Comments on: Landon Donovan to…Everton?

By: After Seven

After Seven — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 00:28:20 +0000

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.

By: Magnakai Haaskivi

Magnakai Haaskivi — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 18:28:24 +0000

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.

By: KC GunnerWizard

KC GunnerWizard — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 16:17:39 +0000

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.

By: dabes2

dabes2 — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 01:43:43 +0000

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.

By: Magnakai Haaskivi

Magnakai Haaskivi — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 18:01:05 +0000

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.

By: Adam

Adam — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 17:26:46 +0000

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.

By: KC GunnerWizard

KC GunnerWizard — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 17:14:27 +0000

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.

By: Magnakai Haaskivi

Magnakai Haaskivi — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 16:34:45 +0000

Not enough bare chest from DeMerit, really.

By: dabes2

dabes2 — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 15:39:14 +0000

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?