Everton willing to let midfielder leave on loan

As Director of Football Marcel Brands continues to hew away this bloated Everton squad, he’s having to resort to more and more creative means to reduce the hefty wage bill.

Despite a strong finish to last season, many supporters cannot wait to see the back of Morgan Schneiderlin on two counts - he is one of the top earners at the club on a £100,000 per week wage, and his part in the mini-mutiny involving Kevin Mirallas a couple of years ago.

A week after Galatasaray expressed interest in taking him on loan, another Turkish side has now jumped in the fray for the France international. Haberturk (via Inside Futbol) report that Fener’s Sporting Director Damien Comolli has met with the player’s agent to work out a deal. Comolli has plenty of experience with Premier League sides, having previously worked for Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool.

However, the article goes on to add that while Everton are willing to let the player go on loan, they have imposed one condition. The Blues are willing to waive any loan fee but insist that Fenerbahce have to pay his full wages.

If you do the arithmetic here, the Toffees are waiving about £1-2 million, but then asking the Turkish side to pick up his annual salary of £5.2m which can then be wiped off the annual operating budget and will allow the Blues to sign players during this summer window. Smart move by Brands, if he can get either of the interested clubs to bite.

Schneiderlin, made only 16 appearances for Everton last season in a campaign which saw his chances limited due to injuries and the excellent form of fellow midfielders Idrissa Gueye and André Gomes.

And he may continue to find his opportunities limited this term following the permanent signing of Gomes from Barcelona and the £8.5 million purchase of City midfielder Fabian Delph.

Schneiderlin has featured in all of Everton’s pre-season matches this summer and with midfielders Gueye and James McCarthy linked with moves to Paris Saint-Germain and Crystal Palace respectively, the 29-year-old could well still have a place in manager Marco Silva’s squad.