Everton have secured several key players to new deals in recent months, the next deal should be a straightforward one, writes Blues correspondent Joe Thomas
Joe Thomas is the Everton FC correspondent for the Liverpool ECHO. He follows the Blues home and away, providing match reports, analysis and insight into events at Goodison Park, Finch Farm and beyond. Joe spent more than a decade covering news on Merseyside, working on award-winning investigations and extensively covering matters related to the Hillsborough tragedy - including the recent criminal prosecutions. Always grateful for tips and feedback, he can be contacted at joe.thomas@reachplc.com and on Twitter via @joe_thomas18
James Tarkowski shakes hands with James Garner as Jordan Pickford looks on after the match between Brentford and Everton at the Gtech Community Stadium on February 26, 2025
James Tarkowski shakes hands with James Garner as Jordan Pickford looks on after the match between Brentford and Everton at the Gtech Community Stadium on February 26, 2025
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Jarrad Branthwaite, James Tarkowski and now Jordan Pickford. All done. Next in line should be James Garner.
One of the biggest challenges of a complicated summer for David Moyes and those around him was the sheer number of decisions that needed to be made over contracts. The workload was a legacy of the final stages of the Farhad Moshiri era, a period that ended with survival being the priority. In those circumstances, forward planning was tough.
The consequence of leaving so many deals to expire at the same time was that a summer of transition began slowly as the futures of players from Dominic Calvert-Lewin to Seamus Coleman and Idrissa Gueye were resolved.
There will be an element of that next summer too, with some of the more senior players - including Coleman, Gueye and Michael Keane - having initially extended terms by 12 months.
But by then, Moyes and The Friedkin Group’s leadership team will be well established and the extent of the squad overhaul needed at the end of this season will not be as severe.
It has been promising to see, despite that, Everton have moved to tie down some of the prominent players who were entering pivotal periods in their existing deals.
Neither Branthwaite nor Pickford were on deals that were due to expire in 2026 but the work to extend their terms much further into the future has provided Moyes with security over two players he views as central to the growth of this club and, hopefully, its return to the top end of the table.
Tarkowski’s deal had entered the final 12 months but last week’s news a fresh agreement had been reached has taken another significant job from the ‘to-do’ list well before it had the potential to become troublesome.
The club has indicated it plans a similar approach with Garner and Vitalii Mykolenko, who are also technically in the final year of their current deals.
With Garner, the existence of a club clause to extend his stay by a further year provides some security but Everton would be sensible to continue with the same policy of not leaving anything to chance.
The 24-year-old entered this season under a degree of pressure with Moyes courting midfielders and change expected around him but has emerged stronger, his versatility already proving crucial to the side.
It is his value in his favoured position that should instruct those at Finch Farm though.
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Garner has emerged as an influential figure while playing deeper, helping to win the ball back and knit defence and attack when provided the chance to do so. He was excellent in the league win at Wolverhampton Wanderers and his importance has been sustained by the injury suffered to Merlin Rohl and will remain when Gueye heads to the Africa Cup of Nations in December.
When he has been needed at full-back it has been notable how much the team has suffered through his removal from midfield, too.
Moyes has repeatedly thrust Garner’s name towards the England picture and there have been claims that his performances are attracting interest, including from former club Manchester United.
The Birkenhead-born player should soon have competition from Rohl and Moyes is likely to look again at his central midfield next summer but making Garner the next priority would be wise because his importance is growing with every positive performance he produces.