Results in the next set of Premier League fixtures could lead to Everton's safety being confirmed - triggering the obligation to sign Merlin Rohl on a permanent deal
David Moyes takes notes prior to the Premier League match between Arsenal and Everton at Emirates Stadium. Photo by James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images
David Moyes takes notes prior to the Premier League match between Arsenal and Everton at Emirates Stadium. Photo by James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images
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Everton’s first signing of the summer could be confirmed as early as the final whistle of the club’s next game.
The Blues return to action with a trip to Brentford on Saturday, April 11 - a match that could have a defining say in the battle for Europe. The clubs are currently separated by goal difference alone and both are within three points of the likely Champions League places.
While they each sit in what could become European spots, they lead a large pack of clubs chasing football on the continent with just seven games to go.
The fixture holds additional significance for Everton. Should results go their way, they, like Brentford, could confirm their Premier League survival that weekend. That would trigger the obligation to make the signing of Merlin Rohl permanent.
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Rohl joined the Blues on loan from German club Freiburg in the final hours of the summer transfer window. David Moyes had been keen to strengthen his midfield and had monitored the Germany Under-21s international while at his former club West Ham United.
The arrival of Rohl paved the way for teenage starlet Harrison Armstrong to join Preston North End on loan, though the pair will finish the season as team-mates after the latter was recalled amid a selection crisis in January.
Both players started the win at Aston Villa together in January, the last time Rohl featured in the Everton first XI. The 23-year-old excelled in that game and initially excited staff at Finch Farm before being hit by hip and hernia issues that hampered his availability.
The two games he has started have seen Everton secure important away wins while keeping clean sheets, playing well in a 2-0 victory at Nottingham Forest in late December. He has been a late substitute in Everton’s two most recent games.
His loan deal contained the agreement that the Blues would make the deal permanent for a fee of around £18m in the event the club avoided relegation. The ECHO understands that clause, confirmed at the time by Freiburg, does not feature an exit mechanism.
Everton will head into the next round of Premier League fixtures knowing neither of the bottom two clubs, Wolves and Burnley can catch them.
The Blues are 17 points clear of West Ham United and 16 ahead of Tottenham Hotspur.
Should Moyes’ side win in London, then defeat for West Ham at Wolves or Spurs at Sunderland, would make it mathematically impossible for them to go down with six games to go.