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Season Preview – Goalkeepers

The beginning of the season is not that far away, and in the goalkeeper position I doubt we are going to see any major changes this year. We have sent promising young keeper Joao Virginia out on loan to get some experience and brought in Jonas Lossl as back up cover, who can hopefully push Pickford more than Stekelenburg has previously.

Jordan Pickford

Pickford dishing out orders

Lets start off with Everton and England number one Pickford. Last year Pickford managed 14 clean sheets for Everton. Despite signs early on in the season that the back four was struggling, especially with Zonal Marking, the blues managed to come out with the 4th most clean sheets in the league.

Pickford is coming into his third season at Everton and after some disastrous mishaps last season, he’s shown true character and determination to push on. Many keepers would crumble after some of the mistakes he made last season, but on the whole he’s been very good for us. He also managed to save 3 penalties.

There’s no question that when we line up for the first game of the season Pickford will be the number one goalkeeper. In terms of his progress the only thing extra I think he needs to do, is keep his head. He’s clearly a down to earth bloke who loves playing football and getting involved with the ‘banter’ side of things. But as we seen against Newcastle away this season, he lost his head and was a shambles in between the sticks.

I love it when players go out there and show their character and identity. Clearly as a local lad and previous Sunderland player, he got a lot of stick from the Magpies. Maybe in future he can let his talent do the talking and wind up the home fans after the final whistle, when the points are wrapped up!

Jonas Lossl

Jonas Lossl joins Everton after being released by Huddersfield

Everton brought in Jonas on a free transfer from Huddersfield. Jonas made 31 appearances for the relegated side keeping 4 clean sheets. It’s very likely that we won’t see Jonas making any premier league appearances this season baring an injury to Pickford.

Depending on his performances in training the chances are he will be used in the cup competitions. It’s not yet clear if he is going to be favoured over Stekelenburg. But you would think given his age and appearances over the last two seasons he would be Marco’s second choice.

When the transfer was announced there was a good amount of Huddersfield fans who were quite disappointed. Despite the fact he was part of the team who went down, they felt that he was one of the very few players who consistently performed week in week out. Also lets not forget our current number one joined after going down with Sunderland.

Finally from a financial point of view getting a proven premier league keeper on a free, at a good age, who is going to be a backup is pretty much a no brainer. He can do a job for a few seasons while Pickford takes the number one spot, and Joao hopefully lives up to his potential.

Maarten Stekelenburg

Stekelenburg is entering the final year of his contract

Finally we have Goalkeeper number three, Maarten Stekelenburg. I doubt very much that we will see Maarten make any Everton appearances this season. As stated above it is much more likely that Lossl will be the first choice keeper for cup games (Unless Marco Sticks With Pickford). Especially considering the fact Lossl is a Silva signing, whereas Ronald Koeman brought Maarten to Everton. Maarten is entering the last year of his contract at Goodison park so it is very likely this season will be his final swansong. He’s always very polite and welcoming at Goodison during the pre-match warm up and it’s clear he gets on well within the squad dynamic. It’s possible that Maarten will pursue a goalkeeper coaching role when his contact is up.

Idrissa Gueye leaves EFC with fans best wishes.

Today Gana Gueye has completed his move to PSG for a rumoured £30 Million.

Since joining Everton Gana has been arguably one of, it not the best performer in the current squad. Over the last three seasons he has shown year after year, what a top player he is. All of us Everton fans who watch him week in – week out, know just how vital he can be towards our game plan and high press.

Gana is the only player in the premier league who has managed over 100 tackles in his last four seasons. More than Kante, who is rightly seen as a world class player.

Over the next few seasons, assuming everything goes well, fans and pundits will be talking about how much of a steal Gana was for PSG, and he may finally be regarded as one of the best defensive mids in the game.

As expected most of the reaction towards Gueye is positive. As a club and fanbase we are sad to see a player of his quality go. From the very first minute he joined Gana was a positive influence in the dressing room who gave everything he had on the pitch.

When PSG came in January for him a few people who sit near me in the Gwladys thought it was better we let him go, as his head was “Turned”. I didn’t agree with the notion because everything I had seen from Gana up to that point suggested otherwise. After Everton told PSG there would be no deal at that time, Gana came out and Goodison the next game and did what he does best. Not for one minute did his commitment and passion on the pitch dwindle. For that he should be praised. Many players give up and down tools when in that situation.

Joining PSG is a dream move for Gana and something I think we all understand. He’s entering the last two years of his contract and will soon turn 30. He is probably entering the last 3/4 seasons in top flight football, so wanting to play for a team competing at the top makes sense.

It also makes financial sense for Everton. The player is still young enough to have a respectable sell on value considering the amount we paid for him. We make a good profit and Gueye gets his dream move. Hopefully we can now reinvest that 30 million and bring in a player who can do Gana’s job along with being more dynamic going forward.

So Gana Gueye goes with my, and many other fans blessings. He was dignified and respectful in the way in which the transfer was carried out, unlike a certain Chelsea player.

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