As the clock ticked to 7 pm BST yesterday, there was a buzz on the interwebs concerning the move of Dwight McNeil from Everton to Crystal Palace. This late an approach is nothing new on a transfer deadline
day. What was different was how the transfer went off the rails and the claims and counter claims of who was to blame for the failed move.
The news was not unexpected as the winger had been the topic of rumours recently, including interest from Nottingham Forest. Their manager, Sean Dyche had worked with McNeil at both Burnley and Everton. In fact, Dyche has been the manager in almost 230 of McNeil’s 270 Premier League appearances.
The link with Crystal Palace appeared at around 2pm BST. Initially the London side wanted to but the player outright for £20 million, signing a new four-and-a-half year deal. As we got close to the deadline, it turned into a loan agreement that included an obligation for the Eagles to make the switch permanent in the summer for a fee in the same range. McNeil successfully completed a medical as a transfer deal sheet was submitted before the 7pm deadline which gave all parties two more hours to sort out the rest of the paperwork. However, “the deal fell through because Palace failed to complete the required documents at their end.” [BBC]
As the news of the deal collapsing started to filter out the cause of the collapse became obvious. Palace had spent a club record £48million on Jorgen Strand Larsen and when Jean-Philippe Mateta’s move to AC Milan fell through, Palace were suddenly £30m down on the revenue they expected to bring in. Palace stopped communicating with McNeil and the hard deadline passed with no progress on the transfer paperwork. His transfer had collapsed.
What we don’t always see is the real lives of these players who are sons, brothers, husbands, fathers and human beings. Dwight McNeil has always been a consummate professional but we also don’t often see the impacts that real life can have on these players. Thankfully, McNeil’s partner, Megan Sharpley has shone a light on the plight of football players.
At difficult times, she has been the one who has rallied behind her man. None more so than yesterday. Her online post was pointed and poignant. It was critical and loving. It was a reminder to us all of the reality that players face every time a transfer window opens and closes.
Sharpley made it clear that the deal was done and they were just waiting for the final signature. She does not name Palace specifically but the impact of the collapse was very apparent. She describes the cruel world of football that he loves and confirms her undying support for him moving forward. It is support that she is reciprocating after she faced her own difficulties early in McNeil’s Everton career.
When McNeil arrived at Everton from Burnley in 2022, he was a young 22 year old who had played for England U18’s and U21’s. His start at the club was slow but he turned things around ending his first season with seven goals and three assists. What we didn’t see was the trauma that he was living with at home.
As Everton struggled and fought to stay in the Premier League, McNeil played a huge part in keeping the team up. Little did we know that he was at his partner’s side in hospital at night and then back to the training ground the next day. His two most productive years were played in this cauldron of emotion.
Football wives have been rightly criticized for many years. Television programs depict these partners as flashy, shallow people who are catty and self-centred. This is nothing like Megan Sharpley. Her relationship with Dwight appears to be real and grounded. She deserves credit for shining a light on the ‘cruel world of football’.
Sean Dyche knew what was going on and during these very productive days on the pitch for McNeil, Dyche spoke eloquently and in retrospect, cryptically. Dyche believed that McNeil’s biggest issue is the players belief that he is his own harshest critic.
“It is still something I speak to him about, the principles of what he does. Not just the play but you as a professional, how are you responding to the setbacks, what is the image you present on a football pitch? If you look at the real elite players around the world, it’s very rare they become affected on the football pitch. So I’ve been speaking to him about that. If it doesn’t work, if it’s not happening, you still do what the team needs, you still play a role in what the team needs and adapting to that.” [Liverpool Echo]
When the proposed move to Palace was announced, I believed that it was time to part ways with the winger. With the arrival of Moyes last year, McNeil’s influence had waned and there were times when I was so frustrated with the effort that he was showing on the pitch. I would argue that this lack of effort led to the goal that Leeds scored in the recent 1-1 draw. Michael Ball expressed it best:
We want to see ability and skill, but most of all, we expect our players to put in the hard yards. Unfortunately, it looked like Dwight McNeil decided he didn’t want to do it. There was one challenge that looked like a 60-40 in his favour to win it, but he seemed to hold back.
Is he the same player that he was? No. Is he our player still? Yes. The big question is what happens next and how this will play out for the remainder of the season. McNeil is still under contract at the Hill Dickinson Stadium until the summer of 2027. It was really good to see Everton Football Club take the lead today and send a very clear message to the player and to the fanbase as well.
The team have done their part, now it is our turn. The chatter online has been voluminous but supportive for the most part. Evertonian Mark Thomas made his feelings very clear:
“Times like these when fans need to remember that these lads are human beings. Vulnerable like anyone else, regardless of salary. Gutted for the lad and hope he gets his move soon. Not a good look for Palace who are fast becoming what Everton were.”
Ultimately, he is our player and he is wearing the royal blue. Another Evertonian, Brian Kenney believes that “when any player comes on wearing an Everton shirt, we should always CHEER!”
On Saturday the Blues are at Craven Cottage and when the boys return home on February 10th, let’s show our support for McNeil. He has always been a professional and has quietly helped us survive some close relegation battles. Let us be supporters and show him that we remember and are grateful for what he has done for our club.
Sean Dyche believed that McNeil’s biggest issue was that he is his own harshest critic. The simple message that Dyche delivered would be good for McNeil to remember in the days ahead.
“The big thing for me, I always say to him, play with a smile on your face. When you’re smiling and you’re playing football, you’re in good shape. If it turns into a grimace you can feel it on him, it comes out of him, so I say just play with a smile.”
