Football is a game of opinions. Was that a penalty? Should we sign player X? Wouldn’t player Y be a better fit for our system?
In this age of modern football, and with social media now common place, everyone has a take on the news of the world, and they all simply must share it with whoever will listen.
So, here is a new Read Everton series to highlight the hot takes of our writers. First up: Everton were wrong to sell Ramiro Funes Mori yesterday.
Cuff:
Ramiro Funes Mori left Everton after three years with the club on Thursday, signing for La Liga outfit Villarreal on a four-year deal for an undisclosed fee.
The Argentina international was signed by former manager Roberto Martínez, and his sale is believed to have recouped and provided a small profit on the initial £9.5million investment paid to River Plate in 2015.
For me, RFM was still one of the best option Everton had at their disposal when it comes to defensive selection. While I’d love to see Michael Keane overcome his debut season woes that he experienced last season, that remains just a pipe-dream until I’m proven otherwise.
Mason Holgate is still, for me, the best centre-half Everton have to offer at the moment, and while I’d rather the club invest heavily on a new defender to partner him, RFM is a more than capable squad player – especially when you consider the alternatives, ageing Phil Jagielka and… whatever Ashley Williams is.
While I’m not devastated that Ramiro has gone, I just feel like the timing has been misplaced. Once Williams has been shifted and replaced, and then another defender has come in to shore up our shaky backline, then RFM’s departure should have gone ahead. Now, we are more exposed at the back, with no guarantee that an adequate replacement can be found in time.
I just can’t cope with Ashley Williams playing next season…
Alex:
I was always a massive fan of Mori, mostly because I’m drawn to passion, whether it manifests in headed goals or extensive knee slides.
But to me, Mori still remained the best prospect that we have for Silva to build his first season defence around. Holgate is still 95% potential, Jagielka is not getting younger, Michael Keane is a liability and Ashley Williams is Ashley Williams. Mori was talented enough to earn 67 appearances for Everton and he was still only 27. His ability in the air was unrivalled at the club, so beyond anything else, I would have kept him around as a squad player if Silva has eyes for some centre-backs.
Just coming back from injury, I honestly thought Mori would have been given a fair crack of the whip until at least January, as Bolasie has, which has proven wildly unsuccessful. To not offer the same chance to our BBQ Boy is a little odd, considering he was never as awful as Williams or as error-prone as Keane.
I suppose to sum it up, the hot take here is that Mori would still be top of the pecking order had he stayed, in my opinion. But alas, life finds a way to crack my heart in two, so from me:
Bye, Ramiro.
