Last summer, this article extended to a review of a potential ELEVEN departures — which is almost as many senior players as Everton have under contract currently! In any event, only two ended up being sold, in Ben Godfrey and Amadou Onana - the latter for €59.4m, around €10m short of the figure I’d estimated - with Mason Holgate and Neal Maupay going out on loans which effectively ended their time at the club.
This time around, this piece will be necessarily a little shorter. Possessing such a small number of players already, it is unlikely that the Blues will entertain moving many on — in order to maintain some continuity and cohesion in the squad, if nothing else. Here, I will take a look at those who could potentially attract serious interest, and those who the Toffees decision-makers may decide to move out of their own volition.
Jarrad Branthwaite
Evaluation: €39m*
The team’s major asset, speculation regarding Branthwaite’s future will continue for as long as he plays to the standard he’s set for himself — though this should die down in the short-term after he signed a new five-year contract, on what will be hugely improved terms. Still, having turned 23 only last month, the tall centre half ticks the sort of boxes which will be sure to feature in the scouting reports assembled by moneyed clubs — who appear able to spend freely, without any PSR concerns whatsoever.
Thus, although the defender has been identified as one of the foundations of the side by David Moyes, and tying him down to a lucrative new deal can be seen as a strong statement of intent by the Friedkins, a truly immense bid would still have to be seriously considered. What kind of figure would tempt the club? Seeing as a financially unstable Everton were able to comfortably rebuff low-ball offers by Manchester United a year ago, it would likely take a bid in the region of €85m to cause any real pause for thought.
Nottingham Forest FC v Everton FC - Premier League It would take a herculean offer to tempt the Toffees into selling Branthwaite now
Photo by Andrew Kearns - CameraSport via Getty Images
* This figure does not take into account Branthwaite’s new contract.
Verdict: retain, at all costs.
Nathan Patterson
Evaluation: €16.4m
The Scot looked like heading close to the exit door last summer (at least in my assessment), and I’ve seen nothing since to indicate that he has any future at the club. In what’s been a familiar story, he started the last campaign injured and continued to spend the entirety of 2024 being ignored by Sean Dyche. Handed a first start of the season by caretaker boss Leighton Baines - in a January FA Cup tie against Peterborough United - the fullback had to wait until April before Moyes picked him in his first eleven, as a emergency selection at left back.
Two more starts followed, but he was an unused substitute for Everton’s final three outings. That Ashley Young, who’d announced he’d be leaving beforehand, was selected ahead of Patterson for the season closer, against Newcastle United, hinted starkly that the defender was finished at the club. He ended the campaign having played a mere 418 minutes across all competitions — a significant drop from 1415 the previous term.
The 23-year-old has never got going since his move south of the border three-and-a-half years ago and needs a fresh start elsewhere. Patterson’s book value has now shrunk to around €5.1m, and surely a player who is still quite young, possessing some positive attributes, could fetch a fee in excess of that? His wages will not be a factor, so I can see him generating some market interest, even it ends up as a loan with an option, or obligation to buy. A figure of around €7.5m should be attainable.
Verdict: sell.
FBL-ENG-PR-EVERTON-ARSENAL Patterson served as an emergency left back against Arsenal in April
Dwight McNeil
Evaluation: €24.2m
The ex-Burnley man has had a turbulent three years at Everton. Initially deployed largely on the right under Frank Lampard (a fact which I’d completely forgotten), to little effect, it was only when his old boss Dyche arrived that he became a real mainstay in the team. McNeil scored a career-high seven goals that season, ending up as the club’s leading scorer, as he played a key part in the Blues escaping the drop. He was an ever-present in the following campaign, amassing almost 2,900 league minutes — this time almost exclusively from his accustomed left wing berth.
Last term saw him miss four months with a knee injury, and when he returned he started just twice over the team’s final eight games. Dyche had used him in a central attacking role, whereas Moyes installed him on the right flank. How effective he was in either position is open to question — though it must be noted that he scored or assisted four goals in limited minutes under the Scot. McNeil has two years left to run on his contract, and has been a leading attacking contributor since his arrival at Everton, but where does he play, and will he be a starter?
Iliman Ndiaye appears to be locked in as first choice in McNeil’s regular position on the left and Carlos Alcaraz will surely be preferred in the centre. The Toffees right wing spot is sure to be a major recruitment area in the coming weeks, which leaves the 25-year-old looking in as a squad option. He’d unquestionably be highly useful in that role, but could the club be tempted to offer him out, with an eye on balancing out what figures to be considerable expenditure this summer? His book value is only €6.8m, and offers around €20m would surely be worth considering.
Verdict: retain
Brighton & Hove Albion v Everton FC - Premier League McNeil taps home Everton’s fourth in that crucial win over Brighton in May 2023.
Photo by Charlie Crowhurst/Getty Images
Beto
Evaluation: €21.4m
Another returnee from last year’s list, along with Branthwaite and Patterson, the striker’s improved performances and production in the second half of last season had made me reconsider adding him in again. Brought in from the cold by Moyes, who actually paid attention to working with the Portuguese (unlike his torpid predecessor), Beto scored seven goals from the beginning of February to the end of the campaign. This made me think that, given the extent to which the Toffees needed to rebuild over the summer, that the big man may be able to lead the line for another year — enabling a rethink of the position to be pushed back a year.
However, the club has clearly identified centre forward as an area in which to strengthen, with first its pursuit of Liam Delap, followed by its acquisition of Villarreal’s Thierno Barry for a fee of €30m last week. So, where does this leave Beto? The 27-year-old cut an unhappy figure playing second-fiddle to Dominic Calvert-Lewin and is unlikely to be content should Barry appear to be Moyes’ favoured option during preseason. Will this lead to him pushing for a move? Rumours of interest in the forward from Italian clubs have persisted virtually since his arrival. Everton would need only €12.5m to make a PSR profit, so bids in the region of €15-20m would probably be taken seriously.
Verdict: retain
Note : The figures given for player evaluation are an average of those provided bytransfermarkt.com andfootballtransfers.com