They call him the Beckham of the south…well…actually that doesn’t seem right at all. But anyway, Andrew Johnson looks set to join Everton for a mere 8.5m pounds after a three way transfer battle with Bolton and Wigan. After netting 21 goals two seasons ago as Palace were relegated, he then bagged another 15 this year as they failed to go straight back up.
If he manages to avoid being the next Michael Ricketts/Kevin Philips/David Beckham, his pace, constant running and sharp finishing should prove to be great foil for James Beattie (or as a lone striker, should Beatts prove too fat to play again) as Everton look to build on the form from the tail end of last season. If Arteta and Cahill can continue to develop, the Blues could be looking at another run at the top six.
However, the most interesting part of any transfer is rarely the opinions of the team that got him – but rather those who didn’t. So, who the heck wanted AJ? Wigan and Bolton obviously as Jewell continues to search for someone to take JJB-earned cash, and Allardyce tries to put the hilarious embarassment of not being named England manager behind him.
But who else could’ve used the Beckham of the south? Could Tottenham have snapped him up and shipped out Defoe? Would he have worked wonders up front for Liverpool, partnering Peter Crouch in some kind of least-exciting front line ever? Maybe Manchester United were in with a shout to replace Van Nistlerooy and signal once and for all that Fergie has lost his mind?