Pundit lambasts Everton after Michael Keane latest – ‘what are they doing?’
Everton should not let Michael Keane join fellow “relegation rivals” West Ham in the January transfer window.
That’s according to former Hibernian striker Tam McManus, speaking exclusively to Football Insider about the defender’s future.
According to the Liverpool Echo‘s Chris Beasley (1 December), Keane, 29, is set to leave the Toffees on loan during the January transfer window.
It is reported that West Ham, Fulham and Leicester City are all chasing the centre-back’s signature.
Keane has struggled for minutes this season with Tarkowski and Conor Coady now nailed-on starters under Frank Lampard.
However, McManus insists it would “look terrible” if Keane was allowed to join another struggling side.
“From the Everton side, it could look terrible,” McManus told Football Insider‘s Ben Wild.
“Imagine Keane goes to West Ham then West Ham stay up while Everton go down. What if Coady or Tarkowski gets injured?
“Who do they have, MIna? That’s about it. I think Keane is a quality player and someone Everton should be looking to keep around.
“Why would you loan him to a relegation rival? You are not even getting a fee in that case, or maybe you get a small one.
“I just don’t get that at all. Why make your rival stronger at a time when they are struggling? If they do go ahead with this deal it would be great for West Ham and bad for Everton.
“You would have to ask ‘what are they doing?’.”
Keane has played just 22 minutes in the Premier League this season, in a game against Brentford on 27 August.
He joined the club in July 2017 and has made 189 appearances for the Goodison Park outfit.
In other news, Kieran Maguire has claimed that an Everton deal is close as investors visit Bramley-Moore and “it’s real progress”.