This weekend, news from England opened the door to Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder David Beckham spending time on loan with Everton. That news came from the proverbial horse's mouth, with Everton manager David Moyes saying he would want to add Beckham for the winter, if he was given the opportunity to do so. But that's what caveats are for, as illustrated today by Beckham, who denied he would move to Everton.
Everton Loan Move Would Be ‘Too Close To Home’ For David Beckham
Today, the Galaxy midfielder ended speculation of a Liverpool sojourn, saying that joining the Toffees would undermine his allegiance to Manchester United. While singing the praises of Moyes, for whom he played while on loan to Preston North End early in his career, Beckham politely denied a move would be possible.
Per his comments to Sky Sports News, as published on the organization’s web site:
Asked if he could move to Everton, Beckham told Sky Sports News: "No, I spoke about this a few days ago when I was in Australia.
"It is always great to be wanted by different managers and different teams even if it's on loan or a more permanent spell, it's always nice.
"I have got great respect for David Moyes from playing with him at Preston.
"I think he has done an amazing job at Everton, but I am a Man United fan - it's too close to home."
It was always a curious connection. While Everton has had a disappointing start to the Premier League season, sitting 16th in the league, it's unclear how David Beckham would help. Thanks to a lack of depth and talent at striker, the Toffees have struggled to score goals. Without somebody on the end of Beckham's service, how is the former England captain a better option than Seamus Coleman or, on the rare occasion Diniyar Bilyaletdinov starts, Steven Pienaar?
Perhaps Moyes was looking for Beckham’s leadership. It’s one of the reasons Beckham remained in the England national team picture for so long. At a time when the Toffees are struggling and have few resources to use come January, bringing an icon in for three months may have sounded perfect to Moyes. Bring Beckham in, let these guys who are lacking focus watch and learn through winter. It’s a low risk move, and for a team that has enough talent to climb the table, a little leadership may be all they need.
But the subtext to this story is Landon Donovan, the U.S. international star who is Beckham's captain with the Galaxy. Donovan spent time with Everton last year, and there was speculation (read: hope) surrounding a possible return engagement. At least, there was before this Beckham story.
Now that Beckham connection has fizzled, what’s going through Donovan’s mind? I suspect nothing, but it’s too enticing to consider the possibilities, given Donovan and Beckham’s shared past. Is Donovan happy that an avenue for him is still open? A little resentful that an old rival almost took his spot? Happy that a new friend got some more love?
It really is amazing how three years of an off-and-on partnership has inextricably linked Beckham and Donovan. Given all the accomplishments Beckham’s had in his career (and everything Donovan’s still accomplishing), it seems strange that they’ve become so readily associated with each other. Beckham was relatively close to returning to England, having one of the league’s most established managers open a door for him, yet an unavoidable angle is the Beckham-Donovan dynamic.
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