Everton fan here. I have read bits of this thread and thought I would offer you my thoughts.
I am in a minority of Everton fans who don't mind Benitez. I think he is still a really good manager. A lot of the fans on forums will pile into any and everything if they think it puts a negative spin on the manager. My take is that the sorcerer has seen the apprentice coming from several miles off. This is a not bad deal for Villa, but a very good one for Everton. Let me explain the context. We. can't spend any money, owing the the previous clowns who have spent over half a billion on the worst trash you've ever seen. So if Rafa wants to do anything with our two bit squad, he has to sell to do it. And getting these millionaires to shift from the pot of gold we've stuck under them is the devil's own job. In my view the 'row' with Digne is strictly business. Digne may detest Benitez now, but I don't think Rafa cares at all. He just had to get him out. Why? Cos doing that frees up FIFTY million quid we couldn't otherwise spend. 25 transfer fee, 25 wages. But he took a terrible gamble, he got in the replacement before he'd sold Lucas. Maybe just to underline to him that he wasn't going to kick a ball til the World Cup. and the big problem we had is his wages. You lot (and you are now loaded in a way that Everton never were) will now be paying your chap £150,000 a week as he enters his thirtieth year, and for the next four years after that. Why? cos that is the idiotic contract we had given him last year.
So it is in this context that I am judging the deal By rights Digne should be on. about £75g a week cos he is a good player. The fact you're paying him double means that in the real world you've paid £40m for him if you were paying him realistic wages. In that light, I think it's too much. But he is good, just not that good. One thing that will not happen though, he will not form a flank with Coutinho. Maybe for a handful of games, no more. Your whole flank would be targeted systematically if that happened (like what happened with us and James). Those two are just too weak defensively. Lucas flourished when he was in a defensive set up, and so he had lots more time to pick his passes cos he was getting major defensive support from the midfielders and wingers. If you are going to be an offensive minded team, he have a hand in some great goals (no question) but he will also be a liability defensively. For whatever reason, when he makes a mistake, it's normally costly perhaps cos he flies in trying to compensate for a basic lack of strength. And he doesn't like tracking back once he's headed upfield. He is freakish good in the air mind for such a little chap. And a truly tremendous crosser. If Watkins is good in the air, this could be good. But he's not the messiah. I really do think that this time next year your fanbase could be split on which is the better left back. Cos, no. question, Rafa would prefer Targett. He wants his winger to wing, and his defender to defend.
To finish, I think villa have been really interesting the last few months. I literally sat up when you played Chelsea, I couldn't believe how strong your team looked. You've got some cracking players compared with when you first came up. I do though think you are now on an absolute knife edge. You are still playing well, but the wins are drying up. A good side doesn't get beat these days at OT. You know it deep down. If you get beat tomorrow. I think it could send you into a mini tail spin, and that will be SGs first real test.
, h
