Everton stick to guns to block Demarai Gray transfer, ‘decent’ Fulham fee wanted
Everton are sticking to their guns on the sale of Demarai Gray to Fulham and are still awaiting a “decent fee” from the Cottagers, according to The Guardian.
According to the report (4 August), personal terms are already agreed for Gray who prefers a move to West London, but Everton are standing firm on his impending exit unless Fulham present a tempting offer.
Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano tweeted late on 4 August that Gray has missed Everton training for three consecutive days as he only wants to join Fulham but is still waiting for an agreement between the two clubs.
Correct stance
Given Fulham’s incredible progress under former Everton boss Marco Silva last season and the Toffees’ consistent flirting with relegation, Gray is well inclined to favour a move to the Cottagers.
However, it’s not an ideal situation for any club to possess a player that is so desperate to leave that he doesn’t even want to train with the rest of the squad anymore.
That is the situation Everton finds themselves in right now, but their stance is abundantly clear, Gray won’t leave unless Fulham present a tempting offer which they haven’t yet.
On his day, the former Leicester City man is indeed unplayable possessing great skill, speed, technical acumen and influence in the final third to be an effective winger at any club in the Premier League, and that is certainly reflected in Everton’s £10m-plus valuation [iNews, June 28].
However, it is a shame that the Everton faithful simply have not seen that explosiveness on a consistent basis and the 26-year-old could be forgiven for trying to seek a future elsewhere and Fulham could certainly provide him with that new lease of life.
Should Gray leave which is expected, Everton will want funds to secure his potential replacement, hence why their current stance is indeed the correct one.
In other Everton news, the Toffees must firm up their approach to sign a leading Juventus defensive wonder this summer.