 Ladies and gentlemen welcome back to another episode of toffee TV USA I am your co-host James Boyman joined by my other co-host Ryan Williams It's been a great week to be a blue. We have some big news to go through today We're gonna start with just a little bit of I wouldn't call it gloating but Celebration post Darby maybe a little bit me a little bit of gloating. I don't think there's anything wrong with a little bit of No, I think it's it's been well earned Ryan and then we're gonna move into of course the today's announcement of the signing New contract for our favorite left-back Lucadine We're then gonna talk a little bit about some transfer rumors already bubbling up even though it's only the end of February We're gonna end on the big news of the week Which is the approval of Everton's plans for the new stadium at Bramley Moore dock We'll start with Ryan with let's get into it Ryan post Darby fall out Yeah The reactions have been truly entertaining I've I've really I mean if there's been a week that I've enjoyed so far being an Evertonian. This is a highlight But yeah, a lot of mythology around there. It wasn't wind. It wasn't the officiating. It was none of that We had a good game plan. We executed it well, and we won the match and we deserved it And that's really it, you know, not too much more to be said But yeah, I think that you know not the only good news this week and certainly the Lucadine contract signing is big news And I think a great move for the club. Yes, most definitely I think this has been I think this is a real statement of intent able to lock down a player who by almost every metric is one Of the top left-backs in all of Europe and the top five European leagues definitely and to sign him till 2025 when he'll be 31 years old clearly the player feels very confident in Committing his future to Everton really his prime to Everton barring any ridiculous Transfer bids that come in and even so this is a sort of hedge against that and there's nothing nothing wrong with it and I just wanted to take a quick look at some of the statistics for Lucadine this season because We all know that we were able to kind of weather the storm with him out with Ben Godfrey filling in as an ad hoc left back But really what we missed on that left-hand side was his creation numbers and really for a player Who's third on our team and assists behind only Guilfee Segertson and Hamas Rodriguez? Third and progressive passes into the box per 90 behind Hamas and a will be Complets the most crosses per into the box per 90 at almost a full cross per match Third and key passes per 90 Ryan I mean you could go on and on but there's really no Understanding how important this guy is to our attack and also how impressive he is on the defensive end And I think he really showed both sides of his game in the Darby. Yeah, and I've really enjoyed some of the commentary by toffee TV Brethren ped explaining Lucadine and all the chances he's created more chances than any other left back in Europe's top five leagues Since the 1819 season more than Andrew Robertson and that for my friends. It's science That's it. Not logistics Not logistics at all. Not at all man. I don't even understand that it's Science, but yeah, I mean obviously it's a great move for the club. He's one of the best left backs certainly in Europe I can't even imagine losing him trying to replace him how difficult that would be And he's gonna be so key to us breaking down some of the teams that we need to in the next couple weeks So I'm thrilled all Evertonians should be yeah most definitely. I mean, I think it's it's really Boads well for the future. I think he's one of the cornerstone players for Everton in this kind of Mission to get to Europe and sustain that level of success. He's gonna be an integral part of that So more to come and he's he's really hasn't even hit his ceiling yet If you ask me and so still room to grow and really optimistic for him to have the opportunity to do that at Everton Now Ryan, let's pivot a little bit because we had I know that the right side of defense has been an area of concern And there were some Interesting rumors this week from our favorite most reliable journal in the game and that is for Britzy or Romano Who has said that Everton are interested in Norwich City's Max Aaron's as a potential target for the next transfer window? He's in the list. Ancelotti looking for a new right back. No surprise there but rumored that Byron Munich are also In talks as well as Manchester United for this kid and when you have clubs like that in the mix inevitably the transfer fee Starts out high and only goes higher. Yeah, I think that's fair. Look. He's a good player. He's a young player I mean, he doesn't turn 21 until April But there are a lot of right backs out there and look the bottom line is Everton does not have the revenues yet Even if we make Europe that a club like Manchester United or Byron Munich would have And while, you know, we need homegrown players. We need English players right now We have plenty of them so barring a mass exodus. I don't know I just I think he's a good player a young player that can get better But man some of the price tags you see out there 30 to 35 million pounds Is he I mean to me if you're gonna make that sort of investment in that area You're probably gonna have to sacrifice making investment elsewhere unless we have a lot of outs And I'm not so sure if you know, he's eventually gonna be truly that elite right back that we need Is he gonna be the Lucadine on the right side? Very good player. I don't know It just seems like there's a lot of alternatives There's a lot of fish in the sea shall I say a lot of right backs out there that I think maybe we could go cheaper at that position And go bigger elsewhere. I don't know what your takes are You know his performance in the championship the offensive numbers are still very good Defensive numbers are lacking. I actually think he's probably underrated as a defensive player and slightly overrated as an attacking player Interesting. Yeah, I mean look, I'll be forthright in that. I haven't watched a great deal of him But you know, just just going off the evidence that I saw in a handful of times I saw him play last season in the Premier League clearly a talented player and still has it I think he has a pretty high ceiling, but I think look, he's listed at 510. I think that's very generous Frankly, there's no way he's that big. He's small Which is not necessarily the worst thing probably can he's quick he can get up and down the pitch But if you're looking for again the type of player who can contribute on both ends I'm not convinced. I mean look that we said the same thing has some of the similar concerns about Ben Godfrey And we're proven wrong given how poor Norwich's defenses was last season and maybe that's a that's a product of that But in the championship, they've had the ball a lot and he maybe hasn't created quite as well as you might expect Yeah I mean look, you know some of the stuff for good the short the height really doesn't matter that much But he's he's not been good in the air So you kind of think ah boys, this is a situation where they're just gonna be firing hoof balls at that side of our defense But look, you know, he's second in attacking actions for for right back in the championship fourth and dribbles P9 Per 90 61% dribble rates. Okay. I mean is he fantastic with the ball juking people out right and left? No, but he can't get forward third and touches in the box P90. I mean, there's some good offensive metrics But yeah, I just think it's a price issue, you know, I mean he is a good player I know a lot of people latch on to him because he's English and we know him But there's a lot of right backs out there at least that's my thought Yeah, I mean, I think I think that has to be the case probably If you if you can find a player of similar caliber, maybe not as high a profile for 10 15 even 20 And you allocate that extra 15 million allegedly elsewhere I just think that that seems like a shrewd or move from Marcel Brands He hasn't been the type of guy to go for that kind of headline or signing Which max errands would probably be the highest profile signing. We've we've executed to date Yeah, in terms of a big dollar kind of allotment. Well, no, but in terms of competition though I don't think that's a crazy comment Now either way moving on we've had a lot more good news I mean the bottom line is we know we're going to have to make a right back move at one point But the big news was The approval of both the stadium and the goodison park redevelopment plan By the liverpool city council hammers. This is big news Very very exciting news. So the planning application for bramley more dock In the community led legacy project at goodison park unanimously approved by liverpool city council local authorities planning committee they hosted a special meeting For at which everton ceo, of course denise barrett backsindale And stadium development director calling chong presented had a very robust presentation I didn't obviously get the chance to see it, but the reviews were Quite impressive. They said that very well presented very well prepared for any follow-up questions and Very compelling case made for why this project should go forward and understandably it was passed in unanimous fashion And so I guess the question then becomes I think the celebrations was like this is happening This is done where this is going on and I think that it is warranted to some extent ryan But there is there are still some bureaucratic hoops to jump through Thanks to some certain organizations who've decided to put up a A valiant last stand on some bizarre basis. So let's let's get into that a little bit Yeah, this one's hard for us americans And I think that's kind of our take on this to truly understand the level of bureaucracy sometimes Well, obviously financial aspects remain for the financing, but you know I'm going to rely on paul the esque and and john and the rest of the crew to kind of get through that for us But yeah, the last hoop really is to have the secretary of state for housing robert genrich He's going to have an initial 21 days to review the proposal the plan Um, and yeah, we have an opponent historic england still objects to the plan I mean look We decided that the club has decided it's going to spend 55 million pounds preserving heritage assets for everyone to enjoy And they still object and to me You know, I I think it's all very strange for us But one thing that I will say in a tip of the hat tip of the cap to counselor joe hansen He admittedly said he was a red, but I think some of his Speech, I guess in the presentation was clearly targeted towards these guys And I really appreciated what he has to say And I think it's a very insightful thing that we can give in response to that as tourists Yeah, most definitely so the direct quote and it's a little long so bear with us But he said and again a red saying this so you kind of have to even appreciate it more Yeah I find it a little bit insulting that you have historic england who don't live in liverpool I don't even know where they swindon is their headquarters Swindon, but they can come in and pontificate and ask for a call in that could place the project in jeopardy and delay whatever Turner trying to do What they're trying to do is create employment Create an iconic stadium on the waterfront that will hopefully not just be used for football But be used for a diverse number of businesses and also be used by the wider community and become probably One of the most sought-after visitor attractions Hopefully within liverpool now. There's a lot of Hopefully's and probably's As this isn't done, but I think he makes a really good point in that Look, this isn't just about a football club looking for a new place to play this has such broad implications for the entire city for the region and for An economy that has had its struggles and so this is a huge injection of jobs of of capital In development into an area that frankly desperately desperately needs it Yeah, and and look we've we've both been to liverpool fairly recently just as recent as last year Um And look I I love the concept of the docks and i'm really into history probably more than most people And I truly enjoyed the maritime museum, but that's how I digested the history of the docks You know, you go up to the top floor You see a whole scheme of what the docks looked like and you know The elevated train that used to run through it and all the fascinating aspects of it And you can even there's a view window. You can look out kind of towards, you know Uh the mercy side and and the whole dock construction and it looks kind of cool But I mean their big issue is the filling in of the dock now now you've been there Um Did you really need to walk all the way down to the farthest dock from downtown and go check out a giant body of water to gain an appreciation And preserve the historical understanding of the docks. Is that really necessary at the expense of the public benefit of this project? I mean, this seems like special interest gone haywire to me. It just makes makes no sense I did go down briefly to the docks. You see them and frankly I'll do respect it is a it is a historical site and I recognize the important In importance that liverpool has played in terms of like the history of the british empire And as a hub for trade and all of these sorts of things But let's be clear. This isn't exciting stuff to go down to view. It's a body water and it's a dock And there just doesn't go much beyond that and the only reason that I went down there in the first place Is because I knew it was going to be the future site of everton stadium Right So otherwise I couldn't frankly have cared much less about it No, so what a better way to get people involved in understanding and appreciating the history of liverpool And frankly what I would do is you know renovate the hydraulic tower and make that a visitor center and get people in there to Look at stuff and really appreciate it. That might pique their curiosity and they may want to go back Through the other docks or whatnot. But look historic england's issue is really only one It's literally the filling in the dock when you read their statements and go on long The loss of the water would result in substantial harm For first of all the verbiage there is absolutely fantastic But this is their game plan truly, you know, they believe the application should be determined by the secretary of state Because of the national implications of this decision So as someone who grew up born and raised in a couple places, but pittsburgh pennsylvania is my my my hometown We built two stadiums on the river now granted that had significant public involvement because of funding issues but the concept that Someone would take umbrage with us renovating an old industrial site Which are up and down the river at pittsburgh being kind of the steel city capital of the country Like the idea that someone to washington dc in terms of your national government would come in and say No, you can't do it because you're not preserving the history Is is kind of ludicrous and I think some of their comebacks do in terms of their claims that the site's not derelict I mean their whole argument just seems absurd to me But the fact that they think that someone in the national office should be telling liverpool what to do when it's unanimously approved And so obviously of benefit To the community better than anything else I mean, what are they even talking about at this point? This is hard for me to understand As an american and maybe it's our pro commerce viewpoint on certain things But man more often than not the communities get together heck local governments will even fund for this because the benefits It's such a unique thing that doesn't come that very often You want to do it right and make sure it works within the public good not to turn it down Yeah, to to do nothing to a site that really I mean there's again There's the historical aspect of it but to but to pin it down to say that the Significance of the site itself is all of a sudden destroyed entirely by filling in of a single dock It's not like it's the only one and there's other iconic buildings in the area that are just as historic and would still be there And so it makes so little sense as well as just disregarding all of the positive benefits To say that we should just yeah We should forego all of the jobs and all the infrastructure and all of the businesses that it will help and Everything because we want to have this body of water still be there Well, well, okay, let's cut them a little bit of a break. So no, no, let's look at their art Okay, I think they have some serious merit here. Okay. The site here you are number one The site's not derelict. It was a working dock until 2019 It was used by tugboats and the warehouse was being used to film a major hollywood movie, hummus Oh, okay. Well, well if there's tugboats involved then scrap it scrap it Never mind in again. Okay. There's a there's a warehouse that was used in a film Can't be replaced. There's no other warehouses that could possibly can't find anything else Oh, I mean that that's what their house That's their first point as to why the site's not derelict because they filmed a major motion picture In the warehouse like no one is ever torn down a warehouse That was part of a major motion picture filmed ever Before okay, so that's that's point number one. That's a real strong one number two Number two There are potential alternative solutions that could retain the water filled dock While developing the currently derelict area So they then go back on themselves and admit that it's derelict. So like what? What other offers are on the table that could possibly have this sort of impact? It's going to bring 53 thousand people down to that spot that is derelict as they've now gone back on themselves So what bigger that could have a bigger impact? The worst though is their last point though is the worst point that they make whatsoever They sit there and call out the 10 streets framework that Liverpool City Council have come up with saying they set out a positive strategy Yet the council flat out came out and said it's going to be good for the 10 streets plan So I to me There is no way this There's no way that this should be in any way shape or form Be rejected by the home office. Um I mean if i'm missing anything here, this just seems so ludicrous to me Why why would this never happen in the u.s. Honestly because this would never this is so predominantly positive It would never happen It's it's not even like a partisan thing. It doesn't feel like it just feels like this organization that wants to take a stand for Almost as like a publicity stunt because there's no good faith argument you could make To actually again, they say, oh, well, there might be another project Okay, there might be in in five ten years 20 years. You're going to let it sit there for the time being this is here now This is an incredible opportunity. How are you going to just say nope? We'll pass you this should be rejected and frankly, I mean, I don't I don't even think the The idea of rejecting it should even be entertained and in the fact that they've allowed this to go on as long as it has is As it was alluded to earlier like disrespectful to to the city And that's that's an outside perspective. I don't want to speak for any anyone But I know it's blues are viewing it like what is the hold up here? This makes no sense Yeah, and honestly, look, I cannot even imagine spending. I mean literally the club and mosh are going to spend 55 million pounds To preserve the heritage assets. I mean, right? That's a heavy cost Just by putting it in that location, but the location is amazing I mean, this is the type of thing that could revitalize an entire critically historical area I know it's trampling on it and going to destroy it. I mean, so in the u.s. Obviously, this would not happen I mean, there's this is so predominantly positive It wouldn't even require the acquisition of private property, which has already happened You know, the u.s. Would use something like eminent domain, which is something that maybe some other people don't realize where Literally local governments have the ability to seize land provided they Reimbursed the individuals that own the land for the greater public good It's actually indirectly a derivation of the Fifth Amendment bill of rights. My friend. We're bringing up u.s. History right here It's toffee tv us a ryan. No better place for it It is so so people have to understand this happens all the time and even the governments will typically fund some of it So this one taxpayers will fund it taxpayers will fund this stuff. Yeah And it's amazing. I mean just you look at it. It's just phenomenal. We're so excited It's gonna bring people to the city. So speaking as kind of the american tourist. I can't wait for it I loved goodison that place is magic. I'm gonna try and hit it as many times as I can before it goes But this I what are we missing? Are we am I missing something? No, right? I mean look let's wind back the clock because it feels like I think So much appreciation of the fans has been been shown and in the consultations that the club have conducted Incredible various every step of the way. They've been transparent They've been very receptive to feedback. They did the survey of the city. They've done all of the steps to To the point where people were criticizing them for taking too long with taking too much feedback and yeah Consulting too many people So they've done it by the book. They've done it the right way and we're finally kind of at the final stages of The preamble I guess before you actually put a shovel in the ground And these jokers just want to show up and and make a scene to try to derail the whole thing not even It's disgraceful and frankly it doesn't again It fails on its merits and therefore I'd be shocked if it isn't laughed laughed out of the room All the way up until they have no further recourse. Yeah So I would love to hear perspective from others too that maybe feel a little more strongly the other way You know, obviously we don't have quite the historical appreciation of you know England and and but certainly I think we have some level of it for Liverpool, but I just it's very strange to me that some Body group could influence the central government to do something that's so predominantly in favor and positive from a locality Very strange to me, but we'd love and welcome the feedback either way Um, no matter what though, this is definitely progression going forward. This has been a great week to be a blue Let's hope it continues all through the weekend and we actually have a much better plan than we had the first time We played Southampton But yeah, it's been a fantastic week and I hope long may it continue Yeah, it really does feel like a culmination of events of the past week represent a significant Uh watershed moment perhaps for everton as we continue this Quests to be a powerhouse in the Premier League for years to come return watershed The tide is turning we're feeling a wave of positivity Blue wave blue way so bad apologies. I'm sorry. It's okay. No, I think that's probably before we derail too much further Probably a good place to wrap up. So thank you as always for watching this episode of toffee tv Usa if you aren't already subscribed to toffee tv hit that subscribe button hit that like button on our video Leave us a comment Also, if you did enjoy the video check out our show on the american toffee podcast You can see the logo right above ryan's shoulder We can be found all of our links will be in the description of the video and it is link tr dot e Slash usa toffee pod you can find all of the locations pod podcast platforms, etc As well as our social media and uh, yeah ryan, it's been good to be back on toffee tv usa Hopefully we don't take quite as long a hiatus until the next episode But uh, as always it's been a great time and thank you and until the next time up the toffees