Former Leeds United striker and pundit Noel Whelan has praised the latest development surrounding Everton’s transfer policy as they look to offload Yannick Bolasie in the winter window.
The 31-year-old is a high earner at the club who has struggled for minutes with the Blues since joining from Crystal Palace in 2016 and is entering the final six months of his Everton deal.
The club are keen to get his reported £70,000-a-week wages off their books, with Middlesbrough interested in a loan deal. He could be let go for as little as £2m.
Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan hailed the decision to free up funds as being crucial for the financial health of the club, with potential benefits going into the January transfer window.
Recent analysis of Everton’s official club accounts indicated that the Toffees are increasingly strapped for cash, making free transfers, loans and cut-price deals the dominant theme of any business the Merseysiders may complete.
To that end, offloading unwanted players is one avenue being explored by the club as a means to increase liquidity ahead of the upcoming recruitment period.
When asked by Football Insider for his assessment of the attacker’s future, Whelan said:
It would be absolutely huge if they can move Bolasie on in January. That applies to any player who is on massive wages who is not making the squad week in, week out.
We are also in a time where not many fans are coming in so to be forking out that amount of money each week hits you at the end of the month.
He is not even playing at Everton so I think any opportunity to get him out, permanently or on loan would help the football club.
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Offloading deadwood is a key objective of any club in a transfer window, and the current economic climate reflects in Everton’s financial data.
That only exacerbates the need to shift the likes of Bolasie out of the club, as Whelan has stated.
