c1982

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/everton-boss-ronald-koeman-made-10368969

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/everton-considering-25m-summer-move-10370744

Calvert Lewin is playing out of position in a team with at least half of the players having no future here. He's one for the future hence the 5 year contract - I'd sooner see him and Lookman on the pitch rather than Mirallas and Valencia. Lookman and Calvert Lewin should be back up to better players next season - then we'll see the best of them.

Get Kenny on for Mirallas to see if DCL can support Lukaku. This formation isn't working - 3 at the back with Baines and Kenny creating the width.

MikeO, can you analyse this please? http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/manchester-united-winning-europa-league-12989059

Correct.

Sport Pesa is the most likely.

Why? He was signed as a member of the academy and has become part of the 1st team squad. We've rewarded his progress and at the same time protected our asset - it's been reported that Arsenal have been monitoring his progress. He's a young striker who has been playing as a winger. He looks like a top prospect to me.

Have you watched us the last 2 seasons? We've made big progress this season.

And that's why we struggle in some games as he is our sole focus. If teams can stop Lukaku they can stop Everton. Better attacking support will improve him but more importantly us.

I think more aspirational targets can be set after an ambitious/positive summer recruitment drive. Get this right and we'll be well in the mix.

Yet he still scores the majority of the goals for Belgium. Seriously, are you telling me that he wouldn't score more goals in this Everton team with Hazard and De Brunye supplying him?

Fair enough but international football is different in the way that these players aren't playing together week in and week out. His goal scoring record is still decent enough despite this.

It's impossible to prove either way (unless it happens of course) but I'd love to see Lukaku in our team with more creative attacking midfielders/wingers. Hazard/Pedro/Willian Sanchez/Ozil Erickson/Son/Lamela Mata/Mhkatarian Coutinho/Lallana/Firminho/Mane Sane/De Brunye/Sterling Moan all we want about Lukaku, Koeman, keepers, etc but here's where the money is spent at the clubs ahead of us. We need to strengthen other areas this summer but if we can get players on par with the names above then that's what will propel us to the next level.

There wasn't a lot in it yesterday up to their 1st goal. Fact is that they have that extra quality - extra depth. Koeman has already started the overhaul of the squad but there are still a high number of players who simply aren't good enough if we're going to break that top 6/ challenge for silverware and Champions League football. We have the basis of a good squad with the core players plus highly productive youth set-up but senior options like Kone, Lennon and Mirallas to some extent aren't going to cut it when you look at the quality we're competing with - look at the options on benches yesterday for example - ManU - Mkhitarian and Mata Chelsea - Fabregas and Willian Arsenal - Welbeck and Walcott Spurs - Dembele and Sissoko ManC - Sterling, Nolito and Sane All are game changing options and most would massively improve us. A few too many people have unrealistic expectations of where we are/should be. I can see we've made a massive shift in the right direction this season and Koeman's delivered on what he said he was going to. The next hurdle is massive though - shift up to 10 more substandard/aging players and replace them with better quality while holding on to prized assets. I believe we've got the corrrect infrastructure to negotiate what SHOULD be an extremely busy summer.

http://www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/football/610312/Everton-transfer-news-Henry-Onyekuru

He looks a prospect, as does Lookman, but neither look ready to command a regular starting spot yet. The fact is that they're not good enough yet but Mirallas, Valencia and Geri aren't good enough either. Chelsea had Willian on the bench today - we've got no chance of getting him but that's the quality of player we're lacking... the type that's going to bring out the best in Barkley and Lukaku too. As for Stek and Joel - once again, neither are good enough. A 1st choice keeper must be a priority this summer.

...at the boxing last night I pressume.

Galloway with a future team mate...

Davies just ahead of Gana.

Agreed - when he left it was due to ambition, didn't blame him in the slightest. I loved the fact that we out performed Man U when he left us in that 1st season but since then I've not really been bothered about him but at the same time never wished ill-fate on him.

Great fight... I won't pretend to be a big boxing fan or know the 1st thing about the sport but that was brilliant. Delighted Joshua won and the fact it was after 3/4 rounds where he looked beaten - it puts an end to he hasn't got the chin/ never been tested. I can't stand most boxers - it's WWF (old currency) pre and post fights usually but massive respect to fighters like Klitschko and Joshua - no provado and proper warriors.

No, we could still get a Champions League spot!

Just checked numbers on posts in this thread and Haf's posted 1878 comments about Lukaku - what a perfect number to end on in this thread... don't spoil it Haf!

This is spot on regarding the assessment of Lukaku but the whole point why I think many feel they need to defend him so adamantly is that Haf (mainly but others too) picks up on every negative game by game. You don't go into the Mori thread and see hundreds of posts about his poor positional play and distribution, the Gana thread about his misplaced passes on the edge of our area, the Barkley thread how he often takes all of the momentum out of attacks by slowing it down and holding onto the ball for too long. You will see these posts in each thread, and correctly so, but no one else has the obsession that Haf has with Lukaku - that's why this thread is the longest on the whole of the forum and that's why so many lose it on here. Not one Everton fan would deny any of the attributes you've mentioned above bar the laziness (lacks desire at times would probably be a better way to put it) but at the same time not many people who know anything about football could deny that Romelu Lukaku is a massively important part of Everton FC.