Everton midfielder James Garner's current contract expires next summer and the player has been reportedly attracting interest from Newcastle United
Everton manager David Moyes remains determined to keep hold of James Garner despite reported interest in the player from Newcastle United.
Moyes, who has deployed Garner in three different positions so far this season, waxed lyrical about the 24-year-old’s ability last week ahead of Thomas Tuchel picking his England squad for their final round of World Cup qualifiers with the Three Lions’ place in next summer’s tournament already secured. The Blues boss said: “He’s been fantastic since I came in.
“I didn’t realise probably how good he was. He’s been so good. “He’s played great in midfield and he’s played full-back for me as well. I’ve said a couple of times recently he’s probably getting closer to getting talked about for England because of his performances. “By the way, England have got so many good players to select from, so for anyone to select a team [is difficult]. I’ve been listening to discussions all week about (Phil) Foden and (Jude) Bellingham, etc., but all I’m saying is Jimmy is one of the group of young English midfield players who maybe in the future has a chance of getting a call-up. “He’s done a brilliant job for us, Jimmy, and he’s playing very well.”
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Garner joined Everton from Manchester United for an initial £9million fee on September 1, 2022, a decision that proved unpopular with many high-ranking insiders at Old Trafford who rated him highly. The Birkenhead-born player has subsequently made 97 appearances for the Blues and scored three goals, including a spectacular long-range effort to clinch the 2-0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion on August 24 in the first Premier League match at Hill Dickinson Stadium.
An article from Football Insider claims Newcastle United scouts “have been making regular checks on Garner, whose contract expires next summer,” adding that Everton “do not want to lose him either on a free next summer or for a cut-price fee in January.” It was also reported that Garner had signed a four-year deal when he first joined the Blues, that would take him up to 2026.
However, when asked about the prospect of offering a new contract for the player if he was now in the final 12 months in his pre-match press conference to preview the game against Aston Villa on September 13, Moyes said: “I don’t know if he’s in the last year of his contract. I’m sure there will be a clause in there where we’ve got him so, I couldn’t even answer that question.”
The ECHO understands that there is an option to extend Garner’s deal by a further year, which would negate any fears of potentially losing him for nothing at the end of the current season and that any interest from the Magpies is far from concrete at this stage. But given how highly the player is rated by the manager and as reward for his progress, it is also understood that talks are progressing on a new long-term contract after both James Tarkowski and Jordan Pickford penned similar extensions last month.
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