Jim White reacts live on talkSPORT with what he has heard about Everton players amid Jordan Pickford development
Jim White has heard that Everton players “cannot help but feel an affection and love” for the club once they are there amid news of Jordan Pickford’s new deal.
The England keeper has agreed a contract extension which manager Sean Dyche commented on publicly in his pre-match press conference ahead of the Aston Villa game.
However, Alex Crook has dismissed the move as lacking ambition when a transfer to the likes of Manchester United, Tottenham or Chelsea could be available in the summer, and despite White’s explanation for the commitment believes Pickford will struggle to keep hold of his England position as a result.
Speaking live on talkSPORT on Thursday (23 February) White responded to Crook’s claims that the keeper should be looking elsewhere by saying: “He probably, as I hear with most Everton players, he’s happy where he is because you cannot help but feel an affection and a love for Everton once you go there, I get that.
“But if he’s got aspirations on a bigger scale then maybe it’s the wrong decision?”
Crook replied: “I think from an England perspective, you look at his two rivals for the number one jersey, Aaron Ramsdale… Nick Pope… those two are more than likely to be playing Champions League football next season.
“I think if you’re Gareth Southgate, when the next European Championship comes around and you’ve got a choice between Jordan Pickford, who’s still fighting it out at the bottom of the Premier League, and you’ve got two players playing regularly, potentially, in the Champions League, I think Gareth Southgate will have a decision to make.”
Bond
It says something about Everton if players feel how White says about the club despite the chaos that seems to envelope it on an ongoing basis.
That is no doubt heavily related to the support provided by the fans, with it becoming clear under Dyche as it was last season under Frank Lampard that the Toffees are a completely different outfit playing at Goodison Park compared to away from home.
Some of the more cynical might suggest that for players who aren’t as central to the match-day squad it might also have something to do with inflated contracts handed out at various times by the Farhad Moshiri regime, but for those regularly involved there is an undoubted connection.
Clearly, it doesn’t extend to everyone but Amadou Onana’s refusal to consider a move to Chelsea in the January transfer window after Lampard was sacked [Ben Jacobs, 30 January] was the latest example, although last month proved that actually getting new arrivals through the door to form that bond is now the difficult part.
It is obviously impossible to tell what Gareth Southgate will do with Pickford longer-term if the club continues to struggle, but the past few seasons haven’t exactly been paved with silverware and European football and yet the England boss has never wavered in his support for the 28-year-old, so there seems little reason for him to start now.
The keeper’s commitment to the cause will be a boost to Dyche, and to the hopes of continuing the revival under the new boss.
But the club have shown themselves to be willing to cash in on their most saleable assets in the previous two windows, so despite the new deal it is impossible to fully write off another one, but it doesn’t look like Pickford’s priority.
Additionally, Richarlison’s struggles at Spurs and evident connection with Blues fans might prove the grass isn’t always greener.