Tag: Everton

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EVERTON OUTCLASS NORWICH AT GOODISON PARK, PILE MORE MISERY FOR THE YELLOWS

Everton inflicted Norwich’s latest defeat as goals from Andros Townsend and Abdoulaye Doucoure saw the Premier League basement boys beaten 2-0 at Goodison Park.

Townsend put the hosts in front with a 29th-minute penalty, awarded after referee David Coote watched replays back pitchside of Ozan Kabak’s challenge on Allan.

Norwich midfielder Mathias Normann subsequently brought two good saves out of Jordan Pickford before Doucoure’s finish doubled Everton’s advantage in the 77th minute.

The result made it six defeats from six for Daniel Farke’s rock-bottom Canaries so far this term, with their losing run in the Premier League, including the final games of the 2019-20 season, now standing at 16 matches.

Rafael Benitez’s Everton, returning to winning ways after their 3-0 loss to Aston Villa last weekend and Carabao Cup exit at QPR, are up to fifth in the table with 13 points from their six games.

While the Toffees had the fit-again Pickford back in goal, they were still without a number of players due to injury, including forward pair Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison.

The opening stages of the contest saw the hosts have plenty of the ball but struggle to show much cutting edge.

The first real attempt on goal came in the 19th minute when Alex Iwobi delivered the ball from the left and it went via Salomon Rondon to Townsend, who fired a shot straight at Tim Krul, and Demarai Gray then sent a cross flashing across the Norwich area that no-one could apply a killer touch to.

Soon after, Allan went down in the box having been caught on the leg by former Liverpool loanee Kabak and appealed for a penalty, with Coote initially saying no.

But a VAR check followed, Coote watched the incident back on a pitchside monitor and pointed to the spot, and Townsend subsequently produced a cool finish from 12 yards to put Everton in front.

Norwich responded towards the end of the first half with a shot wide from Kenny McLean and then a Normann strike that Pickford turned behind.

Iwobi and Townsend hit efforts off target early in the second half before Pickford did well once more to deny Normann, pushing the Norwegian’s drive over the bar.

Norwich threatened again as McLean sent a free-kick towards Ben Gibson, who was just unable to make the connection he wanted as he tried to head in, and Normann then fired over a free-kick of his own.

It was making for a nervy time for Everton but that feeling was then settled when Gray teed up Doucoure, who slotted past Krul.

There could have been further misery for Norwich, with substitute Tom Davies seeing a shot deflect wide and Ben Godfrey, playing against his old club, then being denied from close range by Krul.

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JAMES RODRIGUEZ LEAVES EVERTON FOR QATAR CLUB AL RAYYAN

Qatari club Al Rayyan have confirmed the signing of James Rodriguez from Everton.

The Toffees say the Colombian has left for an undisclosed fee, having joined on a free transfer last season and with just one year left on his deal.

He leaves almost exactly a year since he joined Everton to great fanfare and much excitement.

The playmaker sparkled in his early performances, scoring three goals in his first five appearances, the kind of Rolls-Royce player Evertonians have been starved of for years.

But sadly those performances tailed off as time went on, with a series of niggling injuries meaning he was frequently absent from the side.

He made 26 appearances during the 2020-21 season, scoring six goals, but Evertonians were hopeful for more with a full pre-season behind him.

Sadly his fate was sealed the moment Carlo Ancelotti left for Real Madrid. James openly admitted he only joined Everton because of the Italian, so his departure made an exit almost inevitable.

Rafa Benitez’s appointment as Ancelotti’s successor further pushed him towards the exit door, with the Spaniard having endured a difficult relationship with James during their time at Real Madrid.

But with a reported wage of £200,000 a week there were predictably few takers in a market still reeling from the financial devastation of Covid.

James quickly became a huge drain on resources and an awkward topic of conversation in press conferences, with Benitez blaming Covid isolation then lack of fitness for his exclusion from the first team so far this season.

Moves to Portugal and Turkey collapsed before the August transfer deadline, raising the prospect of James staying here until at least January. But the Qatar window was still open – and he is now finally on his way.

The overriding feeling for me is one of huge disappointment. James is a genuine world-class talent who would ordinarily come nowhere near our club. His fitness record plays a part in that of course, but Ancelotti’s willingness to indulge him made it look a risk worth taking.

Sadly it was a fragile relationship that collapsed as soon as Ancelotti left. James then suddenly became a financial burden at a time where the club was scrambling to keep in line with profit and sustainability rules.

With Benitez wanting to build a team prepared to scrap for every point, James quickly became a luxury we didn’t need or could afford.

The Colombian didn’t help himself at times either, saying he didn’t even know who Everton were playing before last month’s trip to Leeds was revealing.

We don’t know the exact details and likely never will, but it is clear a move away is the best for all concerned.

The cruel irony is that James departs without having ever played in front of a Goodison crowd.

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EVERTON’S JAMES RODRIGUEZ SET TO HAVE TALKS ABOUT QATAR MOVE

Out-of-favour Everton playmaker James Rodriguez has travelled to Qatar to discuss a move to the Middle East.

The PA news agency understands the Colombia international is to have talks with Al-Rayyan – managed by the former France player and coach Laurent Blanc – with the transfer window in the region still open until the end of the month.

Rodriguez was told by new manager Rafael Benitez he was not in his plans after taking over from Carlo Ancelotti, who brought in the South American having worked with him at Real Madrid.

Summer moves to Porto and Turkish side Basaksehir failed to materialise and Benitez admitted a couple of weeks ago it would be difficult to now offload the club’s highest earner, on a reported £200,000 a week.

However, the one escape route he suggested now appears to be an option after he said on September 10, “It was not easy, because he was available in the transfer window. Now that we have just the Middle East window open, it’s not easy.”

Rodriguez has yet to feature in a matchday squad for Everton after Benitez said he was behind the other players in terms of match fitness.

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James Rodriguez closing in on Everton exit

Everton playmaker James Rodriguez is reportedly in talks with a club in Qatar ahead of a proposed transfer this month.

Since the departure of Carlo Ancelotti and the appointment of Rafael Benitez, the Colombia international has been linked with a move away from Goodison Park.

According to BBC Sport, Rodriguez has flown to the Middle East to negotiate a permanent move to a club in Qatar, where their transfer window is open until September 30.

Despite only joining Everton last summer, the Toffees are prepared to let the 30-year-old leave as they are keen to remove his £200,000-a-week salary off their wage bill.

Rodriguez, who was linked with a return to Porto over the summer, is yet to feature under Benitez this season and has seemingly played his final game for the club.

The former Real Madrid and Bayern Munich midfielder has made 26 appearances across all competitions for Everton, scoring six goals and providing nine assists.

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RAFAEL BENITEZ VOWS TO FIGHT FOR EVERY POINT AFTER SOUTHAMPTON VICTORY

Everton manager Rafael Benitez insists he will do a “proper” job at the club and does not have to win over doubting fans after a 3-1 victory over Southampton got his controversial reign up and running in style.

The former Liverpool boss has faced opposition from a section of the support because of his association with the red half of the city and his “small club” comments about the Toffees from a Merseyside derby in 2007.

However, after goals from Olympic gold medallist Richarlison, Abdoulaye Doucoure and Dominic Calvert-Lewin turned things around following Adam Armstrong’s maiden Premier League goal for his new club, Benitez credited the players and a full Goodison Park with the victory.

“It is is nothing to do with me, it is more about the players and the fans,” he said.

“After so many months without fans the players appreciate the support of the fans and the fans appreciate the commitment of the players.

“They (fans) know the manager I am, I like to fight and compete: I did it today and I will do it all my time here. I am someone who likes to do their job properly and likes to win.

“I was nervous when I was coming here with other teams but not with my team. I am delighted to be here and see the reaction of the fans.

“It was an opportunity to show what we can do, what I can do, but especially what the players can do on the pitch with the fans behind them.

“We have to be competitive and the reaction we had after conceding a goal is something I have to be pleased about as manager.”

Saints boss Ralph Hasenhuttl was delighted to see his new £15million acquisition from Blackburn get off the mark immediately as he seeks to fill the boots of Danny Ings, who joined Aston Villa in the summer.

“I think it was a very good first game for him, he showed immediately he is good in the game, he is quick and can go in behind,” he said.

“I think we have a new striker who can score goals and this is good.”

Hasenhuttl also felt his side’s performance deserved more than it got having taken a 22nd-minute lead.

“It is very disappointing. We had a good start, a good goal and a lot of things we were working on were quite good,” he added.

“I haven’t seen a lot of chances for them in 45 minutes and then we concede a goal just after half-time. How we conceded the goal was too easy.

“It is a pity the guys don’t get anything from this game because I think the performance shows more than the score.”

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EVERTON DO COME BACK WIN AS BENITEZ KICKS OFF AT GOODISON ON A HIGH

Rafael Benitez oversaw a comeback victory in his first match in charge of Everton, the Toffees beating Southampton 3-1 at Goodison Park.

The hosts fell behind in the 22nd minute, when centre-back Michael Keane lost the ball to Che Adams, who played in Adam Armstrong for a clinical debut goal.

Benitez’s half-time team talk prompted an equaliser within two minutes of the restart, as Andros Townsend headed the ball into the box and Richarlison finished from close range.

Abdoulaye Doucoure put Everton ahead in style 14 minutes from time, turning smartly before unleashing a fierce strike into the top corner.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin put the Toffees out of sight five minutes later, diving to head in Richarlison’s cross.

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RODRIGUEZ, FOUR OTHERS IN ISOLATION AT EVERTON AS DOUBTS CLOUDS THE COLOMBIAN’S FUTURE AT GOODISON PARK

JAMES RODRIGUEZ IS unavailable for Everton’s Premier League opener against Southampton on Saturday as uncertainty continues to surround the Colombia playmaker’s future.

While forwards Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin are set to be involved in the contest at Goodison Park, Rodriguez is among five Everton players currently isolating.

Rafael Benitez, preparing for his first competitive match as Toffees boss after succeeding Carlo Ancelotti in June, was asked at his pre-match press conference on Friday if Rodriguez was part of his plans or if he would be allowed to leave.

And he said: “I have had my conversation with him at the beginning, and then he knows my idea – but now he is not available, so it is not an issue for tomorrow.

“We will discuss every single player with them, with their agents and then try to find the best solution for us, for the club, and also for the players.

“Richarlison and Calvert-Lewin are available, but we have some players that are in isolation, and then we have to manage that.”

Richarlison only returned to training with Everton on Wednesday after winning Olympic gold with Brazil in Tokyo, while England striker Calvert-Lewin had missed last weekend’s friendly against Manchester United due to a knock.

With coronavirus restrictions having eased, Goodison Park is set to be full tomorrow for the first time since March 2020.

When Benitez was asked if he could understand fans wanting to see Rodriguez, who joined the club in September last year, in the flesh if possible, he said: “I understand that the fans want to see the best players possible on the pitch to win the game.

The arrival at Everton of Benitez – only the second man to manage both Merseyside clubs and the first in over a century – was met with some negativity among the Toffees fanbase.

Benitez is confident that Everton supporters attending Saturday’s game who still feel unsure about his appointment will get behind the team.

“I think they have seen during these weeks what we can try to do, and the point is that after 17 months I think they will be desperate to see the team on the pitch, to cheer the players, to support the team,” he said.

“I think they are quite clever and they know the main thing for us is to be sure we are strong at home. They can be a major part of our success, and I’m sure they will be supporting the team in the way they did all the time.”

Everton have so far brought in Demarai Gray, Andros Townsend and Asmir Begovic as new signings this summer.

Regarding potential further recruitment before the transfer window closes, Benitez said: “I’m sure that if you asked, the majority of the managers want to improve, want to strengthen their squad.

“It still is early, we have to wait a little bit until the end of the transfer window. But I’m happy with the way the players are training, the way we are working, and hopefully we can replicate that on the pitch.”

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EVERTON NEW SIGNING DEMARAI GRAY VOWS TO HELP THE TOFFEES GET BETTER

Demarai Gray has vowed to help Everton compete with the Premier League’s big boys after completing his move to Goodison Park.

The 25-year-old former Leicester winger has signed a three-year deal and has the option of a fourth with the Toffees as he leaves German side Bayer Leverkusen for an undisclosed fee after just six months in the Bundesliga.

He follows fellow wideman Andros Townsend and keeper Asmir Begovic to the blue half of Merseyside with new manager Rafael Benitez and director of football Marcel Brands wasting little time in re-shaping the squad for the season ahead.

Gray told the club’s official website: “I’m delighted to be back in the Premier League at such a big club and I’m excited to play with the team and get to work.

“Speaking to the manager and Marcel Brands, I had a really good feel for the club and I feel this is a place where I can continue to develop.

“The manager, with his ambition and what he has won in the past, is important and we’ll look to push forward and compete with the top clubs. I think a club of this magnitude has all the potential to be right up there.

“Collectively with what Marcel and the manager have said to me, everything fits, including the club’s ambitions and goals. Everton are a very big club and the main objective is to be pushing and competing back up there in the table.

“I want to work hard on the training pitch and work my hardest for the club on the pitch.”

Birmingham-born Gray, who will wear the number 11 shirt, began his career with his hometown club before making a £3.5million switch to the Foxes in January 2016, and was a Premier League winner at the age of 19.

He has been capped by England up to Under-21 level and is confident he can renew his acquaintance with striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin, whose 21 goals last season helped Everton finish 10th, to good effect.

He said: “I’ve played with a few of the boys for England Under-21s, so it’s always nice to see a few familiar faces.

“Dom’s kicked on massively with his goals and, for me, as a winger, that’s the type of player you want in the box. My job is to feed him for him to put the ball in the net.

“We’ve got top international players in the squad and I think we have a good balance. It’s an exciting time.”

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RAFAEL BENITEZ PROMISES TO FIGHT FOR EVERTON AS HE CLARIFIES ‘SMALL CLUB’ JIBE

New manager Rafael Benitez has pledged to show the same fighting spirit for Everton as he did for Liverpool when he made his “small club” comments.

The Spaniard’s appointment on a three-year contract, becoming only the second man to manage both Merseyside clubs and the first ex-Reds boss to do so, is a controversial one by owner Farhad Moshiri.

He antagonised fans with his “small club” jibe after a 2007 Merseyside derby and although in subsequent years he has sought to clarify he was referring to them having the mentality of a small team in their approach to the game, it has not been forgiven or forgotten in some quarters.

But Benitez, who won the Champions League and FA Cup with Liverpool in 2005 and 2006 before leaving in 2010, insists he was only doing what he believed was right for his club at the time.

“I have been in Madrid, Naples, Valencia, Tenerife, Extremadura and Liverpool,” he told evertontv.

“Every single club I was there, I was fighting for them. If you analyse things in the context, what you are expecting from your manager is to fight for your club, and I will do that.

“I am here, I will fight for my club, I will try to win every single game, and it doesn’t matter who the opponents are, or the rivals. It is something you have to do, it is your nature, that you have to try to do your best.

“And why a lot of fans in a lot of these cities love me is because I was giving everything for them.

“If you analyse this in the context, then it is very clear I will do the same for Everton.”

Such has been Moshiri’s desire to get the right man after the departure of Carlo Ancelotti four weeks ago he has ignored the loud opposition, which has seen offensive messages hung outside Goodison Park and a ‘We know where you live. Don’t sign’ banner hung over a garden wall near Benitez’s home in Caldy on the Wirral.

Benitez is the fifth manager the Everton owner has appointed in five years after sacking the current Belgium boss Roberto Martinez in May 2016. However, he is only the second to cross Merseyside, following in the footsteps of William Edward Barclay, who made the move in the opposite direction in the 1890s to become Liverpool’s first manager after the Toffees left Anfield for their purpose-built home at Goodison Park and a new club was formed in their place.

Moshiri is confident he represents their best choice for getting the club into Champions League contention after seven seasons finishing outside the top six, with Ancelotti managing only 12th and 10th in one-and-a-half disappointing campaigns.

“You can see the ambition is there. This club is growing. For me, it is about bringing the winning mentality, being competitive, so everything is in place on the pitch and off the pitch,” added Benitez.

“I love the passion of the people behind the club. I know the city, I know Scousers, I know what it means for every fan here to compete and to have the chance to win. To come to Everton is something that means a lot, for sure.

“I like to compete. I like to win and I have come to Everton because I liked the idea to be competitive again – and to have the chance to compete in every game, to compete against anyone.”

Benitez insists, despite his desire for full control and clashes with similar figures in the past, he is looking forward to working with director of football Marcel Brands as well as Ancelotti’s assistant manager Duncan Ferguson and goalkeeping coach Alan Kelly, who are to remain on the staff with further backroom appointments expected in the coming days.

“I worked in Spain for years with a director of football. Marcel is a professional. I am a professional,” he said.

“We will work together, we will keep talking, having meetings to talk about the club’s idea, what we have to do in the future, about players.

“The communication between us has to be fluent and we will be talking with each other all the time. I am really pleased with that (structure).

“I have already been in contact with him. I have the plan (for Everton’s summer transfer business).”

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RAFAEL BENITEZ AGREES THREE-YEAR DEAL TO JOIN EVERTON

Former Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez has agreed a three-year deal to join rivals Everton.

The Spaniard spent six years at Anfield between 2004 and 2010, winning the Champions League, the FA Cup and guiding the Reds to a second-place finish in the Premier League.

Everton have been searching for a replacement for Carlo Ancelotti since the Italian’s return to Real Madrid and after talks with Nuno Espirito Santo, the Toffees have turned to Benitez.

The Spaniard is keen to return to the Premier League after an 18-month stint in China but the club’s interest in him has been met by a widespread backlash from supporters.

Benitez once referred to Everton as a ‘small club’ after a Merseyside derby and supporters have not forgotten his comments.

Banners have been hung outside Goodison Park in protest of the club’s interest in Benitez but the Toffees’ owners appear untroubled and look set to announce Benitez’s arrival in the next 48 hours.

The former Newcastle United boss has maintained a house on Merseyside, such was his love of the area during his time in England.