Everton could look like this (hopefully with more shirts) come January.
Well, we were half right.
Loyal readers will probably remember this piece from back in the beginning of November; it was based pretty much entirely on a spurious rumor phoned in to “World Football Phone-In”, which I heard podcasted a day later. In it, we discuss a rather sobering possibility: could Landycakes be eating tea and crumpets in Liverpool come January?
When I wrote that, it was mostly a question; I couldn’t find anything else about the story, and I’d assumed it was dead. I was unaware that it was quite possible that I had gotten the right city, but the wrong team; today, however, David Moyes set me and my red-half bias straight. It’s possible that Everton, not Liverpool, are interested in Landon Donovan.
There’s really not a ton of information on any potential deal right now; the only thing that’s being reported is that David Moyes is interested in Donovan, and that negotiations may be underway as we speak. Both The Guardian and ESPN (amongst others) are reporting on it, but it’s definitely a tentative possibility and not anything definitive at the moment.
The deal makes sense for both sides. Moyes has seen chronic injury problems hurt Everton’s Premier League start, and Donovan – who can play out wide, play behind the striker, or even up front – would add nice cover to the team. For Donovan, the move would allow him to erase some of the bad taste two failed trips to Germany may have left in his mouth, as well as keeping him fit for the U.S. Men’s National Team’s summer trip to South Afriva.
Ironically, this move (like his own move to Bayern Munich last season) would pretty much exactly mirror David Beckham’s loan move to AC Milan. Remember that move? The one that got Donovan so bent out of shape last year? The only real difference between Beckham’s move and Donovan’s is that…well…Beckham actually played when he went on loan.
That’s the only red flag here, actually; when looking for potential saviors for your struggling Premier League team, is it best to rely on a guy who’s never had any success outside of Southern California?
That picture has more speculation potential in it that you address in this story.
Is that not Jay Demerit in the background? Are Everton not even more desperate to add a quality defender? Is Watford not in financial crisis and known to be a seller? Did Demerit just play again for the first time this week after recovering from his eye injury?
Not enough bare chest from DeMerit, really.
I think the other question we should be asking is, does USMNT really want Donovan playing/sitting between now and late March or would it be better for him to have the rest of a full off-season? I for one, think it’d be just fine if Donovan enjoyed his off-season Stateside, used the early MLS season to get himself on form, and kept far away from the eyes of a certain Mr. Capello and various other England players. While I can appreciate the argument that he would benefit from playing against those guys, I question how much pitch time he’d get and whether that would interrupt his form for WC or expose him to further injury risk when he does get on the pitch. Donovan, like him or not and I don’t, is absolutely crucial to USMNT and we have no shot at anything in SA if he’s hurt or off-form. I hope USSF puts the cabash on this in a hurry.
I’d almost tend to agree. If he can get this full 3-4 months of time to keep in shape and get some rest and then comes back for the MLS season I’d imagine he’d be in better shape than a lot of the guys playing in Europe.
Some playing time at Everton would be real nice, but I question how much time he’d actually get and you’re right, an injury and the US might as well not even show up at the World Cup.
In theory I agree with you outside of two points:
1) There’s more a risk of Australia scouting Donovan (with Cahill and Neill) than there is of England (with no English internationals and nobody really pushing on the fringes for inclusion). Capello might see him a little when watching someone else, but it’s not like Donovan’s an unknown; Capello can see him on film. I think the risk of him being scouted outweighs the reward of him having more training and playing against more advanced opposition.
2) This is all assuming that he even plays. Assuming the team’s at full strength, there’s not much of a spot for him. He plays a lot like Cahill and Pienaar, and when healthy they’re both going to start. He’s probably not quite as talented as Bilyaletdinov. Does he start over Jo, Saha, or Anichebe? Probably not. So ultimately, this becomes a training camp for three months (like at Bayern), and I’m okay with that.
I like Landon’s chances.
Jo and Anichebe aren’t scoring goals. Saha struggles to stay healthy and isn’t used as a 90 minute player even when healthy. Pienaar is a solid player, but I don’t honestly think he’s close to Donovan’s level. Cahill and Bilyaletdinov are excellent players. But that feels to me like a group that Donovan can insert himself into and make an impact.
One more thought on this…can Everton afford to pay Donovan (or pay Galaxy to have him)? Seriously…could they even afford to pay someone like me for some routine accounting help? Doubt it.
I’m guessing Everton can swing it, because Donovan really doesn’t make that much money.
His annual salary is $900,000 a year; in GBP, that’s £554,382.19. Broken down into weeks, that’s about £10,600 a week…or about a third of what they’d pay Tim Cahill for that same period of time. The risk/reward on Donovan is huge, because if he DOES pan out he’s amazingly affordable…and if not, you’re only out about £130,000 for his three month stay. That’s if they’re picking up all the wages, too, which isn’t always the case.
Plus, outside of any minimal loan fee, this is a free move for Everton; it’s really good business for them, because Donovan can probably paper over a bunch of their cracks.
The problem with the Premier League is the same problem as the Bundislige (sp?) very fast & very physical. Although Landon can handle the speed, the way they close down passes with bone crunching tackles will make the transition hard. He’d benefit more with a quick one touch passing regime that is the norm at Arsenal and Man U. Everton is a gritty team, even the undersized Cahill is a total beast. Landon will have to step up and play physical and play defense, much as he did against Spain in the Confederations Cup.
In Germany, Landon’s runs were ill timed, his passing was poor, his defense was non-existent and his style didn’t gel well with the all-out hustle of German play. I could see that repeated again. Everton is not a talented team, they hustle, they fight, they grind out games, their passing is direct, nothing pretty, the team is all fight, no style…and I’m sure a low tolerance for people unwilling to get dirty.
I would love to see Landon succeed overseas, he is far and away America’s best footballer, ever, period, end of discussion. He needs to make a statement, and Everton may not be the best venue. We’ll see? What team wouldn’t want his speed and vision? He just needs to get dirty and grind out a career like McBride and Dempsy have.