The Everton right-back odyssey: A summer of almosts
Every transfer window, Everton fans are told this is the time that the right-back curse finally lifts. Every transfer window, it doesn’t. Here’s how summer 2026 has gone so far…
Kyle Walker — A kind-of dream that never left the driveway. Linked, discussed, shelved. Reports suggest he was rejected before it got anywhere near serious, which tells you what kind of pursuit this really was. Probably too old anyway, right?
Aaron Wan-Bissaka — The ‘sensible’ option. Maybe too sensible for Everton. Solid, proven, and never close to happening — the exact type that Everton fans associate with – a deal that limps along for a few weeks… and then dies.
Brooke Norton-Cuffy — Blink and you missed it. In the conversation, then out of it, with barely time to look up who he plays for. Felt like a good option to me .. but then what do I know.
Djed Spence — Always felt unlikely given the strong World Cup he had. Fancied by many, right up until he fancied Inter Milan more. At least losing out to a Champions League club stings with a hint of dignity.
Alistair Johnston — Building momentum, then wiped out by a “hammer blow” injury in Scotland. Everton’s right-back search keeps finding new ways to fail. This was a new one. I’d been sucked in by it. Genuinely though he was the one.
Daniel Munoz — The name that had fans genuinely excited, undercut almost immediately by the same old snag: he’s a wing-back, not a right-back, and Moyes may not fancy the tactical re-jig needed to fit him in. Another that felt close … still does in truth.
Héctor Fort — This summer’s freshest face. Twenty years old, barely off the plane from Elche, already installed as the frontrunner. But, then again, everyone has been the frontrunner at some point. Wait long enough and you’ll be on the list.
There have been loads of others. Loads. Some genuine. Others the figment of a spotty teen’s imagination as he sits in his bedroom waiting to be called for tea.
It’s all getting a bit tiring in truth, and I’m not even a born and bred Evertonian. I’d not even be surprised if they talk nicely to Seamus and get him back for another season.
But, I suspect the cycle will continue…
A new name shows up, hope flickers, a structural or tactical snag appears, Everton move on to the next one. Jake O’Brien, a centre-back by trade, still holds the fort in the meantime — which tells you everything about how unresolved this search remains.
Check back on Monday. There’ll probably be three or four new names by then.
On a more serious note, please follow the transfer saga on our live transfer tracker.
Gary is editor for ReadEverton. He has many years experience of sports writing behind him after deciding (belatedly) that the world of accountancy wasn't for him. His work has been featured on (among many others) BBC Sport and The Metro. He has written on many sports, but considers himself an expert in football and F1. When not writing and editing he likes to go to the cinema and sip a lovely cold pint of Guinness (not always at the same time).
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