What The Papers Say - Feb 3

Find out what today's papers are saying about the Blues.

The views on this page are taken from the local and national media and do not necessarily reflect the views of Everton.  

Everton new boy Nikica Jelavic insists his ‘dream move’ to the Premier League can take him to Euro 2012 glory.

But despite the Croatia striker revealing that his national team boss Slaven Bilic – himself a former Everton player – thinks the transfer can only be good for him, Jelavic insisted he didn’t force his deadline-day switch from Scottish giants Rangers.
 
The centre-forward has been at the centre of a huge controversy in Scotland, with Rangers chairman Craig Whyte indicating that the player’s desire to leave drove the £5million transfer.

But, after meeting up with his new team-mates on Thursday, the 26-year-old insisted: “I never met Craig Whyte. I have never spoken with him.

"Why am I the bad guy? I’ve done my job for Rangers, I think, with two trophies and many goals.

“It was a beautiful 18 months and I won’t speak against Rangers because of one man. Rangers will always have a special place in my heart.

“Let me clear something up - I never said, 'I am desperate to leave' or 'I want to leave.' It is strange to hear this.

"Two clubs made an agreement and that is it. What can I do without the clubs’ agreement? Nothing.”

Jelavic's version is that he explained he was happy to move if Rangers wanted to cash in on him, because Bilic made a compelling argument about the quality of Everton as a club.

The striker is a big fan of the Premier League after living on a diet of it as a kid, and he made clear that if anything was going to persuade him to leave Ibrox, then it was a chance to test himself at the highest level - and to prove himself as a top quality striker before the summer's Euros.

“I think, of course, playing for Everton in the Premier League will help my international chances," added Jelavic. "I spoke to Slaven Bilic on the phone and he is very happy.

“I know he played at Everton for three seasons and we will have another chat in a few weeks, on international duty.

"For the past two and a half years I have been involved in the national squad all the time but if I can score some goals in this league it will help me more to fix my place in the first XI.

“My dream is to play here because I think the English Premier League is the best league and I want to prove to myself that I can be part of this league.”

Rangers, however, insist that the player made it clear he wanted to quit Ibrox.

Chief operations officer Ali Russell commented: "Nikica told [manager] Ally McCoist personally on Monday he wanted to move to the English Premier League so to suggest he didn't want to leave Rangers is nonsense.

"Nikica was a terrific player for Rangers and we wish him well at Everton but to suggest he was forced to leave Ibrox is just ridiculous."

Jelavic wasn’t the only Everton signing on deadline day, and wasn’t the only player to turn down the chance of a title medal to go to Goodison either, with Steven Pienaar foregoing the chance of a tilt at the top spot with Spurs.

The South African, who admitted returning to Merseyside on loan from the Londoners was like coming home, insisted that even the excitement of battling it out at head of the Premier League wasn’t enough to make him stay at White Hart Lane if he wasn’t actually playing.

“Spurs have got a real shot at the title, but if you don’t play more than 10 games you don’t get a medal so that may have played a big part for me,” he explained.

“I wanted to play football and to get the odd game for 10 minutes wasn’t going to help me. I don’t regret going to Spurs, because I wanted to challenge myself and see if I could hold down a place with the quality players they have there. But I’m not getting any younger and I need to play.”

Pienaar returns to Everton admitting that some fans may still be angry he walked out on them, but he plans to win them back over by quickly hitting his stride and leading them to a Europa League place.

“One moment you play for a club and everyone is supporting you. The next you walk out. It is like walking out of your child’s life so, to get that acceptance back, you have to work and show them that you do deserve to be forgiven,” he said.

“Hopefully the guys will go on and win the FA Cup. The supporters need something to cheer them up and hopefully they can also get into Europe.”

Andre-Pierre Gignac claims he turned down a move to Everton during the transfer window, but says he would only leave Marseille for a club like Manchester United.

The Frenchman has also been linked with Fulham and Newcastle.

But he confirmed he wanted to stay on and become a big name in French football.
But he said: ‘Everton is a top club in England but for me Marseille is bigger and more attractive.
'I want to play one day abroad but at a bigger club like the Manchester Uniteds of this world.

'I do want to make a name for myself at Marseille. I love the club.'

Steven Pienaar has not ruled out the possibility of his loan spell at former club Everton becoming permanent - but he first wants to get rid of his frustration at not playing.

The South Africa international, who left Goodison Park for London a year ago, has made just seven appearances this season, with only two of those as a substitute in the Barclays Premier League.

With Tottenham flying high in the title race, the 29-year-old has found it difficult to break into the side and so a return to Everton offers him the chance to pick up where he left off last January.

"I feel great to be back. I just want to play football and this is a great opportunity to come back and play," he said.

"It was a bad start with the groin injury when I joined (Spurs) and I had an operation in the summer and that slowed things down a bit.

"Of course if you get injured then when you get back fit and the team is playing really well you just have to wait for your chance.

"Hopefully everything is behind me, I have been fit for the last two months so that is a good thing.

"I was waiting and eventually had to make a decision. I want to play football and am not getting any younger.

"I had a word with the manager (Harry Redknapp) and we came to an agreement that I could go.

"You never know what will happen in football, things change every day.

"If I have a good few months we will see what happens in the summer but let me focus on the first few months and get playing and then see what happens in the summer."

Pienaar was a key figure in David Moyes' side first time around but knows he will have to win over both the manager and the fans, having turned down a new contract to stay at Everton a year ago.

However, he remained on good terms with many of the players while in London and hopes that will help him settle back in quickly.

"I have been speaking to the players a lot and when the manager gave me a call on Tuesday it made things much easier," said Pienaar.

"Like all the other players I have to come and fight for my place.

"I know it is not going to be easy, the team has had two good wins so I will have to come and fight and show I deserve a place.

"You could say there is pressure because people will expect the same stuff but maybe I'll have a Landon Donovan effect (who returned to the club for a second loan spell from Los Angeles Galaxy) and do even better than last time."

STEVEN PIENAAR compared leaving Everton FC to ‘walking out of your child’s life’ – and insists his Goodison Park return felt like coming home.
 
The 29-year-old playmaker is excited to be back on loan for the rest of the season after Everton FC beat QPR to his signature, but accepts some supporters could still be angry about his decision to leave for Spurs 12 months ago.
 
Pienaar, who fought to persuade Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp to sanction his last-minute deadline day switch, said: “In a way it does feel like home. When I came back the lads welcomed me with open arms, it’s a good feeling and like coming back home.
 
“I understand (if some fans are still disappointed). It’s part of football. One moment you’re playing for a club and the next you just walk out.
 
“It’s like walking out of your child’s life. To get the acceptance back you have to work and show that you do deserve to be forgiven.”
 
Pienaar is in contention for a return to David Moyes’ line-up against Wigan at the DW Stadium tomorrow, but is taking nothing for granted.
 
“To be honest, I feel as if I have to fight for my place,” he said.
 
“I still believe I made the right decision (going to Spurs) but in life, things change and I’m happy to be back here. I’m looking forward to making the most of my time here.”
 
Pienaar hopes he can be instrumental in ensuring a successful second half of the season for the Toffees.
 
He said: “Hopefully the guys will go and win the FA Cup. The supporters need something to cheer them up this season and hopefully they can qualify for the Europa League.
 
One man guaranteed to offer Pienaar a warm reception is Leighton Baines, the player he linked up with to impressive effect during his first spell on Merseyside.
 
And Pienaar says the England defender was keen for him to make the move on Tuesday. “Bainsey texted me and asked me if I was coming back home,” he said. “I haven’t played for a while, but me and him have also had an understanding on and off the field.
 
“That makes it easier and we both want to work hard for each other, so it won’t be difficult to play with him if I get back in the team.”
 
While Pienaar was joined at Goodison on Tuesday by £5.5m striker Nikica Jelavic, other players have since claimed they were close to linking up with Moyes’ squad.
 
Bayern Munich’s Croatian left-back Danijel Pranjic has said he was on the verge of a move until Bayern scuppered it, and Marseille striker Andre-Pierre Gignac claims he turned the Toffees down.
 
However, the ECHO understands that rumours of Moyes chasing former Arsenal and Barcelona midfielder Alexander Hleb, who is a free agent, are wide of the mark.

THE cheers continued among the Everton FC supporters long after the final whistle at Goodison on Tuesday night.
 
After all, it was arguably the most exciting, satisfying and encouraging 24 hours of the season for David Moyes’s men.
 
Victory over Premier League leaders Manchester City and serving a reminder – to themselves as much as anyone – that they can compete with the best was impressive enough.
 
But it was the business on deadline day that gave the long-suffering Evertonians some blessed relief from what has become their usual fare of departures and scrimping during the transfer window.
 
Bringing in Nikica Jelavic from Rangers will, Moyes hopes, go some way towards addressing his side’s misfiring forward line with Everton having not scored more than once in their last 11 Premier League games.
 
The exits of Louis Saha and, earlier in the transfer window, Diniyar Bilyaletdinov will benefit both the players and the club, while Darron Gibson and Landon Donovan are already proving the worth of their captures.
 
However, it’s the return of Steven Pienaar, albeit on a temporary loan until the end of the season, that has caused the greatest chatter among the Goodison faithful.
 
Pienaar was hugely influential on the field and popular in the stands during his previous spell at Everton, which was curtailed when the South African accepted a fresh challenge at Tottenham Hotspur.
 
It didn’t quite work out. And, as has been seen with players in the past, it may be that Everton are simply a better fit for Pienaar.
 
The last few days should also brought some perspective to those who remain angry at the way Everton is run.
 
Indeed, that the immediate thought Tuesday’s handcuff-wielding pitch intruder was protesting against the club’s board indicated awareness of the depth of feeling that remains.
 
But that Everton could prise Jelavic out of Rangers for £5.5million when the Scottish club were originally asking for almost double that amount underlines what a cash-strapped club on the brink of meltdown really is.
 
There are further examples closer to home. Aston Villa have spent relatively little of the £60m-plus they have brought in from the sales in recent years of Ashley Young, James Milner, Gareth Barry and Stewart Downing, while Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew hasn’t seen much of the £35m raised by flogging Andy Carroll to Liverpool 12 months ago.
 
Thanks to more creative wheeling and dealing from Moyes, Everton still remain competitive in the transfer market.