EVERTON WILL HAVE no choice but to sell Ross Barkley unless he signs a new contact, manager Ronald Koeman has warned.
Much has been made of the future of star striker Romelu Lukaku, who reportedly turned down a lucrative offer to extend his contract beyond 2019 and scored twice in Sunday’s 4-2 home Premier League win over Leicester City.
But Barkley’s deal expires one year sooner in 2018 and Koeman concedes there will be little Everton can do but cash in on the 23-year-old if he does not commit his future to the club soon.
“We offer him a new contract and then [there are] two possibilities,” Koeman said at his post-match media conference.
“One, he signs that contract. If he doesn’t sign that contract, then we need to sell the player. It is simple, it is not so difficult in my opinion.”
Lukaku’s double helped Everton to a seventh consecutive top-flight victory at Goodison Park, with Barkley setting up the first of his two goals with a perfect cross.
Koeman continued: “We try to keep the best players. We have spoken a lot about Ross and Rom because they are really important. Most of the time their quality can be the difference between Everton and the opponent, like it was [against Leicester].
“You need those kind of players on the top level because they make the difference. We know Rom is a great finisher but Ross played really well between the lines, with a great view of the game and a nice assist. I think he should have scored one too but he played very well.
“They [Barkley and Lukaku] were outstanding and that is what you want to see – your best players performing that way. But the whole team performance was outstanding as well.”
Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham have been among the teams linked with a move for Barkley.
3 years ago when James Ryan was playing in the u20′s world cup I stated he’d be our starting lock for this world cup and our captain for the next. Might of got the captain bit wrong, he could be very well the captain for this world cup.
@Darren Byrne: definitely wont be captain
@Darren Byrne: should be captain. Best & POM shouldn’t be starting and Sexton can lose the head. Warburton captained wales at a WC at 22
@Darren Byrne: James Ryan doesn’t even call lineouts, even Roux was calling lineouts ahead of him during the Six Nations. He does nothing in a leadership capacity for the group.
@Rochelle: apart from lead by example to the much older and experienced players
@Rochelle: Calling line outs takes a while. It’s an art. Regardless, he leads by example and his numbers show that. You want a captain that can inspire lads around you and be calm under chaos.
@Eoin Murphy: A good player does their own job, a leader instructs and makes decisions for the team. Maybe James Ryan should “lead by example” and take on the responsibility of lineout calling since it’s clearly such a problem at the moment?
@Rochelle: First thing is you want a captain to be a player that is a guaranteed starter. Ryan is. If Best plays, I’m happy with him being captain, and personally I really feel Ruddock is an underated player and captain. And while I don’t think Ryan will captain the team, he has captained the u20s before…he doesn’t also need to call lineouts to get the nod!
@Rochelle: Ryan’s 100% a leader because he leads from the front. At his age to do that and never have a bad game is extraordinary. James Ryan makes ‘decisions’ that continuously puts players around him in better positions, in almost every game…for the full 80 minutes. You obviously don’t know what it takes to be a leader if you can’t acknowledge that.
The problem with the lineout is also down to how opponents perceive it as a strength or a weakness and it can become a self fulfilling prophecy! If it’s perceived as an indomitable strength with a strong maul used of it then teams may prefer to a) Keep the ball on the pitch and b) not contest the lineout in order to focus on the defence off the lineout. The problem for Ireland now is that teams can see that we fall apart when lineout is disrupted and that our once strong lineout can be ‘got at’ – that means teams will Target it more which by default means it will come under increasing pressure. That could ultimately work to our advantage if we can start to dominate our own ball again and start challenging opposition lineouts more
@BMJF: your are correct. simply we didn’t put England under pressure on their ball and gave them a free throw and catch every time. They done the opposite.
An awful lot of fantasy stuff going on regarding the captaincy. Best won’t lose his role unless he gets injured. If that were to happen then the captaincy won’t go outside the current leadership group of o mahony, sexton or stander with O mahony probably the next in line. Any other move by schmidt would be relative suicide in maintaining what’s already apparently a very fragile squad harmony.
@Jim Demps:
Sexton:: Jim IMO :::to Joe he is the Captain (and POM is playing badly where Sexton has not played)
@Jim Demps: Sexton’s last game of rugby he captained his side to winning the pro 14 final against Glasgow in Glasgow. The side he led beat what will be the majority of the Scotland side we face in our first game.
If best is stood down than sexton should step up. POM is fighting for form and is under pressure for that 6 shirt from Bierne, stander and Ruddock
@Chris Mc: you do realise that o mahony did the same v effectively half the Scottish team as well v Edinburgh. Sexton hasn’t shown any decent form either this year.
@Jim Demps: Edinburgh is a fair auld drop off from Glasgow. And unless it was on your Xbox I don’t seem to recall Pom captaining any team to win the pro 14
A lot more then POM did ::and you know it !! Love the way you say these sweeping statements “any decent form either this year.” He was on for 20 min V Scotland before he went off and he set up 2 tries :: And boy do we need him more than any other player to play well::: And it is not great to knock him when he is the most important player we have :: and Joe knows that (with joey out )
@Jim Demps: stander is hardly going to be captain, he’s lucky if he’ll get his place in the starting 15
Give Taghag Beirne a start aswell.
@Top Class:
OK but only in the back row