "transfer genius" in the boardroom has been over said decades? Anybody know?
55 Posted 26/01/2021 at 00:26:32
56 Posted 26/01/2021 at 07:16:40
Not very mobile but boy does he know where the back of the net is, an excellent finisher in the air and on the deck. I'm feeling frustrated with the lack of outgoings so far, would love to see Besic, Bolasie, Bernard, Kenny and Tosun all leave this window.
57 Posted 26/01/2021 at 07:29:18
Dzeko is top class, just the type of striker I had in mid for back up and to take the strain from Calvert-Lewin when needed. Also to rescue and win games from the bench. A terrific striker. He's the same age as Vardy and like him is a natural, born to do it. I think he would be a great back up signing if Ancelotti could convince him to come here for 18 months.
58 Posted 26/01/2021 at 08:29:55
There's a lad in the live forum, goes off his head every time Bernards out there calling him a "useless fucking hobbit" and worse. It's safe to say Bernard is considered a poor signing by a majority of Evertonians.
If we can get rid, then we should definitely do so. I'm very doubtful though. Is there any more news on Brands and his future?
59 Posted 26/01/2021 at 08:33:46
60 Posted 26/01/2021 at 12:32:27
It's leaving it late for us to get a player in, but hopefully we're lining someone up.
61 Posted 26/01/2021 at 12:51:01
62 Posted 26/01/2021 at 12:51:37
I hope he hasn't got more than two suitcases though as I'm hoping to take Besic and Bolasie with me –if only to share the driving as nobody wants them as footballers.
63 Posted 26/01/2021 at 12:53:18
In a Moskvitch? Good luck with that.😁👍🏻
64 Posted 26/01/2021 at 12:55:10
I'd have to think about that, I believe Tosun is a brass hinge when it comes to tipping.
65 Posted 26/01/2021 at 13:03:46
Only way he signs for a permanent transfer to a European club is to give him some of the transfer fee.
66 Posted 27/01/2021 at 18:38:39
67 Posted 27/01/2021 at 18:43:02
68 Posted 27/01/2021 at 18:49:49
69 Posted 27/01/2021 at 18:52:40
70 Posted 27/01/2021 at 18:52:51
Such a shame Arsenal have got Odegaard.
71 Posted 29/01/2021 at 13:19:40
72 Posted 29/01/2021 at 13:39:49
73 Posted 29/01/2021 at 13:42:19
Kean and Walcott previously with Branwaite and possibly Gordon out on loan.
Good for finance but it does leave us short Id suggest!
Need 2 in! A striker and a Pacey right winger.
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1 Posted 20/01/2021 at 00:06:54