BBC pundit reacts to multi-million fee as Ellis Simms leaves Everton to join Coventry City
Carlton Palmer has delivered his verdict on Ellis Simms leaving Everton to secure a permanent transfer to Championship side Coventry City.
Coventry confirmed, via their official website, on 7 July, that they had secured the services of the 22-year-old.
Fabrizio Romano claimed that the Toffees will be making £8million from the sale of the young striker.
Palmer, a BBC pundit, told Football League World, “I think this is a great bit of business by Coventry, signing Everton’s frontman Ellis Simms.
“I think he’s a terrific player, watched him on loan at Sunderland before he was recalled to Everton.
“For £8 million, I think in the current market, it’s a really good bit of business.
“It paves the way for Gyokeres to move on, which I’m sure Gyokeres is going to go in excess of £15 million.
“So at 22, Ellis has a real bright future.
“It would not surprise me to see him top 20 goals next season and prove to be a real hit for Coventry in the Championship.”
Good call?
Simms is 22 and still not at the level where he can be considered a regular first-team player so letting him go seems to be the right decision.
Sure, Sean Dyche would’ve liked to have him as a backup option, but this is money that the club can ill afford to turn down.
Rather than letting a player warm the bench or go out on loan again in the hope that he might become better, selling him seems like the best decision.
Championship sides do not generally pay that kind of money on one player and it’s perhaps because Viktor Gyokeres is leaving, they can afford to.
Everton now have to begin with transfer activity of their own and bring in a new striker as that’s the priority for this summer.
Dyche knows that he cannot rely on Dominic Calvert-Lewin being fit for the entirety of the season so an upgrade is needed on him.
In other Everton news, an exit-linked Toffees player has recently been spotted in talks with a senior Goodison Park figure ahead of the new season.