The Revolving Door
It’s rare for a team to have around half their players out of contract at the end of a season but Everton will find themselves in that very rare position this summer. Some of them will surely return but which ones should and which very probably won't?
The Big Reset — Part II
Everton are heading this summer into what are, for the Club, largely uncharted waters in the Premier League era in terms of a potential squad overhaul. One would imagine it’s rare — possibly unprecedented for the modern era — that the Blues will have around half their players out of contract at the end of this season. Thankfully, unlike each of the last four years, there is money to spend but it would be nigh impossible to replace all the departing personnel in one window.
With that in mind, together with David Moyes’s preference for a smaller, tight-knit group of players, it’s unlikely that the 13 who will either see their contracts or their loan spells end will all have their spots filled by incoming transfers. Some will return on fresh terms, it’s not inconceivable that at least one of them could have their loan renewed, and some simply might not be replaced.
The possibilities that exist for a huge reset on the playing side are huge, though, and there have been intimations in the media recently that The Friedkin Group do envisage an overhaul and a change in style to characterise a new era at Everton.
Of course, moving away from the reliance on endeavour, running and playing the percentages that characterised Sean Dyche’s tenure began with the appointment of Moyes in January and we can expect that to accelerate as the new recruitment setup, one that will include new CEO Angus Kinnear, charts the Club’s return to challenging in the right half of the table over the next couple of seasons.
Moyes has clearly evolved as a coach without being either a visionary or promising a quantum shift in terms of tactics and strategy from what Everton have known in recent years but he doesn’t represent a revolution in the kinds of players the Toffees sign or the way they will play. So, whether there is any tension between a grander TFG vision and Moyes’s more traditional approach and it all plays out in terms of new signings and the style of play they will be asked to employ remains to be seen.
The rebuilding task starts, though, with deciding whom in the current squad should be retained… again, with the caveat in mind that some of the current crop will have to — and, in reality, probably should — remain on the roster. What follows is an assessment of the viability of those players continuing as Everton players and the likelihood they will.
Asmir Begovic
The third goalkeeping slot in any squad is one that inherently comes with an expectation that you won’t play, which is why Everton signing the 37-year-old Begovic to replace the 40-year-old Andy Lonergan made sense last summer.
Begovic’s playing days, which encompassed spells at 12 different clubs and 63 caps for Bosnia-Herzegovina, are largely behind him but all that experience made him a useful person to have around — especially when a bout of handbags broke out at the end of the Merseyside derby recently! — and it’s why he would be a good candidate to return to Finch Farm on another 12-month term for 2025/26.
Indeed, if he is willing to stay with the Blues, it’s probably a “no-brainer” for that back-up to the back-up role, assuming none of the crop of keepers coming through the ranks want to take what is essentially a position with very little promise of playing.
Verdict: Keep
Joao Virginia
On the occasions where he has been called upon, Virginia has shown himself to be an able to deputy to Jordan Pickford but as long as England’s No 1 is fit, the best he can hope for is the odd appearance in the cups.
In goalkeeping terms, 25 is still relatively young (even though the age of peak performance for stoppers feels like it has been coming down over the past couple of decades) so Virginia has time on his side but there will come a time — and perhaps it’s close — where he will want to take the next step in his career and get regular first-team action.
Indeed, increasing his playing time has become a priority for him but, as he recently explained in interviews with A Bola and Estadio Deportivo, he is waiting to see whether Everton activate a Club option for a further year:
“It’s not the ideal situation. Of course I want to play. And the more you play, the better. These are my last six months, but the club has an option to renew. [The Club] has already talked about renewing beyond this year, but nothing has come of it, nothing has been concrete.
“As a player, my ambition isn’t to be a second choice for long, but that’s the reality I have at Everton. What I have to do is work every day and push Pickford to be better as well.
“I think the most important thing now is playing time. With minutes comes experience. So, the most important thing now will be playing, and I think that’s the point that will take me to another level.”
With his latest terms expiring at Everton, he may feel that time to move on is now but it certainly wouldn’t be a disappointment if he elected to stay or if that extra year was triggered to buy the Club more time.
If he does opt to go, the Blues have two Academy players in Billy Crellin and Harry Tyrer who have spent this season out on loan who could step into the No 2 role if it’s felt they are ready. Otherwise, it will be a case of recruiting another younger prospect from elsewhere or an older player in the mould of Begovic when Rafael Benitez first brought him to Goodison four years ago.
Verdict: Keep
Séamus Coleman
Over the past two seasons, Coleman has made just 17 appearances; this season, it’s just four. Put simply, the Club Captain has struggled to stay fit, those years of service to Everton and Ireland taking a toll on a body that will be 36 years old come October.
Privately, he has admitted that his body has been letting him down in recent years and that has been reflected in that lack of availability in a position that has been a problem for a number of years — be that simply for a lack of effective or consistent back-up options to Coleman or, in particular, Nathan Patterson’s struggles with form and his own injuries.
Now, more than ever, it feels as though retirement would be the best course of action for Séamus, with a move into coaching — be it immediately or after further accreditation — the most obvious step. His love of Everton is such that it would be a surprise if he didn’t want to forge the next phase of his career with the Toffees at Finch Farm.
Verdict: Retirement
Ashley Young
Like the manager who helped sign him two years ago, Young was a bit “Marmite” in the first few months of his career even though it was acknowledged that despite his advanced years, he was a sensible recruitment. Costly errors that belied all that extensive top-flight experience made him a frustrating presence in the side early on but the odd further hair-brained moment aside, as time has gone on, the more what he has brought to the side in terms of versatility and reliable availability can be appreciated.
While it could be argued that Dyche relied on him too heavily as a regular starter, sometimes to the detriment of Patterson or giving more opportunities to Roman Dixon, Moyes has preferred to utilise Young off the bench and with so many players potentially out the door this summer, it would make sense to keep him around for another season if he is willing.
There is no question that in his 40th year, Young is remarkable physical condition, able to consistently play 90 minutes with no real signs that his legs are about to completely go. There is no question that Everton need to resolve the right-back situation with a top-class, young (small y!) first-choice option but if Coleman does retire and Moyes begins to migrate Jake O’Brien into central defence, having Young as a back-up who can also deputise on either flank or at left-back feels like sensible policy.
Verdict: Keep
Michael Keane
Even though the £25m fee that brought him from Burnley felt high at the time, Evertonians assumed that in Keane the Club were getting a defender who could form the bedrock of a successful defence that would help the Blues challenge for the top honours under Ronald Koeman.
Unfortunately, for both him and the Blues, his career never scaled the heights we hoped. The early part of his time at Everton was blighted by a foot injury that got so badly infected that it almost required amputation and he admitted that he ended up close to experiencing a full emotional breakdown as his form suffered badly while he tried to push through the pain and the awkwardness of playing in odd-size boots to accommodate the bandages.
Fit again and playing alongside Kurt Zouma in 2018/19 under Marco Silva, he was a man transformed and, seemingly, fulfilling the promise that had made him a target for his former club, Manchester United, before Everton swooped in July 2017. But Silva’s tenure faltered and amidst the years of instability at the Club and myriad managerial changes that followed, Keane just wasn’t ever able to find the consistency needed to cement his place as Phil Jagielka’s permanent, long-term successor.
This season, despite benefiting from Dyche’s faith in him over new signing O’Brien when Jarrad Branthwaite was injured at the start of the campaign, it has been a familiar story and, as his existing five-year contract winds down, he finds himself fourth in the pecking order.
Aged 32 but with plenty to offer, particularly for a team either coming up from the Championship or one hoping to remain in the Premier League next season, the time feels right for Keane and Everton to finally part ways and for him to seek a new challenge elsewhere.
Verdict: Let go
Orel Mangala
Football’s propensity to be cruel was encapsulated in Mangala’s experience this season. Brought back to the Premier League on a season-long loan from Olympique Lyonnais after a solid, if unspectacular, two-year stint at Nottingham Forest, the Belgian international was exhibiting the kind of form that had Evertonians hoping that there would be scope to make his season-long loan move permanent in the summer.
Mangala was forging an impressive central midfield partnership with Idrissa Gueye, had notched his first goal and was, no doubt, hoping to impress further under Moyes when he was cruelly struck down with a torn anterior cruciate ligament that prematurely ended his season.
The injury almost surely put the kibosh on the prospect of him joining Everton full time — he likely won’t be able to return to action until well after next season starts and there will be too much uncertainty over his recovery for the Blues to gamble on signing him in the close season.
Verdict: Let go
Idrissa Gueye
As Kevin Thelwell prepares to leave his post as Everton’s Director of Football, perhaps his most successful signing is on course to be named the Blues’ player of the year. At the age of 35, Gana Gueye remains at the peak of his powers — in tremendous physical shape and benefitting from his vast experience, still among the best in his position in the Premier League, and an indispensable member of Everton’s midfield.
While there are no signs of him losing his edge and stamina, it makes complete sense to offer him fresh terms and keep him at the Club for the next couple of years. All the noises suggest that the ball is in his court — as a free agent, he will have his suitors elsewhere and there may well be tempting offers for one last big pay-day from places like the Middle East but he is on record as saying how much he loves Everton. As such, it would seem to be an easy decision but you never know…
Verdict: Keep
Jack Harrison
Frustrating has been a by-word for Harrison for most of his almost two seasons on loan at Everton and perhaps no one has felt that frustration more than the winger himself. By his own admission, he hasn’t been able to grasp the opportunity with the Blues in the way he had hoped while Evertonians have been waiting for the swashbuckling, goal threat they saw at Leeds and who was an architect of their own misery while playing for the Yorkshire club, particularly in their first season back in the Premier League in 2020/21.
Valued by Sean Dyche for his industry and, arguably, a victim of the former manager’s heavily skewed emphasis on defending, Harrison has barely started in his favoured spot on the left flank. He recently got the opportunity to do so under Moyes after Iliman Ndiaye sustained the knee injury that looks likely to sideline him until the later stages of the campaign and looked more comfortable, finally scoring his first goal of the season in the 1-1 draw at Wolves.
But the consensus would appear to be that he still hasn’t done enough to warrant a permanent move to Merseyside, even though he is really keen to stay. Under normal circumstances, letting him return to Leeds would be an easy decision but with so many players out of contract, Moyes and company might pause to reflect on his usefulness as a squad player.
Verdict: Let go
Jesper Lindstrøm
Lindstrøm’s story at Everton is similar to Harrison’s. He arrived amid plenty of optimism based on his past exploits but he has struggled to find consistent form. There is clearly a player in there and it might just take a goal to ignite his career in England but no goals and just one assist so far are not statistics that suggest the Blues should drop the reported £18m it would take to sign him permanently from Napoli.
Even though Moyes is known to be fan of his based on what he was able to turn on for Eintracht Frankfurt, he is probably facing an uphill battle to prove his worth over the remaining nine games of the season.
Verdict: Let go
Abdoulaye Doucouré
Few players have been as important to Everton’s survival as a Premier League team over the past three seasons as Doucouré. By the same token, few players expose such a division between supporter sentiment and the manager’s selection decisions than the French-born midfielder.
Before Charly Alcaraz’s arrival in January, it was less of a discussion (although there were calls from some fans to try Ndiaye or Lindstrøm behind the centre-forward as an alternative to Doucouré) but now, as his contract nears its conclusion and with the Club opting not to take up the option to trigger a one-year extension to his existing deal, the door is open to his departure.
It’s possible that Everton could renegotiate a new deal on lower wages but Doucouré is likely to be in demand this summer and could get better terms elsewhere. As the Blues chart a new direction under new ownership and, hopefully, with an emphasis on younger players, it makes sense to let a valued but ageing servant go if he doesn't want to do everything it takes to stay.
Verdict: Let go
Charly Alcaraz
Alcaraz’s appearances over the remainder of the season may render discussion over his future at Everton moot. If he starts or plays enough games, it would trigger a permanent move to Merseyside from Brazilian club Flamengo and all the signs so far are that this would be the preferred outcome.
Charly is young, hungry and passionate to make his mark in England. On top of that, there is clearly a high ceiling on what he can become under the right manager and the right system. Whether the terms agreed with Flamengo for a permanent move are activated or not, the hope is that the Club will sign him in the summer.
Verdict: Keep
Armando Broja
It’s debatable whether Broja would ever have been able to do enough to persuade Everton to part with £30m this coming summer to sign him permanently but the injury he suffered earlier this year, just when he was hoping to get a run of games to prove himself, may well have killed his chances.
He does, however, have time to at least give the Blues’ recruitment team cause to ponder either taking an expensive gamble on the forward or perhaps trying to renegotiate a lower fee or another loan with Chelsea, provided he can stay fit.
Offering something very different in style to Beto and Calvert-Lewin, Broja has shown glimpses of what he can offer up front but, again, that huge fee could end up being the stumbling block. In truth, Chelsea are unlikely to get it but if they stick their guns where Everton are concerned, the player’s injury record and shortage of remaining games might end up being too big an obstacle.
Verdict: Let go
Dominic Calvert-Lewin
Like Mangala, Calvert-Lewin sustained a serious injury at just the wrong time if it was his hope or intention to earn a new deal with Everton. At an impasse with the Club over terms for months, it looked as though the striker might join Newcastle last summer but however strong or otherwise were the chances of a move to the northeast, the move never materialised.
In the interim, despite being able to continue a consistent run of fitness, DCL just couldn’t score goals. Between mid-September and the demise of Dyche’s reign in mid-January, he failed to register a single goal but his expertly-taken opener against Tottenham in Moyes’s first win since returning to Goodison might have signalled a turning point for him.
Unfortunately, he was crocked less than a quarter of an hour into the very next game, his infamous hamstring issues returning and necessitating a return to the specialist facility in Germany that has helped him get back playing again in the past. His hope will be that he can return to action before the end of the season and make enough of an impact to make Moyes consider keeping him on.
More realistically, however, he would be playing for his future elsewhere. After nine years, it does feel as though the time is right for Calvert-Lewin to move on and try and prove he can be a consistent outlet of goals for someone, be that in England or somewhere on the Continent. For Everton, it’s high time for some fresh blood in the striking department.
Verdict: Let go
Reader Responses
Selected thoughts from readers24/03/2025 12:30:35
Hard to argue with any of those Lyndon. I think Doucoure comes closest, and I see your point John, but I think the gap between the salary he's currently on and what we should be willing to pay him as a squad player is just too high. I'd love to see us go all out for Angel Gomes in his position but I imagine he'll have better offers elsewhere
24/03/2025 17:06:38
Joao Virginia - Let go.
He's a 25-year old professional keeper with exactly 38 professional games under his belt.
His loans-outs to lower leagues were complete disasters.
Keeper is a position we should be able to find an experienced one with lots of games under his belt.
Cut this kid loose.
24/03/2025 19:07:12
I’d don’t often disagree with Lyndon, and that’s over the course of about 20 years on Toffeeweb, but I do disagree about Young. Perhaps I have more faith in the free agent market than Lyndon does, but I’m sure we can do better. I don’t want to see Young playing full back for us, and as an attacking option from the bench, I’d rather we invest in young, promising players.
I think I’m in the minority with this but I also don’t think Gana is what he was. I’d be trying to recruit in midfield and build around Garner and Iroegbunam, who both look like they have what it takes.
Finally, I think there’s a hell of a player in Broja. It depends on Chelsea I suppose but he’s a £30m player if he ever gets fits, stays fit and plays regularly. That hasn’t happened, so will they accept less? They seem to be so good at dodgy finances that they won’t need to though, so I suspect we’ll be looking elsewhere.
Alcaraz, 2/3 wingers and a striker is where our money needs to be going, although 2 of these positions could be filled for next season with intelligent loans.
24/03/2025 19:25:25
I think that’s a fairly good assessment.
I must admit that although I can’t wait to see the back of certain players, at the same time, I’m wary of wholesale changes.
I seem to remember way back, that Newcastle done this and it was disappointing.
But, we have to be Brave.
As long as we aren’t fighting relegation.
The transformation will take time and I’m all for it, as long as we can see some easy on the eye footy.
We have drawn a few matches recently, but, we showed we can come from behind to level and maybe snatch a winner, which we could have well done against the Hammers.
This was not the norm up until a couple of months ago ago.
24/03/2025 20:08:31
Personally if one of the keepers out on-loan is showing any promise I'd let one of the keepers go. I'd also let Young go. He has been excellent for us but he isn't going to get any quicker at 40.
Personally I'd like to see a new fullback on both sides, a couple of pacy wingers and a quality striker as well as keeping Alcaraz and loaning Mangala again to see if he can prove his fitness. Given PSR is still around I think we will, again, be looking to use a few loans to fill the squad.
Personally I wouldn't take Broja as the striker as his scoring record is poor, 18 goals in 102 appearances since joining Chelsea (I accept a lot will be as sub) and his injury record almost makes DCL look like an ever present.
24/03/2025 20:57:23
Thanks for the thoughts and responses, folks.
Mike, it would have been easy to put the caveat around the number of potentially departing players next to each selection but I didn't want to repeat myself 😉
But where Young is concerned, I certainly don't envisage him as a starter, merely a squad back-up (which is what he should have been throughout his time with us, really) and a dressing room presence. I agree with John — we should be looking to recruit for starters in both full-back positions this summer.
If I'm honest, Young and Doucouré fall into the category of players that Paul C alludes to that I feel we should be getting rid of so that we can really bring about a fresh start.
Again, though, can we do that all this summer with so many out of contract? We'll see what happens...
24/03/2025 21:59:19
In Moyes We Trust?
May the right choices be made and some exciting young gems signed too.
25/03/2025 18:11:58
By and large I’d go along with most of Lyndon’s choices here, I’m just having difficulty in Séamus never playing at BMD. Surely if anyone has earned the right to lead Everton out at our new home, then Séamus has? Sadly I’m probably erring on the sentimental side, I suppose it’s possible he might finish this season in grand style and earn a place next season but, sadly, I somehow I doubt it.
25/03/2025 19:23:45
Our young fullbacks both have 2 years left after this one.
For me, it remains the right side FB needs addressing this Summer.
Patterson is 24 in October, with 89 pro games experience; including SPL games. And injury-prone. He's only going to make it in the big leagues in some fantasy.
Loan him out and hope he has an injury-free season somewhere, so we can get a few quid for him next Summer.
Myko has worked himself into a first-rate defender. He's 26 season's end, so I don't expect attacking skill to suddenly appear.
He stays. The bulk of our problems are further up the pitch.
26/03/2025 11:08:38
good article there. The only other name that might be up for debate is David Moyes. Are we sure that he is the man that Dan Friedkin wants to kick start our new era? We know that TFG can be ruthless in hiring and sacking and the money would be there to pay him off. Personally I think he is exactly what we need, but you never know.
26/03/2025 13:52:23
Lyndon
Because there will be an influx of new players, we need to manage change carefully.
My take is:
Doucs Keep (would be valuable as a squad player due to his very high work rate)
Mangale. Loan (He was one of our best performers until injury. Loan would give us opportunity to see if he can replace aging Gana)
Lindstrom: Loan I still think there is a good player there but currently is lacking confidence and trying too hard. Has good work rate, and plenty of skill. Maybe need to find his best role in the team
Charley: Buy/Keep. However he seems to be the darling of the team based on very little playtime. The real test will be his ability to perform week-in, week-out. For example, if Doucs or Beto missed that chance at the end of the West Ham game, I can imagine the abuse that would be dished out to them. Hopefully I am wrong but need to see more of him to be convinced that he will be the Saviour that many regard him to be.
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23/03/2025 22:00:57
I think Doucouré might be worth retaining if agreement can be reached on a reduced salary. Given the increased requirement for strength on the bench as well as in the starting eleven we have sorely lacked experienced cover in central midfield positions in recent seasons.
Out of the group of Gana, Garner, Iroegbunam, Armstrong and Alcaraz, all hopefully in next season’s squad, only the first named is a proven quantity in terms of fitness and performance levels over a full Premier League season.
Therefore it seems to me we will need at least one more versatile player capable of plugging gaps in midfield. While Doucouré would not be a regular starter he could be a useful option as a substitute in the later stages of games when we need fresh legs.