Source: Northern_Echo
Everton deny blunders over Gosling
EVERTON have refuted David Hodgson's suggestion that the Merseyside club's complacency resulted in Dan Gosling's free transfer to Newcastle. Gosling controversially became a free agent earlier this summer when Everton's failure to table a written contract offer instead of a verbal one entitled him to move elsewhere. Former Darlington manager Hodgson, who represents Gosling under the auspices of Darlington-based law firm BHP, claimed Everton officials were in no rush to offer the midfielder a new deal as he had suffered a cruciate injury that will sideline him until December. They probably felt that because Dan's injury was so serious maybe nobody was going to sign him and they were in a position to offer him anything they wanted, said Hodgson. Dan Gosling did not walk out on Everton, they chose not to keep him. However, Everton officials have denied the claims, and insisted that they believed Gosling would sign a contract extension at Goodison Park as a result of a longstanding gentleman's agreement that dated back to January 2008, when the 20- year-old joined the club from Plymouth. In the very long history of our club, our executive team have never once forgotten or neglected to deal properly and professionally with contractual matters, said Everton chairman Bill Kenwright. We place our trust in people; we always keep our side of any offered deal and all we have ever asked is that others do the same. David Moyes held a number of discussions with Gosling in the latter stages of his previous deal, and the Everton boss has claimed he did not feel Newcastle's most recent signing was worth a place at the heart of his side's midfield. Dan came to see me and told me that he saw himself as a central midfield player rather than someone who operated in a wide position, said Moyes. I did not think at that point that he would get into the Everton team as a central midfield player. I was always fully aware of the handshake agreement which Dave Hodgson had with a senior club official regarding Dan's fourth and fifth years and because of that agreement there wasn't, in my opinion, any necessity to put anything in writing. The first I knew of a problem was when Dave rang me to say that Dan's contract had lapsed and that he would be seeking to leave us on a free transfer.