Sean Dyche responds to reports of Jordan Pickford ‘verbal agreement’ to leave if Everton are relegated
Sean Dyche has rubbished reports that Jordan Pickford has a “verbal agreement” with Everton to leave the club if they are relegated.
The goalkeeper penned a new long-term contract at Goodison Park in February, seemingly putting an end to speculation around his immediate future at the club after interest from Chelsea and Tottenham.
However a report by Ben Jacobs claimed there was a “verbal agreement” between the player and club that he could leave if Everton were relegated, something Dyche addressed during his pre-match press conference on Thursday (13 April).
“No, there’s nothing. No verbal agreement,” he said, as quoted by the Liverpool Echo (13:54).
No shock
Of course there isn’t a verbal agreement, because if there was then what would the point in signing a new contract be?
Pickford is committed to this football club and Everton trust him to be the number one goalkeeper for the foreseeable future. If he didn’t want to stay beyond this season, then he wouldn’t have signed a new deal.
By putting pen to paper on a new deal he is showing that he wants to stay, but also improving the club’s negotiation stance if we do relegated which would make it harder for him to leave.
If an agreement isn’t in writing then it doesn’t exist, just ask Harry Kane, and we’d be under no obligation to let him go for any amount of money.
The reality is that if we are relegated he will most likely leave for his international hopes and the fact he is far too good to be playing in the Championship, but there won’t be a set price agreed already because that doesn’t help Everton in any way.