Canales Corner: Everton, Donovan In Courtship Dance

Posted Tuesday, January 19, 2010 by Goal.com

The USA international has hinted that he would like to stay on at Goodison Park. If the attraction is mutual, that could happen.

Landon Donovan is comfortable in blue. Long before he ever doffed the blue uniform of Everton, Donovan was enjoying his first successful stint as a club professional in San Jose blues in 2001. To some, it was remarkable how well the teenager fit in with the club, working efficiently with the team's stars to provide a spark that helped the team win the championship that same season.

Now, however, Donovan is more mature and looking to impress on a bigger stage. The English Premier League is widely considered the world's best, yet Donovan, thus far, fits right in. He has been a solid, if not spectacular, contributor for Everton in their past two games - a draw against Arsenal and a win over Manchester City.

With those two games alone, a hypothetical question seems to arguably now have an answer. The best player from a second-rate league (Major League Soccer) can be a servicible player in the world's best league. Yes, the USA's top flight is a step down, but it's clearly not the cataclysmic drop that some have previously made it out to be.

That said, the EPL has succeeded by taking the best from around the world, and despite signing an extension with the Galaxy before going on loan to Everton, Donovan is enjoying himself so much in England that he's hinted at a longer stay.

In recent remarks to the Liverpool Echo, Donovan was no longer talking just about doing a good job for a few weeks and staying fit in the MLS offseason.

"If I look back after 10 weeks and say, 'I really want to stay' then maybe I can make that happen.”

It would be hypocrisy of the highest order for Donovan to seek to extend his loan deal at Everton, after he had criticized teammate David Beckham for leaving the Galaxy hanging half the season. Donovan had previously taken pains to point out that his contract was only for loan deals that would return him to Los Angeles before the MLS season officially began. That's what happened last season with Bayern Munich, though Beckham's loan was different and lasted until July.

It's a different issue, however, if Donovan is putting himself on the market to be sold. Donovan reportedly has a release in his Galaxy contract that allows for him to transfer if he A) wants to go and B) if a club can meet a pre-set price agreed upon with MLS.

A sale wouldn't leave the Galaxy hanging - it would be a done deal and the team could move on to sign a replacement player.

To some, the deal is all but done. They believe Everton will try to keep Donovan, because the rumored buy price is around €7. Though that would still be a record sale for an MLS player, it's not breaking the bank even at a cost-concious club like Everton.

That's likely why Donovan is already talking - trying to let Moyes and Everton know that he's interested in more than just a fling with the club. He'd like to go steady.

Yet Moyes is instinctively conservative, and he has previously not ponied up the money to buy other American players on loan, such as Joe-Max Moore and Brian McBride. Moyes could be content with an annual loan arrangement of ten weeks with Donovan. After all, Mikel Arteta is on the mend, and the whole Everton squad has looked more sprightly of late.

One interesting aspect of the whole equation is that Donovan hasn't played all that well for Everton. He's still regaining fitness, for one thing. He hasn't scored, despite a few chances. He does have one assist, off a corner. Yet even without doing what he does best, Donovan has injected new life to the Merseyside club. The standing ovation that Donovan was given by the home crowd as he came off in the last match was a tribute by the fans to his effort and contribution.

In fact, that warm welcome by the fervent English crowds could have played directly into Donovan's interest in joining Everton permanantly. Soccer there is a national obsession, unlike in the States. Donovan, who often attracts stinging criticism from the USA supporters - as many seem to want to prove their credibility as fans more with boos than cheers - tends to act like he doesn't care about the fan carping, that he's grown out of wanting to please people, but that's not true. He wants to be loved and the Goodison Park fans gave him that.

But stadium love is fickle, often lasting only as long as the last impressive match. Everton fans have fallen in love not just with Donovan, but with their whole team. If Arteta comes back, they can see that they might not need Donovan as much as they do now.

However, Arteta has an unfortunate tendency to get injured repeatedly. Also, if Donovan is perceived as being the catalyst for Everton's improved performance, fan pressure may mount on team administrators to meet Donovan's purchase price from MLS.

It also remains an option for Donovan to hold out even if Everton makes the offer. Some players would gamble on having an excellent World Cup in the summer to drive up their purchase price.

Donovan tried that in 2006, though, and it didn't work out so well. He's also had a loan stint with a bigger team than Everton, namely Bayern Munich in 2009. That famous German club didn't give him much of a chance, though, and even as an on-loan player, he was burned by the politics of the big-money club.

It certainly wasn't anything close to the set-up he has at Everton now, where American international Tim Howard is a good friend, and Moyes has already entrusted Donovan with set-piece duties and granted him the fabled #9 shirt.

No, Donovan has experienced enough to realize that he does best when he feels appreciated, where he's comfortable. Ironically, that was for so long considered a knock on him - as it was seen as the reason that he stayed so long in MLS. Now, it might be the reason he doesn't return.