During his time at Everton, Steven Naismith has become something of a fan favourite.
Whether he’s scoring perfect hat-tricks in big games or just proving himself to be one of football’s good guys, it’s not hard to see why he’s popular on Merseyside.
But when an offer like this comes in, you can’t say no, so it’s no surprise that the club have accepted an £8.5m bid for Naismith from Norwich City.
At 29, the Scottish striker is in his prime and the Canaries are hopeful he can keep them in the Premier League for another season.
Everton fans were sad to see him go…until they saw the price tag.
https://twitter.com/Jxgielka/status/689018078106140672
https://twitter.com/Callumdeegan88/status/689017746915487744
Steven Naismith is a decent player, but surely the point of signing someone like him is that he *doesn't* cost £8.5m?
— James Maw (@JamesTMaw) January 18, 2016
Rival fans were quick to draw comparisons…
Steven Naismith is costing Norwich more than what we paid for Dele Alli and Eric Dier combined!
— Nick (@NickDR90) January 18, 2016
Not everyone thought it was such a bad deal, considering the rising cost of players…
Selling Grabban for £8m and bringing in Naismith for roughly the same price?Cracking bit of business from Norwich IMO. #ncfc #OTBC
— David Brockett (@DavidBrockett) January 18, 2016
Naismith is the right player for Norwich. Good aerially and work ethic is second to none. £8.5million is a good price in today's market
— Adam Goodwin (@AdamGoodwin__) January 18, 2016
In fairness to Norwich, when you’re in a relegation battle you need big-game players, and Naismith seems to be exactly that…
Steven Naismith off to Norwich for £8m.
Great 3.5 yrs at Everton.
11 of his 25 goals were v Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal, Man Utd & Man City.— Kenny Crawford (@KennyCrawford_) December 29, 2015
What Naismith’s move to Carrow Road means for Wes Hoolahan remains to be seen, but even an £8.5m fee won’t see the Scot displace the Irish wizard in the hearts of the Norwich faithful.
