Delap update, gueye decision, major contract news - everton transfer stock take

BLUES CORRESPONDENT JOE THOMAS TAKES A LOOK AT THE STATE-OF-PLAY WITHIN EVERTON'S SQUAD AHEAD OF A BUSY SUMMER 05:00, 29 May 2025 Everton start a busy summer with a lot of work to do.

The Blues ended the season on a high, with three consecutive wins cementing the club in 13th place and capping off a sensational turnaround from the relegation fight David Moyes inherited in

January. He wants Everton to be looking up the table, not down it, but that will be no easy feat given the extent of the job at hand. The club finished the campaign with 15 players on

expiring deals and Moyes will have to work hard to craft a squad capable of dealing with the threat from below - Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United will be expected to

improve dramatically next season - while playing catch-up to the sides that finished above Everton. The first priority is to finalise which of the many out of contract players will be

offered new deals - a process that remains ongoing. Another is to appoint the final members of the club’s new-look recruitment team. With Everton desperate to exploit the potential this

summer offers, this is the state-of-play. READ MORE: Everton handed major Carlos Alcaraz transfer boost as priority deadline nearsREAD MORE: Goodison Park shook and Everton had hope -

dramatic Bournemouth win in the words of those behind it GOALKEEPERS: A JOB THAT HAS BEEN ADDED TO THE LONG ‘TO-DO’ LIST Jordan Pickford captained Everton in their final day win at Newcastle

United and was exceptional again. His latest clean sheet left him with 12 for the season, behind only Arsenal’s David Raya and Nottingham Forest’s Matz Sels. It was some achievement for a

player who has done more than any other, on the pitch at least, to protect Everton’s Premier League status through recent dark years. While Pickford offers Everton an international-quality

option in a key position, there is work to do behind him. Opportunities for Joao Virginia and Asmir Begovic have been limited but Virginia proved a capable back-up in cup competitions while

Moyes repeatedly spoke of the leadership qualities of Begovic. That both are set to leave, with the club having opted not to trigger its extension for Virginia, comes as a surprise given how

important stability in the goalkeeping department has been to keeping Pickford on top form. It adds another job to the lengthy ‘to-do’ list as Moyes will need to bring in at least one more

option behind Pickford. Harry Tyrer played 38 games in League One for Blackpool this season, a stint that followed success in the National League with Chesterfield the previous year. He

would be the most senior back-up at Everton should Billy Crellin, who spent this year on loan at Accrington Stanley, not be offered a new deal. Even becoming third-choice would represent a

significant step up for both, so Everton enter this summer looking for a back-up goalkeeper who has had some exposure to top-level first team football. CENTRE BACKS: A PROBLEM DAVID MOYES

WAS DESPERATE TO AVOID Preparations for the summer began some time ago and Moyes quickly knew his starting point. The Blues boss has long-seen the foundation of his new-look Blues being the

axis of Pickford, James Tarkowski and Jarrad Branthwaite. Banking on both has become more fraught than he would have hoped. Tarkowski ended the season with a hamstring injury that poses a

headache for Moyes. The 32-year-old is key to his plans but his game is built around his strength and durability. The injury required surgery and, while that is thought to have gone well,

there was an expectation the recovery could eat into Tarkowski’s pre-season. The hope is the centre back returns as the player Everton have relied so heavily on since his arrival three years

ago. Until he makes his comeback there will be lingering fears over whether his first serious injury in years will have any long-term consequences. Moyes enters the summer aware there may

be interest in Tarkowski’s partner Branthwaite and keen to stave it off. The 22-year-old is central to his plans and holding onto him would represent a significant statement of intent

heading into the new stadium. Chelsea are one of several potential suitors rumoured to be looking at the England starlet and, should they show greater respect than Manchester United did last

year, could test Everton’s resolve should they be willing to approach the club’s valuation of the player. Last year that was north of £60m and that will be the case again given the

new-found financial stability provided by owners The Friedkin Group. While Everton will be reluctant to sell Branthwaite, club chiefs are expected to be pragmatic with sensible offers for

key players this summer, particularly given the additional leeway any sale could have on the club’s Profit and Sustainability calculations - before and after the June 30 fiscal deadline. The

good news for Moyes is that, disappointing as it was to lose Tarkowski for the final month of the season, it allowed him to test Jake O’Brien in his favoured position. No player benefitted

more through Moyes’ appointment than O’Brien, who was signed amid fanfare in the summer but sidelined by Sean Dyche. O’Brien proved a capable option on the right of the defence and was

impressive at Newcastle in the middle. The success of the towering centre back means that, should Tarkowski suffer a setback in his rehabilitation, or Everton receive an offer for

Branthwaite that is too good to turn down, Moyes already has a solution. His problem is if Branthwaite is sold and Tarkowski is unable to undergo a strong pre-season. It is concerns around

that which have led Moyes to think so carefully about the future of Michael Keane. Keane is out of contract and for most of this season had been expected to depart. There has been interest

from Italy and the USA at various points this year, while he was set to be a target of Sheffield United had they won promotion from the Championship. Moyes rates Keane’s professionalism

highly and with the potential for uncertainty ahead of him is considering whether he could be retained beyond the summer. Keane was excellent in the away win at Fulham, in which he scored,

and at Newcastle on the final day. For Keane, Moyes represents a known quantity and, should he leave, the Blues boss would need to add a fourth-choice centre back to his list for this

summer. Mason Holgate, who has spent the past two seasons on loan, is expected to depart this summer. GOODBYE GOODISON PARK - SOUVENIR EDITION Everton are soon set to say goodbye to Goodison

Park as the Toffees play out their final few matches in their iconic home before moving to their incredible new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock. And to celebrate this historic and poignant

event, the ECHO has produced this stunning special souvenir edition that no fan can afford to be without as they bid farewell to their iconic and beloved home. We have delved into the ECHO

archives to unearth fascinating stories from the famous ground's past, including how it came to be built in 1892 and where its world-famous name came from. Buy nowand have it delivered

directly to your door. Alternatively you can purchase in most supermarkets, high street retailers and independent newsagents on Merseyside from April 2, 2025. You can also purchase

Goodison's Greatest, our celebration of an era when Everton ruled English football. If you love Everton, you’ll just love this - order your copy today, simply click here! And

that's not all, also available is ParkLife, a a high quality, 312 page publication showcasing 133-years of Goodison history in pictures. Available here. Then there's Farewell to

Goodison, celebrating 100 of the best moments at the Grand Old Lady, available to purchase now. FULL-BACKS: A NEW CHANCE TO SOLVE AN OLD PROBLEM The right back position has been problematic

for Everton for several years. It was accepted this was an area that needed strengthening last summer but, with money tight, the club gambled on being able to muddle through with veterans

Seamus Coleman and Ashley Young, injury-plagued Nathan Patterson and, should it come to it, James Garner. At first, that plan looked problematic. Patterson and Coleman started the season

injured and when Young was sent off on the first day of the campaign, Dyche turned to Holgate for the final minutes of the hammering by Brighton and Hove Albion. It was a decision that went

down so badly, Under-21s youngster Roman Dixon started the next game at Tottenham Hotspur. Young is leaving the club but Patterson will remain under contract and Moyes wants Coleman to

extend his stay. He accepts Coleman’s body is likely to prevent him from having an impact on the pitch - the 36-year-old was protected for the Goodison farewell against Southampton but

lasted just 20 minutes. But he wants the leadership of the club captain in the dressing room during a summer of major transition. That opens the door for Patterson to finally nail down the

right back slot. To do so, he will have to overcome serious competition though, with Everton entering the market open to finding a new first choice option. The Scotland international has had

good spells on Merseyside but injuries have repeatedly halted his momentum and recent months have suggested Moyes has question marks over the former Rangers player. The Blues boss played

O’Brien out of position ahead of the 23-year-old for months and was then frustrated with both Patterson and Vitalii Mykolenko in the build-up to the Ipswich Town equaliser at Goodison. He

opted to start Young ahead of Patterson at Newcastle. Work is also expected at left back, an area Moyes accepted needed strengthening when he was appointed in January. Mykolenko’s attacking

threat has grown under Moyes and he provided the assist for Carlos Alcaraz’s winner at St James’ Park - adding to the one he picked up at Brentford when he crossed for O’Brien to score. But

with Young having departed it is accepted Mykolenko needs competition and cover, so Everton’s search this summer will include options on both sides of the defence. CENTRAL MIDFIELD: MOVING

AWAY FROM A RELIANCE ON IDRISSA GUEYE Idrissa Gueye was the most impressive performer during the second half of the season and his influence belied his age. He is out of contract but he is

one of the players whose future is being actively discussed and the 35-year-old showed few signs of dropping off as he continued to operate relentlessly in the middle. With the departure of

Abdoulaye Doucoure, a player whose importance was undeniable across recent seasons, the loss of Gueye would leave a gaping hole in a midfield Moyes already wanted to improve. Should the

Senegal international remain, there will still be efforts to create the midfield of the future around him given his age. James Garner will be around to support that transition. He became

integral to Moyes in the final weeks of the season but enters the final year of his contract in July and so his future, potentially a new contract, will require thought. This is an area

Moyes believed Everton needed to strengthen in January - even before loanee Orel Mangala's season ended with ligament damage at Brighton - but was unable to find a way to do so. At the

time he looked at Chelsea’s Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Sean Longstaff and he retains an interest in both going into the summer. There is no expectation from Everton that Dewsbury-Hall will be

available but Longstaff is surplus to requirements at Newcastle and is on the Blues’ radar as Moyes assesses his options. Teen starlet Harrison Armstrong will be considered when pre-season

begins with Moyes having travelled to watch the midfielder during his impressive loan spell in the Championship with Derby County while Tim Iroegbunam, who ended the season with a groin

injury, will be another option. Moyes was keen to add goals to his midfield even before Doucoure’s departure was signed off so will begin the summer searching for players who can produce in

front of goal. He maintains admiration for Tomas Soucek, a favourite of his at West Ham United, but claims Everton have made enquiries for the Czech international have been dismissed at

Finch Farm. A reunion with James Ward-Prowse has not been explored despite Moyes’ frustration at the quality of set pieces since his return. SECURING ALCARAZ THEN FURTHER UPGRADING EVERTON’S

ATTACKING MIDFIELD Another of Moyes’ frustrations since January has been the lack of goals from the roles supporting his striker. The failure to provide a consistent thread of goals and

assists has led to the returns of Jesper Lindstrom and Jack Harrison to their parent clubs, for now at least and was the reason Moyes opted against a move for Lyon winger Ernest Nuameh upon

his arrival. The departures of Lindstrom and Harrison mean Everton start the summer with no recognised senior right wingers. Dwight McNeil, Garner and Iliman Ndiaye have been used there but

this is clearly a priority area for Moyes. Outgoing director of football Kevin Thelwell hoped to find a long-term solution last summer but his pursuits of Leeds United’s Wilfried Gnonto,

Newcastle's Yankuba Minteh and Jaden Philogene, then of Hull City, were unsuccessful. This is an area Everton want to address and it is not lost on anyone at the club that, with the

search for a right back also underway, a new-look right side may need time to gel over pre-season. Ndiaye was one of the most impressive players of Everton’s season and became a fan

favourite following his move from Marseille, while McNeil is also a proven Premier League option on the left whose quality from set pieces adds to his value. Everton hope to make Carlos

Alcaraz, who spent the second half of the season on loan from Flamengo, the club’s first permanent signing of the summer and are confident a deal will be done by the end of May. There is

also interest in Liverpool’s Ben Doak, who has spent this season on loan with Middlesbrough. CAN EVERTON WOO LIAM DELAP? Finally, Moyes has made no secret of his desire to tempt Liam Delap

into a move to Everton. The striker, who scored 12 times in the league for relegated Ipswich Town, has held talks with the Blues as part of his exploration of the clubs keen to secure his

signature - a long list that includes Manchester United and Chelsea. Everton can offer Delap the opportunity to be their leading forward and the star the new squad is built around as it

moves to the state-of-the-art new stadium. It is expected Delap will make his decision in the coming days, with his release clause standing at £30m. What Everton do in the transfer market

will largely depend on Delap’s call. Dominic Calvert-Lewin has struggled with injuries but there is an acceptance his quality would be expensive to replace should he be able to stay fit.

Meanwhile, Beto’s goals proved crucial to pulling Everton to safety and the striker finished the season in solid form. A serious bid for the Guinea-Bissau forward would likely be

contemplated but not if it was to strengthen a Premier League rival such as Leeds, who are reportedly interested in him. Article continues below The forward line is one that remains fluid,

therefore, and will likely depend on the knock-on effect of moves elsewhere in the market. Youssef Chermiti adds a fourth option and he is likely to be assessed in pre-season, with his short

term future potentially on loan. He has shown promise in glimpses but injuries have limited his exposure to first team football. Neal Maupay's loan move to Marseille included an

obligation to make the move permanent, so he will not return.