Pundits claim Everton will get an offer ‘soon’ for Jordan Pickford

There has been renewed media talk of the possibility that other Premier League clubs will consider moves for Everton and England keeper Jordan Pickford.

This isn’t new as there have been rumours now and again that several clubs, particularly Tottenham Hotspur, are keen on the Everton number one.

And, Pickford’s superb form for his club late last season in the crucial relegation run-in and so far in this, has only underlined the terrific ability and also now, the tremedous consistency of the Blues’ goalkeeper.

His performance in the recent Merseyside derby was bordering on the inhuman as he made a string of fabulous saves that kept the Toffees’ in the match. Several of them are candidates for save of the season, if not the decade.

Then when he returned to the team at the weekend after his recent injury – which fortunately hadn’t proved as costly as it might given the cancellation of matches for the Queen’s death and then the international break – he was again superb as Everton overcame Southampton at St Mary’s.

The recent internationals also I think underlined the fact that despite the media’s strange enthusiasm for other goalkeepers over him, Pickford is still his country’s number one too.

Blues’ supporters have recognised for a while that given the team’s struggles over the last few campaigns, their best players are very likely to become transfer targets for other more successful clubs.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin was recently the subject of alledged interest from Arsenal and also maybe Manchester United, although his injuries and declining form seemed to have killed off those stories, for now anyway.

In the past summer transfer window we saw rumour turn into reality when arguably Everton’s best outfield player, Richarlison, left for Spurs, the team also most strongly linked with a move for Pickford.

Then there was constant speculation towards the end of the transfer window that the Toffees’ most promsing young player Anthony Gordon, would also swap Merseyside for London with stories of huge bids from Chelsea.

That move didn’t happen in the end but it’s certainly possible that if he continues to make progress he might well once again be in someone else’s sights.

Given all this, it’s always a difficult balancing act for a club in the Blues’ position when their star talent attracts interest from others.

Ideally of course, you want to always keep your best players. Although, I do think if a player really wants to move it’s ultimately futile trying to keep him these days and anyway you just are likely to end up with an unhappy and probably unproductive individual.

When I was young, Everton were not a selling club and traditionally haven’t been as they are one of the League’s original and historically most successful clubs.

But the Toffees’ have failed to maintain those standards in the Premier League era and apart from the suprise FA Cup win in 1995 and one or two strong seasons under David Moyes, have been overwhelmingly a mediocre side or a struggling one.

When Farhad Moshiri took over in February 2016 it was hoped his wealth would propel the club towards the success fans have been starved of for so long.

Of course, it didn’t happen and so now despite all that money spent on players and managers, the Blues’ are in the same position in which they started the Premier League era; underachieving hugely.

We have to wait and see if a big bid will come in for Pickford but if it’s a really huge amount it will possibly be tempting, after all no player is bigger than the club.

But while Richarlison and Gordon might be replaceable, despite their quality, it’s extremely hard to find a genuine top class goalkeeper who can win you so many crucial points during a season.

Everton had one in their most successful era of the mid-eighties when Neville Southall was at the top of his game and arguably the best keeper in world football, and they have another now.

Pickford is one of the top two or three stop-stoppers in the game alongside others like Brazilians Allison Becker and Ederson of Liverpool and Manchester City respectively.

They are playing for the top two teams in the league over the last few years, that’s the calibre of Everton’s number one.

So, can the Toffees’ afford to let Pickford go? I think if there’s one current player who might well be irreplaceable it’s him.