Prince Rupert's Tower
Fansided

Now Baines linked with move from Everton to MLS

By Matt Townsend

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - MAY 05: Leighton Baines of Everton during the Premier League match between Everton and Southampton at Goodison Park on May 5, 2018 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images)
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - MAY 05: Leighton Baines of Everton during the Premier League match between Everton and Southampton at Goodison Park on May 5, 2018 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Stories doing the rounds today are claiming Everton defender Leighton Baines has been offered the chance to join Wayne Rooney and move to the MLS.

But according to BBC Sport Baines wants to stay at Everton and sign a new contract.

Apparently LA Galaxy are the MLS club that want Baines, it’s the team that Zlatan Ibrahimovic plays for and of course where David Beckham and Steven Gerrard also played.

The veteran left-back’s current deal ends next year and Baines is keen to put pen to paper on another contract that would effectively mean he ends his career at the Blues.

I’ve said several times that I think Everton need to start considering who is going to replace Baines and that this is a priority, (along with so many others!) for a new manager.

However he’s still a fine player and has plenty to contribute to the Blues in the next few seasons.  His experience and Premier League nous will be useful helping bring on some of the Blues young players.

Baines commitment to Everton is in contrast to Rooney who seems ready to leave the club at the first opportunity.

There will be plenty of Evertonians who say that Rooney was right to threaten to leave unless there was a change in manager. I agree that Sam Allardyce had to go, he certainly wasn’t the man to take Everton forward.

But I don’t think his attitude has helped the club at a period of instability. Having high-profile players saying they might leave while the club is grappling with yet another re-structure doesn’t feel like great loyalty to me.

Anyway moving onto other news, new Director of Football Marcel Brands gave an interview to evertonfc.com in which he outlined his vision for his role at Goodison Park.

It’s an impressive interview that underlines his obvious football intelligence and commitment to the job. He mentions how important it is to find the right, modern coach and new signings, something Blues’ fans will be glad to here!

But also he is very keen to continue to develop the club’s youth system and to fully integrate it with the first-team in a long-term plan.

More from Prince Rupert's Tower

And something I particularly like that Everton need to develop a philosophy that permeates every part of the club. It’s a kind of football ‘DNA’, which we’ve heard of before.

Not everyone will buy into such a vision but I think that it’s critical in football now that you do develop a top-to-bottom strategy that fully integrates every part of the club.

That way, while you want a long-term appointment, in an era of coaches and managers who rarely stay at one club for more than a year or two you can at least maintain some continuity of approach.

This has to be better than constantly seeing upheaval in players and staff and instability every time a new manager takes over.

Next: Rooney move to MLS inches closer

Let’s hope that Brands, the board and whoever he and the club settle on for the job of Everton manager, can implement such blueprint and finally take this great club forward.

Home/Transfer Rumors