IT’S taking an awfully big slot for this penny to drop for Andy van der Meyde.

I actually hope he does get himself fit and ready to make up for lost time and finally have an impact at Everton. I’m sure he means it when he says it is his “dream” to do that this season.

But if you went to the bookmakers today and asked for a bet on him playing 30 games and being Everton’s best player next season you’d get very, very good odds.

The biggest problem is simply that he has hardly played any football in two years. His body is used to the fact that he isn’t out on the field much.

And when it’s a 29-year-old body, it’s more difficult than ever to get that feeling back.

Besides, it wouldn’t really inspire much confidence in the Everton ranks if David Moyes decided he had to rely on van der Meyde somehow rediscovering his sharpness.

You would hope that he has done enough business in the remainder of the transfer window to avoid that scenario. It might be a case of waiting to see what Andrew Johnson goes for, but (one particular Dutchman aside of course!) Moyes has generally got it right in the transfer market.

And if Bill Kenwright finds the need to make an extra £2million available somewhere down the line, then at least he knows it is in pretty safe hands.