The Latest Everton FC Transfer News, Stories and Updates have been added below for 2017 – 2018
Historical Transfer News and Team Gossip has been archived below
Tue, 27 Jun 2017 12:28:42 +0000: Everton close in on striker Onyekuru - Latest Stories, Video, and Commentary about Everton | BBC Everton are close to completing a £7m deal for KAS Eupen's Nigerian striker Henry Onyekuru.
Thu, 22 Jun 2017 15:56:22 +0000: Everton set to sign Malaga striker Sandro - Latest Stories, Video, and Commentary about Everton | BBC Everton are close to completing the signing of Malaga and Spain Under-21 striker Sandro Ramirez after meeting his £5.2m buy-out clause.
Thu, 15 Jun 2017 21:24:47 +0000: Klaassen completes £23.6m Everton move - Latest Stories, Video, and Commentary about Everton | BBC Everton complete the £23.6m signing of Ajax captain and Netherlands midfielder Davy Klaassen on a five-year deal.
Thu, 15 Jun 2017 16:10:53 +0000: Everton complete record Pickford deal - Latest Stories, Video, and Commentary about Everton | BBC Jordan Pickford becomes the most expensive British keeper after Everton pay £25m - rising to what would be a club record £30m - to sign him from Sunderland.
Wed, 14 Jun 2017 08:00:05 +0000: Premier League fixtures in full - Latest Stories, Video, and Commentary about Everton | BBC Find out your club's full fixture list for the 2017-18 Premier League season.
David Moyes has been scouring the football world for players to add to his squad for next season as he once again looks to over achieve with Everton against the big boys in the division. The club had a fairly good season last year but by Moyes own standards it has fallen well below what he expects from his side and now looks to bolster his squad for the upcoming season.
The first signing of the summer for Everton was the attacking midfielder Steven Naismith who arrived on a free transfer from Glasgow Rangers after the club went into administration. The Scottish international has an exceptional record in football and is seen as the perfect addition to Moyes young and up and coming side.
German international Lewis Holtby is one of Moyes top targets this summer as he looks to increase his capabilities in midfield with Fellani looking like he may find himself on the way out of Goodison this summer with the likes of Chelsea looking for his signature. Holtby who currently plays for Schalke has been quick to distance himself from these rumours as there are a number of clubs in for his services such as Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United.
Reserve team striker Joao Silva has finally left Goodison this summer to join the Bulgarian side Levski Sofia for an undisclosed fee as the player had fallen out of favour with the manager following a run of ineffective performances last season.
Defender Joseph Yobo who has been out on loan for the past two seasons is another player who could see the exit at Goodison as Moyes looks to clear out his closet of players he does not need to raise funds for future investments.
Left back Leighton Baines is another player who looks all set to be leaving Everton this summer with Manchester United leading the chase for his services. The influential left back is thought to be one of Sir Alex Fergusons top targets as he looks to replace the ageing Patrice Evra who was slightly ineffective last season and Everton could be set for a fee of around fifteen million pounds for their prized left back.
Underrated they may be but from the Premier League’s unsung heroes are quietly going about their business
Nomination for the October player of the month award (well, one of them – he made the PFA’s shortlist, but not the official Premier League-endorsed version) showed that Duffy’s sterling performances are being noticed. Since being named man of the match in the 3-2 win over Manchester United in August, the 6ft 3in centre-back has been vital to Brighton’s good form, scoring vital goals against United and Southampton and being responsible for more clearances (96) and more clearances off the line (two) than any other top-flight player. The five-year contract he signed last month was reward for his efforts.
Hugo Lloris ends his madcap day on a high, Everton work out how to stop Chelsea and Salomón Rondón proves his worth
Unai Emery delivered an overdue update on Danny Welbeck, the Arsenal striker who was stricken against Sporting in the Europa League last Thursday. Welbeck, the manager reported, underwent surgery last Friday to repair his badly broken ankle and he will be out for some time. With Welbeck’s contract due to expire at the end of the season, has he played his final game for the club? Emery had more pressing matters with his strikers against Wolves and he made a tactical change at half‑time, switching from 4-2-3-1 to 4-3-1-2 in order to allow Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to come in from the flank and partner Alexandre Lacazette up front. In the first half, Aubameyang had routinely drifted inside from the left. He did not look comfortable in that role. Arsenal would improve to draw 1-1. Is it the best use of Aubameyang’s talents to play him off the wing? David Hytner
“Presumably Matt Cash refuses to support any football club on principle,” emails Philip Reilly, “given that every team is filled with players who, like Barkley, have moved in search of more money and a greater chance of winning trophies.”
On this, I should say that I’m not criticising Everton fans for giving him stick at the game - anything that might distract him is justifiable, and giving out is a beauty of going the game - just that if we’re being fair and rational, he was well within his rights to leave.
“You have kind of contradicted yourself there on Makelele,” emails Ben Garnett. “In your last response to Geoff, you say that ‘Sure, Madrid missed him...because they didn’t replace him’, but your original point was that a serious team doesn’t need a player like Makelele. Surely, if they missed him after he went, that implies that they *did*, in fact, need him?”
Sorry if I was unclear: I meant they didn’t replace his position, rather than that they didn’t replace him with an identical player.
So, Chelsea stay third, and are now only a point ahead of Spurs in fourth, while Everton stay ninth, a point behind Man United.
There we go. An excellent point for Everton, who were solid and focused at the back, composed in midfield, and in Richarlison had a forward able to hold the ball and relieve pressure. Faced with that, Chelsea struggled to get much going, and didn’t really look like scoring in the last 15 minutes.
90+5 min In it goes, and Calvert-Lewin heads clearish...
90+5 min Morata chases wide, looks to hold the ball up, and is eventually shovelled off it by Mina - I wonder if he’ll stay in for next week, when Zouma is available again. Everton then try a break, and when Chelsea foil it. Fabregas wins a cheap foul, 30 yards from goal, off Gomes. Here we go: the game is here...
90+2 min Chelsea aren’t playing like a team who expect to score, testament to how well Everton have defended. Save a ten-minute spell around the 70-minute mark, they’ve not been subjected to sustained pressure, and have conceded few clear-cut chances.
90+1 min “Ross Barkley in 2013,” returns Matt Cast. “‘The main thing is I stay with the club I’m at, the team I support and the team I love, which is Everton. I love Everton and all I think about is playing for Everton.’ I’ll just leave it there I think.”
Might it be that he changed his mind? Disgraceful, in my opinion. I have stuck by and to everything I said at the age of 20.
90 min There’ll be five additional minutes.
90 min Morata wanders offside again, so makes what looks like a spectacles gesture at the linesman. Might it possibly be the case that he didn’t time his run to perfection? And that the lino has in fact saved him from being put through only to then do what he does?
89 min Calvert-Lewin replaces Richarlison.
88 min Morata is booked for mouth; maybe he should get better at playing football, instead of blaming his failings on the ref. Controversial, I know.
87 min Richarlison is down feeling his groin. That might be his afternoon, and a pretty decent one it’s been.
85 min I said this earlier, but I think we’re seeing the problem you get when a manager is implacably betrothed to a system. Everton are seeing away the 4-3-3, so change it, not just the players in it; try something different because the opposition are wise to your plan.
84 min This is an even game again; Everton are getting the ball into Richarlison’s feet, and he’s holding it up well.
82 min “Was Ross Barkley on the minimum wage at Everton then? Must have missed that...” emails Matt Cast.
You missed it because no one said it - though you may have wanted them to. Arranging a better deal for himself does not mean he was working for free previously, nor that he had no right to sell his own labour however he likes.
81 min ...the go short, what a waste, and end up with a throw. Sarri takes the opportunity to bring on Barkley for Kovacic.
80 min Everton enjoy some possession, Lookman suddenly weaving between Azpilicueta and Kante like a man dashing onto a train whose doors are closing. So Kepa rushes out to concede the corner, and Everton end up using it to force another...
79 min Everton are set now, but Chelsea have quietened down. Ross Barkley has been told to get going, but I don’t see why they’ve waited so long nor why Giroud has been ignored.
77 min Fabregas lofts a lovely pass over the top for Morata, so Keane falls into him ... gingerly enough for the ref to apprise no foul. That looked exceedingly dodgy to me.
75 min Change for Everton, Sigurdsson departing and Jagielka arriving, going into what is now a back five. I wonder how that’ll play for Everton; in midweek, Juventus did exactly that against Man United, and it cost them the match, but here Everton are under the pump anyway, so perhaps that element makes a diference.
74 min Eden, Eden Eden, Eden Eden, Eden Eden Hazard, to the tune of No Limits is a crime against football songs. The new lyrics are meant to sound like the original ones; it’s not hard.
73 min Excellent from Kovacic, who knocks Richarlison over, turns, and sets Chelsea off on the counter. Hazard then bounces forward and, cutting in from the left, smacks a curler that goes just wide of the far post - Pickford knew, moving his hands out of the road at the last second. He’s then booked for timewasting.
72 min And there he is, helping send the ball wide to Azpilicueta, who crosses for Morata ... who scores! Except he went early, far too early, and up goes the flag.
71 min A little nothing period, that Everton appreciate. And I didn’t get time to mention this when he came on, but what a player Fabregas is to bring on in game like this, one of the greatest passers ever to play in England.
69 min A Chelsea attack founders and the ball goes behind, which gives Everton a much-needed break. Pickford takes as long as he can over the kick, but it’s still hard to see Chelsea not scoring in the next 25 minutes or so.
69 min Second change for Chelsea: Pedro replaces Willian.
67 min “This isn’t opprobrium nor anything so uncouth,” emails Geoff; “it’s simple disagreement. I recall several reports of his erstwhile teammates dismay when he left Real Madrid - they certainly valued his presence and there were a few decent players among them. Can you think of a side that was ever improved by losing Makalele?
I never thought his passing was a real weakness. It’s true there weren’t (m)any Hollywood or killer passes, but a great consistency to his short passing, most particularly to play the correct choice of short pass at the right time, accurately and well weighted.
There’s perhaps a case for claiming that it’s the weaker or less creative teams which need have need for a passer with more range in the position.”
65 min Chelsea are into this now, and work the ball into Alonso, who steps into a low, cut-across shot ... which canons the face of the base of the post of the fast train, of the last train to Trancentral.
64 min Change apiece: Lookman for Bernard, then Fabregas for Jorginho.
63 min Hazard is getting on the ball now and saunters past two men before lamping a low shot that Mina does well to block; it rears up and Pickford tips behind. The corner comes to nowt.
62 min Chelsea are coming, forcing a succession of corners, Luiz up first for the most recent - it’s a free header - but he seems slightly short of the ball, glancing sideways which allows Everton to clear.
60 min This is a much better game now, and one pass from Hazard sticks Willian way at inside-right! He steps on the gas, ignoring Morata inside him - well you would, wouldn’t you - before sticking his head down and dragging a shot this much wide.
59 min Ball over the top seeking Willian, and Digne takes his eye off it as Pickford charges out ... but Willian can’t collect and is forced wide, crossing ... and Mina bowls into Morata, not even looking at the ball! No penalty, says the ref, but it was as close as it’s possible to be without being one. I think Mina was fortunate. And look a this! Everton break, and a cross from the right picks out Bernard, who in typical style panics as it drops, unable to control and arrowing a tame pelvic thrust at no one.
57 min The corner comes in and hits Rudiger on the hand, then the ball goes wide and the flag goes up ... but this should not draw attention away from what happens when the cross comes in, Mina humping higher than the sun from under the bar. That is not easy to achieve.
56 min Everton looks as likely scorers at the moment, not that either team looks much like scoring, and Digne slides a pass for him which he collects outside the box before unwrapping a curler that Kepa tips away.
55 min “Ross Barkley is privatised rail,” says Joseph Harvey. “Two hours late on every tackle, accident prone, and commenters strangely tolerant of every horror mistake due to tightly held mistaken views about what makes the thing virtuous.”
Ouch. I like Barkley, for the nothing that’s worth - the ability to run past men in the middle of the pitch is rare.
53 min Ross Barkley is warming up; I know this, not because i can see it, but because I can hear chants of “One greedy bastard”. How dare he do what’s best for himself and his family.
52 min Willian has a litte space on the right, and darts a pass into the the space for Hazard, in behind Digne. Immediately, the ball is hammered across, but no one’s on-hand to attack it.
51 min Jamie Carragher is praising Everton, and in particular, they way they’re happy to take the ball under pressure, then play through midfield. He’s right, too - they’ve shut Chelsea down so far, and not with last-ditch desperation.
49 min Walcott reminds me of the hare in a greyhound race. Anyone got any other footballer as inanimate object comparisons?
48 min Nice from Everton, turning Chelsea’s right flank so that Sigurdsson can drive a luscious square pass for Walcott, streaking through the middle; his first touch is his first touch.
48 min “I remember several conversations with friends about what players could win a World Cup if you had 10 of them in a team,” emails Matt Dony. “They need the strength to play centre-half, the speed and energy to play on the wing, the guild to play in the centre, and the deftness-of-touch to be a fox in the box. Peak Essien was always my first choice.”
I don’t actually think this is a difficult one: the answer is Wayne Rooney because he can play in net, plus imagine the joy of 11 men having a Wayne-Rooney-standard nightmare. But others I think would be good are Steven Gerrard and Roy Keane.
46 min And straight from kick-off, Chelsea try their long ball to Alonso on the left, Hazard racing around his outside - if only Everton could’ve known they’d try that - and Hazard crosses for Morata, who gets a toe on it, only for Pickford to tip away well.
46 min We go again.
Back come the teams...
Ross Barkley is on the pitch warming up. I’m not sure he’s coming on quite yet, but if Chelsea don’t score quickly, I doubt it’ll be long.
And here’s Frank, the extremely talented Argh Kid’s new single.
Here’s the trailer for After The Screaming Stops, a doc about Bros.
Half-time entertainment: some things I’m enjoying currently.
The score tells you all you need ta kna.
45+3 min It’s not great, isn’t this.
45+2 min Bernard and Rudiger have some kind of ruckus ... Bernard seems to bump him in the navel, so big Rudes goes down because of course he does. Both are booked.
45+1 min Chelsea find themselves with time and space for almost the first time, Willian shoving Bernard off the ball, chasing back, and finding Hazard who finds Alonso ... who whacks behind.
45 min There’ll be three added minutes...
44 min The problem with a manager wedded to a system is that when it doesn’t work, there are fewer options to resolve it. I don’t see that Chelsea need Kante in this game, and sticking on Giroud would give Everton a lot more to think about, but that just isn’t what Sarri does.
42 min Lovely feet from Hazard, passing the ball from right to left like a street coin trickster, then finding Morata, who’s mugged on the blindside by Digne. That’s a really good and important challenge.
42 min Luiz pings a diag - no Jamie Redknapp hasn’t hacked me - at Willian, an Digne leaps to challenge, hurting himself in the collision.
40 min The free-kick, 35 yards out, is chipped towards the back post where Luiz blocks off Coleman, allowing Alonso to fairly thrash a left-foot volley that Pickford has to palm away! I think that might be our first shot on target
40 min Kante gets the ball into Hazard’s feet, so Gomes immediately clips him, avoiding a card into the bargain.
38 min Alonso slides in and around Walcott - actually in and around him - ploughing through him as they both fall. That looks a right sair yin.
37 min This is one of those games where the pitch looks too small for the number of players on it. Also known as rugby union.
35 min “Perhaps Essien was checking his phone to see if he’d received a late call-up for the Manchester derby?” wonders Matt Loten. “Mourinho has been searching for an Essien successor ever since 2007: Sulley Muntari at Inter Milan, a crocked, late-career Essien at Madrid, Fred in this current United team. There have been few better-balanced midfield trios than Essien, Lampard, and Makelele were in Mourinho’s first dominant Chelsea side.”
I’m going to attract opprobrium here, but I don’t think any serious team needs a player like Makelele. I know having him hanging about in front of the defence allowed Lampard to do whatever, but think they’d have been even better with a passer in that position.
33 min “I don’t think Essien has actually retired,” tweets Dean Van Nguyen. “Maybe he has 25 mins in him today...”
He’ll be enjoying these tackles .. and there’s another one, Kante flattening Richarlison. He’s booked.
31 min I love the idea that players practise standing in someone’s way. Maybe the entirety of the Tube is in fact training set-pieces. Sigurdsson is back on.
30 min Sigurdsson has to go to the side, so Digne curls the free-kick in, and while Gomes blocks off a defender - that looks like a plan - Keane heads over.
28 min Luiz looks for Jorginho and sells him short, so Sigurdsson snaps onto the loose ball and runs away - that’s how slow Jorginho is - who responds with a sliding yet still high hack that earns him a booking and gets the Everton physios on. That wasn’t that far off a red-card offence.
28 min Chelsea needs to find a way of getting Morata into the game and playing off him because at the moment he’s doing almost nothing.
26 min Michaels Ballack and Essien are in the crowd because where’s better to play with one’s phone? What a pair of players they were; was Essien the last of his kind? I can’t think of any elite box-to-boxers since him.
25 min Gomes is growing into this game, able to take possession under pressure and find someone on his own team. He was a really smart acquisition, and I wonder if Everton can keep him - I’m not sure he’ll ever be a Barcelona midfielder, but he’s plenty good enough for them.
24 min But actually it’s all a decoy for his mate Marcos! Alonso bends a side-footer around the wall and just past the near post!
23 min David Luiz fancies this ... he’s currently staring at the ball, saying nide stuff about it to his mates.
21 min Luiz into Hazard, who turns beautifully and heads for the heart of the Everton defence, playing a one-two off Morata, so Mina introduces him to the turf by way of mid-nutmeg pile-through. He’s booked, and Chelsea now have a free-kick 25 yards out, dead centre, but that looked a fair enough challenge to me
19 min Luiz wins the ball inside the Everton half and strides through the middle of the park like Baresi, mentally admiring his own mental image, locks flowing and everything. Then Gueye slides in and confiscates possession with the perfunctory certainty of a school bully relieving a sap of their dinner money.
18 min Chelsea take the corer short, and incredibly enough, nothing comes of it. How often does anything come of some tomfoolery?
17 min Nice from Chelsea, Luiz clipping a pass wide to Alonso who’s high up the pitch, and he swings over a nasty cross that’s headed behind.
15 min Chelsea don’t look replete with attacking ideas. They don’t quite have the combination play sorted yet, and often, that’s what it takes to get around or through well-drilled defences.
13 min The game has assumed a pattern now, Everton sitting back and Chelsea fighting to find a way through before Everton win the ball and pile forward; repeat.
11 min Nice from Everton, a risky knock-back from Gomes allowing Gueye to spread for Coleman. He then advances, and Everton wind up with a corner from right; this time, the delivery is no good, but Jorginho’s clearing header falls for Bernard, who lashes a drive from outside the box which has Kepa flying across his goal ... he can’t get to it, but it was a yard or two wide.
10 min Hazard has a little run with it after Walcott races past no players before being dispossessed. He tries a one-two off Kovacic, but the return flick doesn’t quite work out.
8 min Willian looks to switch play, driving a pass over the goalline.
7 min Everton have started well here, and Sigurdsson finds Richarlison, pulling David Luiz out to the right. Eventually he’s crowded out, but already, Chelsea know they’re in a game.
5 min Everton are sitting off Chelsea, looking to stop the passes to Hazard rather than Hazard himself, and one successful excecution sees Bernard shimmering away, so Azpilicueta fouls him. Sigurdsson then swings one in and Mina is free, between Luiz and Alonso! But he can’t quite introduce brow to ball, and again Chelsea clear - though they can now consider themselves warned.
3 min In it comes to cause minor consternation, no defender attacking the ball. But no attacker is in position to profit, and Chelsea get it away.
2 min And counter they do, Walcott lifting a ball over the top for Coleman, who cuts back from the line. Eventually the ball bobbles across to Richarlison, and his low shot is deflected behind for a corner.
2 min Chelsea knock it long and deep in the Everton half is Kante; the attack breaks down, though not because of him and Everton look to counter.
1 min Off we go!
“Kevin Friend will be using a bespoke thank-you coin”. Ok.
We’ll now have a minute’s silence to remember those who fell at war. On which point, Sky’s bit, featuring current players reading letters and such written by former players who served, was really well done and is well worth looking up.
Here come our teams, led by pensioners holding poppies.
“Here’s my question about tattoos,” emails Ravi Raman. “Is there a rule on this for referees in the Premier League? I mean do they have to wear sleeves or something to cover up? I can’t recall seeing any ref with body art, can you?”
I’d be surprised if there were a rule, and would by more than happy to see Mikey Dean with a spider’s web over his face, or Jon Moss with a tear for every breakaway he’s killed.
Marco Silva says that Richarlison is fit to play, after being asked about his fitness, after selecting him because he’s fit. He also thinks that Yerry Mina is good.
I wonder what kind of player Andre Gomes is going to be. I’m sure I recall Gary Neville comparing him to Frank Lampard, so having him sat of the back-four doesn’t seem like the best way of extracting the maximum from him. I wonder if, against teams less good than them, Everton might invert their midfield triangle!
Jamie Redknapp is interviewing Ross Barkley: “In terms of your development, you got rid of your tattoos...”
Yeah, crucial. When not entertaining nonsense, Barkley says that playing well in pre-season was really important for him, and Sarri’s desire to always play football is working well for him. He felt that he wasn’t improving at Everton, so had no choice but to leave.
Jamie Carragher is talking about Ngolo Kante, and I wonder how long he’s got in this team. He’s a good player, but there are just better players than him who play in the position that Sarri sticks him in, and Sarri prefers a passer over a destroyer in front of the back four. So do I, he’ll be relieved to know.
“I fell off the motorbike last night so I feel like Tony Bellew in more senses than one right now,” tweets Gary Naylor. “But today is good. Turned up on the wrong Sunday for the Potter movie, so saw the Coen one instead. Very good it was too!”
Richie Woodall said that Bellew had literally died on his shield. I hope you’re ok.
Back to Barkley, I wonder if he’s been left out of this one to avoid him trying too hard. Things didn’t go well in his last months at Everton, he’ll get stick off the away fans, and there’s more to lose from a bad performance than gain from a good one. He’s playing well at the moment, but it hasn’t been for that long - his confidence won’t yet be cemented.
Looking at these teams, there’s a lot of work for Richarlison to do. The presence of Jorginho and Kante makes it hard to see how Bernard and Walcott to affect the game, so he’ll have to hope he can find space between the centre-backs. More likely, the set-piece delivery of Sigurdsson offers Everton their most likely route to a goal, and in Mina and Keane, they have two men who can attack the ball properly.
So, Chelsea make two changes to the side which beat Palace last Supersunday: Eden Hazard forces his way back in, replacing Pedro, and Kovacic is in for Barkley who, Mauricio Sarri says, played a full game in midweek.
Everton, meanwhile, have one alteration forced upon them: Kurt Zouma is ineligible, on loan as he is from Chelsea Talent Ltd, so Yerry Mina gets his spot.
In our lives, we all have the imperative to be “good”. The problem with that – other than being “good” – is how tricky it can be to discern quite what “good” looks like. Deep, yeah.
By amazing coincidence, this is a question currently taxing both of our teams this afternoon. Chelsea are close enough to the leaders to think about a title challenge, but are less enough good than Manchester City for any such thought to seem fatuous; Everton have spent loads of money to crack the fabled “top six”, but remain nowhere near the standard of any of them.
Maurizio Sarri eventually broke away from bemoaning his team’s latest sloppy start and their new-found lack of ruthlessness to address a rare positive amid the frustration. The extension of his unbeaten start as Chelsea’s head coach to 12 matches established a Premier League record here, eclipsing Frank Clark’s achievement with Nottingham Forest 24 years ago. The Italian spoke of pride and thanked his new club, his players and his staff. “But, of course, I’d have preferred the three points,” came the sting in the tail.
This was a fractious and fiercely fought contest, and one which left Chelsea hugely dissatisfied going into the last international window of the autumn. Undefeated they may be, but ground has been surrendered in the fledgling title race, with Jordan Pickford’s excellence and Everton’s clear improvement under Marco Silva having rendered them blunt. Ross Barkley was flung on for the final eight minutes in the hope the script might have him conjuring some late drama against his former club, Eden Hazard having been required to play the full game, but nothing the home side attempted came off.
