Evil appears to be about triumph over good as Moyes battle to keep Joleon at the club appear to have failed.

Everton last night gave up the fight to keep England defender Joleon Lescott and agreed to sell him to Manchester City for £22million.
The Merseysiders had already turned down two offers for Lescott, with manager David Moyes making a defiant stand and refusing to be forced into selling one of his key players by City’s money-no-object Arab owners.

But Lescott handed in an official transfer request and it became clear during the week that his head had been turned by the interest from Eastlands.
Moyes reluctantly accepted that he was only harming team morale by keeping the 27-yearold at Goodison Park against his wishes.

Having rejected previous bids of £15m and £18m, Everton now pocket a £22m fee and will also receive add-ons for a player who cost £5m from Wolves three years ago.
It is further evidence of City’s financial might, with manager Mark Hughes taking his summer spending beyond the £100m mark.

Although Hughes missed out on Chelsea skipper John Terry, he will now be able to partner Lescott with Kolo Toure, a £16m capture from Arsenal. Moyes had been determined to stop City from taking his player but the writing appeared to be on the wall when he lost patience with Lescott on Wednesday.

The player’s state of mind had been brought into question following Everton’s disastrous Premier League opener last Saturday when they were thrashed 6-1 at home by Arsenal, and Lescott’s sullen mood in training convinced Moyes that he was becoming a bad influence on the rest of the team.
He was made to train on his own and dropped from Thursday night’s Europa League tie with Sigma Olomouc, which Everton won 4-0. (Daily Mail)

Reports circling the football world appear to suggest that this could well be the end of this long running saga and not just another bit of tittle tattle. If Joleon Lescott does indeed become a Man City player I think David Moyes should still be congratulated for attempting to thwart the sale but can at the same time be grateful for getting his hands on a decent chunk of change that he can re-invest in the club.

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