Through the Window

The Everton squad is in a state of uncertainty ahead of the closure of the transfer window on Wednesday night. Who could be leaving in the transfer window? We take a look at the future of three players who could be playing their football elsewhere on Thursday.

Davey Klaassen

Like Stefan Rehn before him, Davey Klaassen has found himself in an unfortunate place in Everton history. Rehn, a highly rated Swedish international, was Everton’s first overseas transfer in 1989. Colin Harvey brought him in to provide class to a midfield that he was reshaping. Trevor Steven, Peter Reid and Paul Bracewell moved on that summer with only Kevin Sheedy remaining from the title winning midfield of the mid-80s. Rehn was seen to be the player who could fill the central midfield role for the next push for the title. Unfortunately, Rehn only made 4 appearances for Everton, starting twice. He did not have the pace and strength to settle into English football.

A Klaass Apart?

Whilst this has not happened to Davey Klaassen, the parallels are similar. The Dutchman arrived at Everton with a big reputation and a bigger price tag. Alas, Klaassen has suffered from the same syndrome as Stefan Rehn. He has found the pace and physicality of the Premier League difficult to adapt to. Klaassen looked off the pace and was frequently bullied off the ball in his appearances. He has also been a victim of the squad wide loss of confidence/motivation which doomed a promising season.  The new Arsenal signing, Henrikh Mkhitaryan proved at United, it can take a season for a player to adjust to the Premier League.

Sam Allardyce has stated that he prefers a loan for Klaassen which suggests a rethink on the Dutchman in summer. He told the Liverpool Echo, “I think it would benefit him and the club if he moved on, just on loan. Maybe next season he might be good enough. Every football club in the Premier League has had lots and lots of players who in the first year don’t get to the level they thought.”

This suggests that Klaassen will either go on loan or stay and make the odd appearance later in the season if safety is assured. The added bonus of the loan is the former Ajax captain impresses, we may be able to recover the money we spent. All of the clubs who are rumoured to want Klaassen are based abroad. It is unlikely that he will adjust to Premier League football by not playing in it.

Sandro Ramirez – UPDATE: Moved to Sevilla on loan with option to buy,

Another player who has flattered to deceive is Sandro Ramirez. Like Klaassen, the former Barcelona prodigy has suffered due to there being a number of players who operate in his area of the field. He doesn’t possess blistering pace but looks like a player who could play off a centre forward. Unfortunately Everton didn’t have one until the recent signing of Tosun. Ramirez spent his limited time on the pitch dropping into the channels, which were already populated by Rooney, Sigurdsson and occasionally Klaassen.

The Spaniard has struggled to adapt to the physicality of the Premier league. In his first few games for Everton he was given the traditional welcome tackle around the ankles. This visibly affected Ramirez and he faded out of the games. He has managed to show a glimpse of his talent with his well taken goal against Atalanta. There is a player there but he seems to want to leave. Sandro is behind Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Oumar Niasse in the pecking order. He has not even been on the bench in a number of games.

Newcastle and Swansea are interested in taking Ramirez on loan until the end of the season. This could be a great transfer for Everton as he will gain some Premier League experience in meaningful games. He has also been linked with a move to Sevilla and a return to Malaga. It will be a shame if Ramirez doesn’t work out at Everton but it could be a case of right player wrong time. Everton prefer a loan. If Ramirez can adjust, he can be a useful player for Everton in future.

Sevilla Loan and Possible Transfer

After the article was published, Sandro Ramirez joined Sevilla until the end of the season. The Guardian has reported that Sevilla can buy Ramirez for £7.9million at the end of the loan. They have also paid £2 million for the loan fee.  Everton would recover what they have spent on Ramirez in wages and fees if he is sold at the end of the loan.

Mo Besic

We’ve covered Mo Besic in these pages before. He is a typical Everton hard luck story. Blessed with a ferocious tackle, at his best Besic is a tenacious presence in midfield. Always positive, the Croatian won over the hearts and minds of Evertonians with some dogged displays. Unfortunately, Besic was a victim of Everton’s injury curse of the last few seasons. He tore his ACL in Wayne Rooney’s testimonial and missed the entire 2016-2017 season. Idrissa Gueye’s signing and Tom Davies emergence have pushed the former Hamburg player to the periphery.

Now 25, Besic has missed a lot of football at a time which was important for his development. The biggest knock on Besic was always his lack of tactical awareness. He would often chase the ball forward and find himself out of position. A transfer from Everton seems likely, with a loan preferred to a permanent move. Besic will benefit from the regular football that a loan move to Middlesborough will provide.

Do you think the departure of these 3 players is the right thing for Everton? Is there anyone else who you would like to go? Let us know in the comments below.