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Everton are believed to be lining up a bold bid for a talented Liverpool prospect
Transfer dealings between Everton and Liverpool are a rare breed. The Reds did not buy directly from Everton between 1959 and 2000, while there was a similar freeze in the opposite direction between 1961 and 1982. Abel Xavier is the last Everton player to make a direct transfer to Liverpool back in 2002, and he is just the second to move between the two clubs in the 21st century, after Reds boss Gerard Houllier’s £6m acquisition of Nick Barmby back in 2000.
Transfers in the opposite direction are even rarer, with former England international Peter Beardsley being the last example of a Liverpool star to swap red for blue in a £1m move back in 1991 - a year before the start of the Premier League in what was dubbed a ‘whole new ball game’.
However, if the rumour mill is to be believed, that trend could be bucked this summer, with Everton under their new owners the Friedkin Group, reportedly preparing a huge offer to sign Liverpool prospect Ben Doak this summer. Football Insider explains that David Moyes is a huge fan of the 19-year-old Celtic academy graduate and could use the Scottish connection to his advantage to try and get an exciting deal across the line this summer.
Is Ben Doak the next best big thing?
Ten years ago, a nine-year-old Ben Doak was plying his trade at Ayr United in an under-11s match - he scored nine times that day and within an instant became a target for the nation’s most successful team at this moment in time in Celtic, who signed the youngster up as swiftly as possible.
Liam Anderson, one of Doak’s coaches at Ayr Utd at the time, admits it was inevitable that he’d go on to do big things. He said, via Sky Sports: “He had so many raw qualities – he was aggressive, fast, powerful but also a good finisher and quality on the ball, all the same attributes you see now. At the age of nine, he was the best player in the Ayr Utd academy despite being a year younger than everybody else. He was a nice, good young kid and while it’s so early in his career, I don’t think it’s any shock to see him doing so well.”
Doak developed his talents at Celtic and made two league appearances during the 2021/22 season under now-Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou at just 16 years of age. However, despite the hype surrounding him and Celtic’s desperation to keep him, he left on a free transfer to join Liverpool, with Celtic receiving just £600,000 in compensation.
The youngster made ten appearances in total for Liverpool’s first team under Jurgen Klopp, but struggled for the desired game time after a serious knee injury in his second season. However, Klopp spoke highly of Doak and his potential, via the Liverpool Echo: “He's with us in training again, special boy. Really confident, has something nobody else delivers.
But when Slot arrived Doak was instantly sent out on loan to the Championship with Middlesbrough where his now making waves in a promising breakout campaign.
Why are Everton interested in Ben Doak?
Ben Doak has a record of three goals and seven assists in 24 appearances for a play-off chasing Middlesbrough team, these are solid stats for a winger, who has been sidelined since February through injury, but the calibre of his performances suggest to many fans that he is capable of even bigger things with a number of fans on X referring to him as the ‘next Messi’.
Michael Carrick told BBC Radio Tees earlier this season: “It’s everything you want. In terms of the level (he’s reached), it’s very difficult to envision something happening so quickly. There’s no getting away from it, Ben’s having a really good time of it at the moment. He’s playing some good football and looking dangerous. The opportunity for him to come here and play and be part of the squad - he’s obviously confident. We know his strengths, it’s pretty obvious what he’s good at and he’s taken that on to Scotland as well."
Doak is already an established regular for the Scotland national team and has been heavily praised for his impact for Steve Clarke’s side in recent international breaks, most notably against Croatia and Portugal in the Nations League where he proved immensely difficult for some of Europe’s best full-backs to handle. "He's a threat, he's very direct and brings us something a bit different,” explained Clarke during his most recent international outing.
These are the type of qualities Everton are in desperate need of after being one of the lowest scoring teams in the division this season with just 32 goals - the least of any team outside the relegation places. Football Insider suggest a figure of £30m could be enough to convince Liverpool to sell Doak, although Palace with funds to spend after the sale of Michael Olise last summer, could also return with fresh interest.
It is a time of great change for Everton, ahead of their move into their new state-of-the-art, waterfront stadium next season. As they enter this bold new dawn, Doak could be the catalyst on the field to finally see the Toffees become a force to be reckoned with in the Premier League once again.
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