Jo joins Galatasary

Jô has joined Galatasary on loan until the end of this season from Manchester City.

The Brazilian forward had been on a season's loan at Everton but David Moyes agreed to release him after being disappointed by both his form and his discipline. Jô was recently suspended after making an unauthorised trip to Brazil.

The Turkish club's sporting director, Haldun Ustunel, came to England to conclude a deal for a player who has failed to make a consistent impact since join City from CSKA Moscow for £19m in 2008.

>>guardian.co.uk

And with that surely goes any hope Jo may have had of a career in the Premier League.

Farmed out on loan to Everton by Mark Hughes last year - either banished out of sight or to help him try and adapt the rigours of the Premier League by getting regularly depending on your perspective - he performed adequately over the second half of last season, but hasn't been able to match that form during 2009/10.

Add to that his recent indiscretion when he went AWOL over the Christmas period, and David Moyes (perhaps like Mark Hughes before him) got rid at the first opportunity.

I don't see a way back for him with us, and I'd imagine potential Premier League suitors will hardly be enamoured with him now either (particularly given his wage levels) so the hope is that a European side like Galatasary - who have the capacity to offer a big wage deal - will take him off our hands this summer.

It will likely take writing off virtually the whole of the £19 million fee though, and surely making him the biggest transfer mistake we have ever made.

Everton ratings

Given - Questions could be asked about the free-kick but made a couple of decent saves. 6

Zabaleta - Another needless foul led to a goal, and exposed on occasion. 5

Garrido - Defensively adequate but offered little in support of the attack. 6

Kompany - Held firm against a lively Everton attack. 6

Richards - Poor decision to needlessly give away the penalty. 5

de Jong - Ineffecitve and dominated by Fellaini throughout. 4

Barry - Anonymous when he needed to step up. 4

Petrov - Was ineffective on the right and little end product. 4

Bellamy - Always willing but created little. 5

Tevez - Appeared troubled by an early injury and unable to link up. 5

Santa Cruz - Off injured as soon as the game began. n/a

Subs:

Robinho - Will get most of the flak, but wasn't alone in his inept showing. 4

Wright-Phillips - Provided pace and could be an option for Tuesday. 6

Benjani - Struggled to make an impact. 5

Everton thoughts

The honeymoon period for Roberto Mancini was going to end sometime, but perhaps no-one imagined that when it did, the bubble was going to burst in such fashion.

With Liverpool and Tottenham dropping points earlier in the day, we were provided an opportunity to put daylight between ourselves and the teams immediately below us.

Instead we turned in a performance every bit as poor as some of the recent dark away days.

From the moment Roque Santa Cruz's wretched run of injuries continued with him being replaced barely five minutes into the game, things went badly wrong.

In possession we were harried by Everton at every opportunity, meaning we couldn't retain the ball for long enough spells to generate a meaningful attack. The midfield duo of Barry and de Jong in particular were overran by an Everton midfield superbly led the excellent Felliani.

The irony is that for as poor as our all-round performance was in the face of an impressive Everton side, it was two individual mistakes that cost us the goals. Firstly Pablo Zabaleta, for whom the word wreckless must have no meaning conceded another needless free-kick in a dangerous position. You could sense the collective groan from City fans far and wide when Steven Pienaar stepped up, and to his credit, perfectly placed it over the wall and beyond Shay Given. Questions perhaps though could be asked as to why de Jong and Bellamy were figures in the wall that was lined up.

Despite being comfortably second best for the majority of the first half, as time ticked down a 1-0 scoreline was not irretrievable but on the stroke of the whistle, it was Micah Richards turn for an abberation as he attempted to relieve Louis Saha of his shirt. It was neither subtle or momentary, and despite the vociferous and well attended protest, there was no argument about the decision.

At 2-0, there was little hope of a mounting a comeback and giving the ball away straight from the second half kick off signalled what was to come. It was only a surprise that Everton didn't further add to the scoreline. The introduction of Benjani for Petrov altered little, and the half was perhaps only noteworthy for the substitution of Robinho - himself of course an early substitute. There is probably no more damning indictement than a substitute himself being taken off, and for as inept as Robinho was, there could have been no complaints from any player had they seen their number on the board.

Robinho it was though, and it was a move seized upon by commentators, media and fans alike. The Brazilian has been synonomous with some of our dark days on the road, and for many I'm sure, a new low was reached. Whilst Robinho needs games, it is difficult to see a road back for him at the moment.

Mancini though was supportive of him in his post-match comments and was keener to pay tribute to Everton than to lambast the performance of his own side.

I'm sure though that when he looks again and reflects on the performance he will have learnt some important lessons about his side.

Everton preview

A trip to Goodison Park is a game that has been labelled by some as Roberto Mancini's first 'real test', following a run of games thought of as easing the Italian into the role.

Fixtures against Everton are not ones we have yielded a great amount of success from in recent times, and tomorrow's game is played with Tuesday's sem-final looming large. Everton's formula is no huge secret, and despite the pace and creativity we possess it will be difficult to break a side as obdurate as Everton are. One plus point since Mancini has taken over is we look far more secure defending set pieces, and for once the hope is that we don't allow Tim Cahill the freedom of Merseyside on corners and free-kicks as we have frustratingly done so often on previous meetings.

The injury crisis that greeted Mancini's arrival appears to be subsiding a little, with Shaun Wright-Phillips, Nedum Onouha and Roque Santa Cruz back in contention for selection, although Stephen Ireland and Joleon Lescott are still to return. With the importance of both this game in terms of league position and Tuesday's semi-final in the hunt for a trophy, I don't see Mancini risking anyone who is less than 100% - with the FA Cup tie at Scunthorpe a likely fixture for those coming back.

Whilst this game is ideally suited for Craig Bellamy, you have to wonder if he starts given his inability to play twice in quick succession and I'm sure Mancini's preference would be to field him on Tuesday. If Bellamy does drop to the bench, it has been speculated that Robinho could start but (fitness permitting) I think Wright-Phillips comes in.

Everton too have a number of players returning to fitness following a horrendous spell of injuries largely repsonsible for their struggles this season. They have in the main continued to grind out results though, and are unbeaten in their last five games (although four have been drawn) and were perhaps unlucky to come away from The Emirates last week with only a point.

Historically, a draw at Everton would be seen as satisfactory and given that Tuesday is on the horizon, most I'm sure would be happy with that return but some momentum has been built under Mancini. The side looks purposeful and confident and we look to be capable of scoring goals, and I think we have too much for Everton and come away with a 2-1 win.

Game notes:

• The last three league meetings between Everton and Manchester City have ended in wins for the away side.
• Man City's 2-1 win over Everton last season was their first at Goodison Park since October 1992, a run of 10 matches.
• Everton have scored 32% of their goals in the last 15 minutes of matches this season, a league high.
• The Toffees' victory over Burnley in their last home game ended a run of six games at Goodison Park without a win or a clean sheet for David Moyes's side.
• Man City have just two points more after 20 games this season than they did in 2007/08 when they finished in ninth position.City have lost just two away matches this season, the fewest in the league along with Tottenham Hotspur.

Everton suspend Jo

EVERTON manager David Moyes has suspended on-loan striker Jo for a breach of club discipline.

Moyes is furious that the player, who has been suffering from a knee injury, has returned home to Brazil without permission.

>>MEN.

Not something that directly influences us at the moment, and I'm not aware that there is a facility for the loan to be terminated at this stage (even if Everton were looking to do that).

It could impact though on a decision to take Jo on a longer term basis once his current loan deal expires, with David Moyes saying:

"At the moment, it might change in the future, but at the moment it is. Jo went back to Brazil without permission from the football club. He is now back but is suspended at the present time.

“I am disappointed. We like Jo, he has been a really good lad and we have enjoyed having him.

“But there has to be discipline at all football clubs. He left over a busy period when we were short of players. I found it very difficult so he is suspended from the club.”

I believe that Jo will be halfway through the deal he signed with us at the start of the 2008/09 season, and whilst he impressed at Everton during the second half of last season, he has struggled to recapture that form this time around. It would be surprising should Everton decide to take him on a full time basis unless we wrote off the majority of the initial fee we paid for him.

We could face the stark choice then of either taking him back with it inconceivable that he would get anywhere near the starting line-up, or writing off virtually the whole of the £18 million or so we shelled out for him - which would make the signing of Matias Vuoso appear a frugal piece of business by comparison.

Lescott's press conference

There was some interesting comments that came out of the Joleon Lescott press conference yesterday, as he was finally unveiled as a City player.

Firstly, on wanting to move, and the reaction from David Moyes:

"I was upset when I heard what he (Moyes) had said and I don't think the comments were accurate, particularly the way that I was meant to have conducted myself," Lescott said. "Everton didn't want to sell me so I didn't expect them to say: 'Oh, go on, Joleon, you can go.' But I haven't done anything different to what anyone in any other profession strives for. People want new challenges and to better themselves and I'm no different.

"It was disappointing to hear that," he continued. "I don't think that was fair or accurate, but they were all OK with me anyway. Louis Saha came straight out and said I had conducted myself properly, which was nice to hear. Even so, I would like to apologise to anyone who feels let down by me."

"I understand where he was coming from. I just had to make it clear that I wanted to leave. We've all got to move on now. He and I spoke on Saturday when the deal was coming to a close. I said goodbye to everyone at the training ground and we now move on in our separate ways."

And on why he wanted to join City, and what he hopes to achieve:

"I wanted to make the change and I am glad that it is all over now. I'm not saying it was an easy decision, but it didn't take me long to decide to come to City. The ambition here is really big and I want to be a part of it.

"Everybody outside the top four wants to get there and I just feel that City are the best-equipped to do that at the moment."

"It was time for me to make the change, and my target now is to just play as many games as I can this season - you don't join a big club like this and expect to go straight in.

"We want to finish as high as we can in the League of course, and fourth place is achievable when you look around the dressing-room. We've signed players from some of the biggest clubs in the world, and that shows the ambition here.

"I think we're better equipped than Everton to finish fourth. I reached the FA Cup Final last season, which is an achievement. The next step is to win a trophy. I sense that feeling here."

Whilst Lescott (and Gareth Barry before him) took some heat for moving, leaving clubs who had finished above us during 2008/09, the unequivocal fact is that outside of the top four, for players looking to break into the Champions League set up, we do offer the best opportunity to do that. There was probably the feeling that whilst Everton and Aston Villa have been consistently around the top six the past two or three seasons, they may well have peaked in terms of their achievement and to take the next step (Champions League and trophies) may well be a step too far.

Importantly, for the long term, players I'm sure know what the possibilities on offer at the club are. There is no guarantee of achieving any of this of course, but with Lescott (and Barry) of similar age, they are arguably coming into their peak years as players and this move offers the opportunity to be part of something that is being built, and something that has huge ambitions.

Doubling your wages helps too, I'm sure.

Undoubtedly Mark Hughes was always going to be fulsome in his praise of his Lescott, but was particularly effusive regarding his talents, and how good he can become:

"I fully expect him to become the best central defender in the country. He is at the stage of his career where there is further development in him.

"He is at a club on which there is a huge focus. He will have to deal with that. That makes players grow. We have invested a lot of money in him and with that comes a responsibility.

“Joleon can be as good as John Terry and Rio Ferdinand. That is the challenge for Joleon. It will not faze him. He is a driven young man and wants to be the best he can be."

Big praise indeed. I do think he will have to go some to leapfrog either Terry or Ferdinand to become first choice for England, and whilst involved in the national set-up, he isn't fully established and I would argue he is more at an England 'B' level at the moment.

I've talked before about the type of player that Hughes has looked to add to the squad, and most, you could argue, are players who have something to prove, and an ambition to better themselves.

Lescott does have time on his side, and one thing he will have provided is the opportunity to unseat Terry or Ferdinand.

Should he achieve that on merit, then you have to say that the fee, whilst exorbitant, may ultimately look like money well spent.

Lescott signs

Manchester City took their summer spending to a staggering £120m tonight when they resolved a late hitch over Joleon Lescott's protracted move from Everton to add the England international to their ranks for an initial £22m.

The 27-year-old has signed a five-year contract worth £90,000-a-week with City, having passed a medical on Monday afternoon only for the deal to be put on hold for 24 hours due to a dispute over payments owed to the defender's representatives. A further round of talks broke the impasse this evening and Lescott could make his debut for Mark Hughes' team against Portsmouth at Fratton Park on Sunday.

Lescott's fee will eventually rise to £24m providing additional targets are met during his stay in Manchester.

>>guardian.co.uk

Mark Hughes commented on the signing:

"I am absolutely delighted to welcome Joleon to Manchester City. He is an England international who has proved his Premier League ability during his time at Everton," said the Blues boss.

"In bringing Joleon to the Club I feel we have recruited a defender of the very highest quality. He can play in a number of defensive positions, and I’m positive he will make a significant impact for us."

Lescott will be officially unveiled tomorrow morning, and I'll post something more in depth at some stage following that.

Lescott deal agreed

As confirmed on the official site, with The Guardian reporting the fee as £22 million - in the region of what was expected when the first bids were rejected.

Reports - Lescott deal agreed

Following on from Mark Hughes's comments following the Wolves victory, both The Telegraph and The Times are this evening reporting that the deal for Lescott has been agreed.

The fee? £24 million.

More expected on this on Sunday.

Hughes confirms Lescott talks

The big story going round at todays game was that the transfer of Joleon Lescott was finally expected to be completed, possibly even as early as Sunday.

In Hughes's post match comments, he admitted as much, confirming that talks between the clubs were underway:

"My understanding before the game was that the clubs are speaking, I would suggest that is a positive sign, although whether or not anything is concluded only time will tell."

Hughes is right in as much that given the acrimony between the two clubs over this issue, the fact that talks are commencing is as sure a sign as any that a deal is imminent.

Hughes on Lescott.....again

Via telegraph.co.uk:

"There is no update on the Joleon Lescott situation.

"It has been discussed at length for the past three weeks now. We have made bids for the player and they have been rejected.

"Everton are within their rights to reject our offers and it is up to them.

"There has been no opportunity to make progress this week because people have been busy.

"But there comes a point when you think that something will not happen and you walk away, as we have done previously (with other targets.)"

11 days and counting...

Lescott left out by Everton

Everton boss David Moyes has dropped Joleon Lescott for
Thursday's Europa League match against Sigma Olomouc because of his "poor
attitude".
The 26-year-old Manchester City target played in the disastrous
6-1 defeat at home to Arsenal on Saturday.
Moyes said: "His attitude in the
past few days has been poor and for that reason I won't include him.
"I've
always thought he was a good lad. But I think he has not only let himself down
but his team-mates, too."

>>BBC Sport.

Moyes hits out

Moyes has complete control over transfer strategy at Everton and was therefore incensed, by Hughes's insistence that a deal for Lescott remains possible as "[City] are still trying to speak to the people who will ultimately make the decision over whether or not the deal continues". That prompted an indignant response from Moyes, who claimed he has not had any contact from City.

"The dialogue has not taken place with Manchester City and Everton in the way that it is said to be. If it was, the dialogue would come to me," he said. "There has been no contact with me. I'm the person here who makes the decisions. I'm in control of Everton Football Club. There has not been one call. It's disappointing. We have got a player who we really value and we want to keep. We think the world of him and he can play two positions. We don't want to lose him. Yet he is being continually put in a position like he is at this moment in time.

"The way it has been handled is disgusting and all it has done is disrupted our club."

"Garry Cook [City's executive chairman] has had one conversation with Bill [Kenwright, the Everton chairman]. Brian Marwood [City's football administrator] has had one conversation with Bill, so I don't know who the ongoing conversations are supposed to be with unless Manchester City are talking to someone they shouldn't be."

>>guardian.co.uk

Pretty strong stuff from Moyes and no doubt on the eve of the season he is clearly now attempting to try and draw a line under all of this.

An interesting comment from Moyes though was him saying that Lescott has had his 'head turned' by our interest. If anything, will this not serve to encourage our interest further given the suggestion that the player could be keen on a move?

On and on and on

Manchester City are ready to make an imminent third bid for Joleon Lescott, despite Everton manager David Moyes' decision to reject the England international defender's formal transfer request yesterday, but will not up the stakes much higher with £22m likely to be their final offer.

Though Lescott's determination to make a formal request strengthens City's position, their policy of keeping broadly within their initial budgeted figure for transfer targets will be maintained and there is no intention of breaking Moyes' obdurate resistance with a blow-away figure for Lescott.

>>independent.co.uk

Will somebody just please end this one way or the other?

Lescott makes formal transfer request

After he was believed to have asked for a transfer but not made a formal request, it seems Joleon Lescott has now gone a step further to forcing a move and put in an official transfer request:

Everton have turned down a formal transfer request from defender Joleon Lescott.

The 26-year-old England international has been the subject of two bids from Manchester City in recent weeks but manager David Moyes is determined not to sell.

"I have always said that we are not selling any players and that hasn't changed," Moyes told the club's website, www.evertonfc.com.

It had been reported that Lescott received a good reception from the Everton crowd during a recent friendly following the constant speculation, but it does now seem he is prepared to do what it takes to force a move from the club - even if it involving risking the wrath of all at Everton.

The move comes following speculation that we were set to turn our attention elsewhere, but the it is clear that the likes of Upson and Distin are very much fall-back options, with Lescott the target Mark Hughes dearly wants.

Quite what the next move will be given Everton's steely response, but often when a player becomes so forthright in wanting out, history does show there is little the club can do to prevent it and no doubt Hughes wants this tied up for him to go straight into Saturday's line-up.

It may take a sizeable increase on our previous offers to ensure it though.

Lescott re-heated

Not quite hotting up given the coverage and length of time this one has been around for, but news this morning suggests a deal for Joleon Lescott will be concluded today. Courtesy of The Sun:

Manchester City expect to finally land Everton centre-back Joleon Lescott today. The England defender could even be unveiled to fans at City's Eastlands open day this afternoon.

Mark Hughes has trailed Lescott, 26, since January with Goodison chief David Moyes insisting the player was not for sale.

But Everton have reluctantly accepted City's bid of around £22million with add-ons taking the final fee even higher.

Lescott, who cost £5m from Wolves in 2006, will double his wages to £90,000 a week when he signs a five-year deal.

Mark Hughes states he is not worried about our defence, but shipping three goals in yesterday's defeat to Rangers may just have sharpened his desire to land Lescott ahead of the season opener.

UPDATE:

The Independent has poured cold water on this suggestion, and that Lescott is due to feature in tomorrow's friendly against Malaga.

I'm seriously considering banning any more reporting on Lescott until he either signs or the transfer deadline has passed.

More on Lescott

Fresh from the news that Lescott had made official his desire for a transfer comes detail that David Moyes and Everton have rejected this request:

The defender told Moyes in a meeting at the club's Finch Farm training base yesterday morning that he wants to leave Goodison Park for Eastlands, where he would double his £40,000-a-week salary. Moyes responded by informing the 26-year-old he would not be sold regardless of City's offer or Lescott's desire to quit the club he joined for £5m from Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2006.

It does leave Lescott in a bind given that he has made his hand so clear, and the concern for him is the position he will be faced in should a move not now go through.

This potential move does have deadline day written all over it, which realistically means the price will continue to rise throughout the month. This of course begs the question of how high we actually go, and this will depend on how highly Mark Hughes values him (it does appear highly), and whether any alternative options are ( a) realistic and ( b) bring what Lescott offers.

My feeling is that now Lescott has made clear his intentions, the deal does go through, but it will continue to be a drawn out process and we pay far more than our initial offer for him.

Report - Lescott to hand in transfer request

Everton defender Joleon Lescott is this afternoon expected to hand in a transfer request in a bid to prompt a £20m move to Manchester City.

City have had two bids - the latest for £19m - turned down by the Merseyside club with Everton telling them that the young England international is not for sale.

But Sportsmail understands that Lescott was this morning in the process of formally writing to Everton chairman Bill Kenwright to make it clear that he wants to leave, even if it means waiving his rights to a pay-off.

>>mailonline.

Ian Ladyman appears to be out on his own in reporting this at present, so it is difficult to gage how much susbtance to lend this story.

It would also be a slight departure from the mornings reports which suggested we were ready to move on from Lescott, with Distin, Bassong and Alex believed to be on our radar.

I've said all along that for Everton to sell, it would take Lescott to force the issue and if he does hand the transfer request all that remains will be to (finally) settle on a fee - something that would then be in our favour had Lescott formally announced his desire to leave.

Still expect the final figure to be in excess of £20 million though.

UPDATE:

James Ducker in The Times is now reporting this to be the case, although he does suggest it is far from assured Everton will grant his request, something of a gamble therefore for Lescott:

Lescott informed David Moyes, the Everton manager, on Monday that he wanted to join City and spent the evening was writing to Bill Kenwright, the chairman, to explain his motives.

It is a huge gamble by Lescott given that there were no guarantees that Kenwright will agree to let him go or that an improved bid from City will be accepted, which raises the prospect of the England defender being deemed an outcast in the event that he is kept at Goodison Park against his wishes.

City are expected to make a third and final offer of up to £22 million and remain optimistic that an agreement will be reached, believing that Everton will not want to keep a player who does not want to play for them, but that fee still falls well short of Everton’s £30 million valuation.

Lescott bid rejected

Everton have rejected Manchester City's latest offer of £18m for Joleon Lescott.

City contacted the Club with an increased bid for the central defender but the Blues have turned down the offer.

Earlier this summer, the Eastlands club had a bid of £15m rejected, with David Moyes declaring that no player will leave Everton this summer without his approval.

Lescott is currently in the USA with the rest of the Everton squad.

A Club statement read: "Everton Football Club can confirm it has received an offer of £18m for Joleon Lescott from Manchester City and that offer has been rejected outright."

>>evertonfc.com

With the recent arrivals and departures that we have seen, I do think Hughes is one central defender short of concluding his transfer business for the summer. Lescott is clearly the final player he wants, and I'm sure he would want a deal concluded by early next week.

Everton - quite rightly so - look to be playing hardball, and with Phil Jagielka absent from the start of the season and no direct replacement for Lescott (so far) why wouldn't they be?

Perhaps they are stalling to squeeze a higher fee, or to bide themselves time to land a replacement. Or perhaps both.

What I think is clear from what we have seen during the whole Lescott 'business' is that it will likely need him to take the initiative if he does want to leave.

And so far we have seen no sign one way or the other of his intentions.

Further Lescott bid reported

Sky Sports News understands Manchester City are to make an improved bid for Everton defender Joleon Lescott within the next 24 hours.

Money-rich City had a £15million offer for the England player rejected by the Toffees earlier in July after confirming their long-term interest in the 26-year-old.

>>skysports.com

It was also suggested that Lescott may well be set to tell Everton that he wants to move.

I have no issue as such with increasing an offer for Lescott per se, given you would expect his transfer value to be higher we are likely to pay for Kolo Toure.

However, Nedum Onouha should not be part of any deal to land him. Whatsoever.