Believe it or not, one former Everton player has held a Premier League record for the last 17 years, but it may now be about to come to an end this season.
Everton have a great history in the game. They remain one of six teams that have been ever-present in the Premier League era, alongside Man United, Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea, and Spurs.
The Toffees may still be waiting for their first trophy since the FA Cup triumph back in 1995, but they do hold one record that no other top flight player has gotten close to.
That is, until now, and it’s Micky van de Ven who could hurt Everton once more.
Liverpool v Everton
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Joleon Lescott’s goalscoring feat could be surpassed by one man
In the 2007/08 season, Joleon Lescott achieved an incredible Premier League record by scoring eight goals throughout the campaign. That earned him the accolade of being the highest-scoring centre-half in a single season.
The towering defender played all 38 games for Everton that term, scoring against Tottenham, Bolton, Middlesbrough, Man City (in home and away games), Wigan, Birmingham, and Newcastle United.
The closest anyone has come is Gary Cahill (Chelsea) and Gareth McAuley (West Brom), who both scored six goals in the 2016/17 season.
Now, Micky van de Ven could be the man to surpass them all, with the Spurs defender already on three league goals this season (plus a further three in continental competitions). If he keeps up his current rate of scoring, that record will surely be his.
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Ironically, two of van de Ven’s goals came against the Toffees in that 3-0 defeat at Hill Dickinson Stadium, and they could well propel him into the Premier League history books.
Leighton Baines celebrates scoring for Everton against Newcastle United
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Everton have a rich history of goalscoring defenders
Lescott is not alone in the goalscoring charts for Everton. In fact, he was often eclipsed by the likes of Leighton Baines with the free-kick master being fairly prolific for a defender, bagging 39 goals for the Toffees over the years.
Still, he only ever scored as many as five in a single season. Likewise, David Unsworth scored 40 goals for Everton during his time on Merseyside, benefitting from being an impeccable penalty-taker. He scored six in one season back in 1999/00 and hit five the following year.
Right now, Everton have two defenders capable of popping up with key goals. Michael Keane was on the scoresheet this weekend against Fulham to take his tally to two for the season. James Tarkowski hasn’t scored yet this term, but we know he can contribute in the opposition box, too.
Still, they’ll need to step up their game if they’re to reach the levels of Joleon Lescott in that one, incredible season.