Kevin Kilbane has suggested that Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford has been at fault for many of the club’s issues this season.
Speaking on The Football Show on Off The Ball, Kilbane was discussing another Premier League goalkeeper.
David de Gea’s unfortunate mistake against West Ham cost his side at the weekend.
Hammers forward Michail Antonio admitted he couldn’t believe Said Benrahma’s strike went in and earned them three valuable points.
Kilbane suggested that Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford had experienced similar issues this season.
“I’ve had this issue, and I suppose there’s a lot of Everton fans that will slap me down with Jordan Pickford,” Kilbane said.
“I think Jordan Pickford’s the same [as David de Gea] personally, in my opinion, a lot of Everton’s trouble do come from that.
“He makes incredible saves, he’s a great shot stopper but then he’s liable to throw things in.
“That’s where United are with De Gea, I feel it’s the exact same scenario.”
Kilbane places blame on Everton star Pickford
The £30m goalkeeper has been linked with moves away from Goodison Park this season.
Everton’s precarious position in the Premier League has put Chelsea and Tottenham on alert.
Their 5-1 win against Brighton on Monday has given Sean Dyche’s side a massive boost to their survival hopes.
Pickford has only been credited with two errors leading to goals in the league this season.
His midfield teammate Idrissa Gueye has made three errors, while Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris tops the table with four.
Kilbane’s criticism of Jordan Pickford feels incredibly harsh on the Everton star.
Only David Raya and Bernd Leno have made more saves than the England international.
He’s a leader within the squad and hasn’t had much help from his defense this season.
It says a lot about his recent form that he’s still Gareth Southgate’s first choice for England.
Nick Pope and Aaron Ramsdale have been sensational this season, but can’t take his number one shirt.
If Pickford can keep clean sheets in any of Everton’s last three games, he might just be responsible for keeping them in the Premier League.
READ MORE:
Dark £150m cloud to linger at Everton no matter what, financial worries remain despite Premier League twist
Everton may look as though they’re in a good position in the Premier League after their 5-1 win over Brighton on Monday evening.
However, not even avoiding relegation to the Championship will be able to help Everton completely rid themselves of their financial woes.
Financial Fair Play rules have held the Blues back for a couple of years now, which is partly the reason why the squad Sean Dyche has on his hands currently is depleted of talent so badly in certain areas.
And while relegation would only compound those issues further, as well as make the Toffees a harder club for Farhad Moshiri to seek investment for, surviving won’t instantly get rid of a £ 150 million debt that’s still owed.
The Guardian reported on 6 May that relegation would be “potentially catastrophic” for Everton – for obvious reasons.
But Moshiri still needs £300million to pay for the new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock, there’s “an alleged breach” of the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules and there’s also this huge loan that also needs to be taken care of.
The Guardian claims the Blues owe Rights and Media Funding Limited £ 150 million.
In November 2022, Simon Goodley reported that RMFL is “a small player in the world of financing that has also lent money to West Ham United, Nottingham Forest, and Spanish top-flight teams”.
That doesn’t sound too bad, does it?
However, Goodley adds that while “Everton erroneously claimed to the Guardian that the firm was regulated”, RMFL doesn’t have any employees, it doesn’t have a website, it doesn’t have a phone number, or “a Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) registration”.
That’s not to question anything about this loan but the fact is that it’s there and that it needs to be repaid while at the same time, Moshiri also needs to pay for a brand new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock, all the wages the players are on and more.
Staying in the Premier League will obviously help out with all this a lot but it’s still not going to bring in the money that’s needed overnight.
Moshiri needs investment from 777 Partners or MSP Sports Capital – or both – if he’s to get this great club off its knees and back among the serious players in the Premier League.
Leave a Reply