Here.
Everton have agreed a deal with Fulham to sell Andrew Johnson.
The 27-year-old striker has been given permission to discuss personal terms with the London club with a view to a multi-million pound switch to Craven Cottage.
A Club statement read: “Everton can confirm that it has agreed an eight figure sum with Fulham for the services of Andrew Johnson. This is subject to the player agreeing personal terms and negotiating a medical.”
Johnson did not travel with the rest of the Everton squad to the USA for the pre-season preparations in Chicago and Denver.
He was Everton’s Club record signing when he arrived from Crystal Palace for £8.6m in the summer of 2006.
He has netted 22 goals from 74 appearances in his two years at Goodison Park.
Here follows some tactical rambling to explain why this will help:
Here’s what pace can do. On the left we see a team using a high line to defend against us. They do this because when you have a high line you have less far to travel when you win the ball. If you win the ball on your own 18 yard line you have to travel the whole length of the pitch to create a chance. If you have a high line everyone’s further forward, so when you win the ball you’ll be a lot nearer the opponent’s goal.
That’s the theory. But against pace you can’t play a high line or, as you can see on the left, the opponent can pick you off with through balls. So you have to defend a bit deeper to stop this happening.
What this does is make it harder to squeeze the game in midfield. If the defence retreats then the midfield has to as well. If it doesn’t there’s loads of space *between* the two units, which can be exploited by teams with attacking midfielders like Gera, Bullard and Davies. If a team does retreat that makes it harder for it to attack us, as up to eight of the defending players will be deep in their own half. And our players will naturally be that bit further forward when in possession. Which is a good thing.
All because we have some proper pace.
That’s the theory anyway.
