Everton complete first transfer out of the summer

It’s going to be a summer of outgoing transfers at Everton as the Toffees look to lighten the wage bill and trim their bloated squad, with Director of Football Marcel Brands pretty much confirming that last week.

Today the Blues confirmed the first domino had fallen, with Morgan Schneiderlin leaving Merseyside for OGC Nice in Ligue 1.

The 30-year-old midfielder had joined the club from Manchester United in January 2017, and though he had some impressive spells in the middle of the park for the Toffees, they were few and far between.

He came in for criticism more often than not from the supporters for his languid, laidback playing style on the pitch, and fell out of favour with the fans following a training ground spat with interim manager David Unsworth when he and Kevin Mirallas were dismissed from pratice.

The defensive pivot leaves the club having made 88 appearances, with one solitary goal, two assists and three sendings-off in that time. Schneiderlin still had one more season under contract with the Blues, and though the club has not disclosed the transfer fee, it has been rumoured to be in the £1.8 million plus bonuses range. However, it’s his weekly wages that have always been a sticking point, with the fringe player reportedly on £100,000 a week.

Though he had generally improved during the early weeks of Carlo Ancelotti’s reign, Schneiderlin suffered a knee injury in late February which required surgery and has not been training with the squad during the interruption in the season.

The Frenchman passed his medical with Nice yesterday and the transfer confirmed today, though the remainder of the 2019-20 French Ligue 1 season was cancelled in late April due to the coronavirus pandemic.

We wish Morgan well in his future, and thank him for his time with the Blues.