Should He Stay or Should He Go

Let me begin this by saying that I don’t want Joleon Lescott to leave Everton.

I don’t, he’s a great player and a huge part of Everton’s success, but if Manchester Citeh are serious about their attempt to sign the defender away from Everton, you have to at least consider the potential offers. Monetary figures from £15 to £20 million have been tossed around and while money is always nice, especially for Everton, the real intriguing possibility is a player swap. Would Citeh be willing to part with the money and Jo? What about Micah Richards? Is it greedy to suggest both? While I don’t believe Mark Hughes is dumb enough to ship two young talented players away from the Middle Eastlands, I’ve also come to realize after yesterday’s US victory over Spain that anything is possible in the world of footy.

Citeh won’t be held ransom by David Moyes, nor will Moyes part with one of the key parts of his squad for anything less than what he feels in as appropriate exchange. So the questions stands to Everton fans, if Moyes if offered upwards of £15 million pounds and Jo and/or Richards, would you bite? Opinions will vary, but for me, I don’t believe Lescott is going anywhere, nor do I want him to.

There has been nothing in the press or rumors otherwise to suggest Lescott wants to leave Everton. Add to that his undeniable importance to the club and the availability of suitable replacements that Everton could go out and sign. If the Toffees are committed to trying to crash through that proverbial glass ceiling, then letting go of one of your best young defenders doesn’t seem like a wise move. Lescott’s versatility to play center or left back is incredibly valuable, especially with Phil Jagielka likely sidelined until November as he continues to recover from his knee injury.

Does Lescott want to chase the larger wage checks that Citeh can offer? Does he believe they have a better shot at cracking the top 4? We obviously don’t know because Lescott isn’t saying. If he does want the bigger wages or the perceived better shot at glory, I suppose we can’t blame him…but we could claim he’s no better than Gareth Barry for chasing dollar signs and leaving a club that has qualified for European football to one that hasn’t. I don’t believe that for what it’s worth, but you know it would be shouted by fans.

That said, in Moyes I trust. Whatever the boss wants to do I’ll go along with as he hasn’t steered us wrong yet. In a situation like this all you can hope for is that Lescott suits up for Everton next season or the club gets proper compensation if he wants to head to Citeh. Guess we’ll have to wait and see.