Everton

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Everton fan and podcaster Warren Doyle says he feels "a little bit uneasy" with the Toffees' emerging links to Manchester City full-back Kyle Walker, adding that the 35-year-old "isn't the player he once was".

Speaking to BBC Radio Merseyside about the transfer rumours, Doyle said: "A lot of respected journalists have been mentioning this as a real possibility.

"Kyle Walker has been a wonderful player during his time at Manchester City. He has got a medal haul there and won lots of titles, but I just feel he is probably past his best now.

"He has definitely regressed. The things that made him such a strong player were his speed and pace, and I don't think he's at the level he was maybe even a year ago.

"I can see why Everton are possibly interested in him because it's looking very much like Michael Keane is going to leave on a free transfer, so we probably do need another centre-back as cover.

"Walker can offer cover at right-back and centre-back as well, so maybe Everton are looking at it from that point of view and thinking about his Premier League experience.

"I would like to see Everton go for someone a bit younger. He isn't the profile of player I would like to see us sign.

"If David Moyes wants to go for him, though, I've got faith in what he wants to do and what his plans are. It's just not a signing that I would personally like to see."

Listen to the full conversation on BBC Sounds

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We asked for you to tell us one player you want to bring to Everton and one player you want the club to sell.

Here are some of your comments:

Kev: I think we need to accept that Jarrad Branthwaite isn't going to be with us for the long term and cash in on him while his price is at the highest it probably will be. As for a purchase/incoming, if Jack Grealish is available and fancies the move he has to be our priority. He is creative, hard working and has a pedigree that not many who become available could bring to our team.

Ross: Sell Jarrad Branthwaite, buy Maxime Esteve and use the rest of our money to buy a striker, winger and a left back.

Kobe: If we sell anyone then I would say Nathan Patterson because he doesn't seem like he'd get into the team. For a player to sign I'm between Jack Grealish and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.

Thomas: We must move on from Dominic Calvert-Lewin. Get Jack Grealish on loan, enquire about Matt O'Riley from Brighton and buy a striker and a right back.

Chris: Sell or give away Dominic Calvert-Lewin and bring in Ollie Watkins. Yes he's 30 but he has speed and intelligence. DCL is too injury prone and has lost the ability of a true striker to predict where the ball might appear. Watkins can do that and can also beat defenders.

Dave: Sad to say that I'd probably sell Nathan Patterson at this point. Three successive managers haven't fancied him so it doesn't look like he's got a future with us. We need loads of incomings but the most obvious one to me is Kyle Walker-Peters on a free. Natural replacement and upgrade on Ashley Young to cover at both full-back positions.

Phil McNulty
Chief football writer

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BBC Sport's chief football writer Phil McNulty has been answering your questions.

One reader asked: Do you think Kyle Walker still has something to offer top-flight clubs like Everton?

Phil replied: I think he could offer Premier League clubs something, but not sure he is what Everton want or need as they try move into a new era with a new stadium and ambitious new owners in The Friedkin Group.

Walker, at 35, is near the end of his career but a club needing experience and a leader with a big voice and presence in the dressing room could be tempted.

Read more of the Q&A here

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Everton defender Jake O'Brien says they will be "ambitious" with what they can achieve as a team going into the new season.

The 24-year-old joined from Lyon last summer and initially struggled to break into the starting XI under Sean Dyche.

However, he took his chance in the second half of the season after David Moyes' return and made 24 appearances, also scoring two goals and providing one assist.

In both centre-back and right-back roles, the Republic of Ireland international became a key figure in defence to help the side move away from relegation danger.

With a new stadium too, the Blues will want to build on that and be competing in the top half rather than the bottom half of the tablein 2025-26.

"It is important to always be ambitious and know you can fight for things," O'Brien told BBC Radio Merseyside.

"Over the past couple of months, we have been going toe to toe with teams at the top end of the table and won some of those games too.

"We have shown we are more than capable of doing it and just need to do that throughout the season.

"It is great having the new owners and new manager, so it's exciting times. We now have the whole summer to build and get ready for a new season in a new stadium, so it is exciting times for everyone and we will definitely be pushing up the table, being ambitious and seeing how far we can go."

Listen to the full interview on BBC Sounds

Manchester City and England defender Kyle Walker, 35, has agreed to join Everton on a one-year deal. (Sun), external

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No sooner does the season finish and we start looking forward to key dates for the next campaign - and that will be a lot easier to do on Wednesday when the Premier League fixtures are released.

That's right, that special day in the calendar is almost here already. The day when you'll learn details of derby fixtures, Christmas opponents and end-of-season run-ins.

This page will bring you all the fixtures when they drop at 09:00 BST on Wednesday and we'll be giving you the chance to have your say on how things look.

The new campaign kicks off on the weekend of Saturday, 16 August and it will conclude on Sunday, 24 May 2026, when all 10 games will take place at the same time.

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Everton have confirmed their final pre-season fixture will take place at their Hill Dickinson Stadium - the first full-capacity match at the ground.

The Toffees will welcome Serie A side Roma on Saturday, 9 August at 15:00 BST for a game that will also act as the final test event before the 2025-26 season officially gets under way.

Following a series of restricted capacity test events, this match will have all 52,888 seats available to supporters.

The friendly will bring to an end a pre-season that includes fixtures against EFL sides Accrington Stanley and Blackburn Rovers, before a trip to the United States, where David Moyes' team will face Bournemouth, West Ham and Manchester United.

The transfer window is open again for summer business to be conducted.

Clubs can now strike deals until the deadline at 19:00 BST on 1 September.

So if you can sell one player who is it? And if you can buy one player only, who gets the nod?

Give us reasons for your choice but remember, in this instance it's a strict one player leaving and one coming in.

Send your selections

Everton and Newcastle are leading the race to sign England forward Jack Grealish, 29, from Manchester City this summer. (Football Insider), external

Everton, Wolves and Fulham are eyeing a move for 32-year-old Czech Republic right-back Vladimir Coufal, who is a free agent after leaving West Ham. (Football Insider), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column

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Manchester United hold bragging rights as the most popular Premier League club across social platforms, according to CIES Football Observatory., external

Ranking third overall behind Real Madrid and Barcelona, Manchester United total 233.6 million subscribers and followers across X, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube.

Rivals Manchester City are second highest out of Premier League clubs and fifth overall with 179.5m, with Liverpool (166.7m) and Chelsea (152.9m) just behind.

Arsenal also make the global top 10 with 114.1m, meaning there are five English teams inside the top 10.

Spurs just miss out in 11th with 108.1m, but they did gain an extra 700,000 followers over their North London rivals since June 2024.

A total of 15 English clubs make the top 100, with Leeds United squeezing into the 100th spot with 6.4m.

While fans may not sing about social media followers, global interest has a hand in paying the bills at their beloved football clubs.

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We asked for your views on whether Everton need to act urgently in the transfer market as the first of the two this summer comes to a close on Tuesday.

Here are some of your comments:

Mark: One of the problems for Everton is that, without European football to offer new signings, and their current mid-table league position, they will not be a natural first choice for the top players. They are likely to have some success as the transfer window deadline approaches, as inevitably, some players without deals from their preferred clubs consider alternative transfer options.

Magnus: I do not want to see any business done on deadline day. I want the club to show maturity by having already identified primary transfer targets and possible replacements should that not materialise. They should ideally be on board before pre-season starts. The only reason for a signing on deadline day should be if a bargain is identified or a replacement for a player that goes for a ridiculous amount close to deadline day.

Chris: Not so bothered about now, but when the window re-opens, yes. Grealish would be a fab signing. He would get guaranteed game time. Pipe dream though, we wouldn't pay that kind of wage to one player, it would create resentment and undo all Moyes' good work fostering team spirit. Let's stick to players within our bargain basement affordability.

Richard: Business needs to be done as we need players in but panicking can bring the wrong players in. I hope we've learnt something from past purchases.

Neil: No incomings until July due to PSR. No significant sales at the close of the first mini window. Any news will be on out-of-contract players. The fun starts in July for us, which is not ideal, but in Moyes we trust (we hope!).

Phil: Yes is the answer, business is a must. However, whether the budget is there is another thing. To improve our league position from last year we need fewer injured players so forget about signing anyone 28 or above. We need a more energetic, speedy and high-quality squad who are capable of playing at least every week and every three days (if Europe beckons). Players happy being rotated and who can adapt to play with whoever is alongside them.

Today is the first of two transfer deadline days this summer as the window shuts for seven days before reopening on 16 June.

In a change to the summer transfer window norm, it opened early to allow clubs involved in the Fifa Club World Cup 10 days to sign players for inclusion in the competition.

Whether it turns out to be a day of transfer action or a pretty quiet one for your club, you will be able to keep across it all on BBC Sport.

Follow our live text coverage throughout the day here

And keep up to date with all the latest news, views and transfers for your club

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Everton have confirmed they are offering new contracts to club captain Seamus Coleman and midfielder Idrissa Gueye with the pair's current deal due to expire at the end of the month.

The Toffees also revealed they are continuing to liaise with representatives of Michael Keane and Dominic Calvert-Lewin, two others whose current contracts end on 30 June.

Everton have previously confirmed that Abdoulaye Doucoure, Ashley Young, Joao Virginia, Asmir Begovic, Mason Holgate and Neal Maupay will all leave the club when their contracts end, while loanees Jack Harrison, Jesper Lindstrom, Orel Mangala and Armando Broja will return to their parent clubs.

They have also announced the exit of seven under-21s players alongside a number of scholars being offered their first professional contracts.

It is not just at the top of the Premier League where American ownership has a foothold in English football.

Twenty years on from the Glazer takeover of Manchester United, one third of the 72 EFL clubs now have either majority or minority US backers.

In a special episode of BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast, Kelly Cates is joined by a group of experts to investigate whether this trend is likely to continue.

Listen on BBC Sounds

On Tuesday, the first of two summer transfer windows will come to a close.

So, do you expect business to be done at Everton before the deadline? Do you want players to come in or exit? If so, what or who do you think is needed?

Let us know

Everton are interested in England midfielder Jack Grealish, but any move might have to be a loan deal because of the 29-year-old's wages at Manchester City. (Daily Mail, external)

Want more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip column

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We asked for your views on Jarrad Branthwaite and his future at Everton, after one supporter described him as "priceless" to the club and a "generational talent".

Here are some of your comments:

George: Give him a long-term contract that rewards him now and gives him progressive incentives to stay. Monetary and status (club captain?). Make him want to stay. The grass is not always greener elsewhere!

Dave: Yes, I completely agree that he must stay at Everton. He is beyond doubt an excellent centre-half and will only keep on improving as years progress. Give him all the encouragement he needs to stay at a club that is on the up.

Graham: Branthwaite is the best young centre-back in the world! Tall, strong, quick, good passing ability, everything you need. Just needs to improve his leadership, but that will come with age. Nothing would tempt me to sell him, as you cannot replace him. If the club were to sell, the figure at least has to be £100m starting point. He would be a steal at £150m!

David: I hope Jarrad can give us one more season. Then take stock and see if we are progressing. If an offer he or we can't refuse, then fine. Part ways on good terms. But if we overachieve and we are in Europe, then just maybe he will stay.

Jameson: Branthwaite is a really talented defender, but as a Blue, he's not irreplaceable. Remember John Stones? Another generational talent lost less than a generation ago for a quite tidy sum of money. I hope we keep him, but if we don't, it's not the end of the world. We need equally talented players higher up the pitch more, and could plug in Keane in defence and still do OK.

Mike: I would like Branthwaite to spend his career with us, but that's not going to happen. He's better than Stones, and he went for £50m years ago. Chelsea paid £75m for Fofana, that's a starting bid. Branthwaite has not been trying to force a move. He seems to be a decent lad. He has a couple of years left on his contract. Hopefully someone will offer stupid money, which would help further stabilise to club.

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With a first summer transfer window under the new ownership and a number of players out of contract, Everton could be set for a busy and transitional off-season.

Toffees fans will be keeping a close eye on what happens with Jarrad Branthwaite, the defender having attracted interest previously and being one of the club's most highly valued assets.

Everton fan Lee McClean told BBC Radio Merseyside: "My number one priority is keeping him at all costs. I would refute any sort of bids for him and would love to work around it if we possibly can and explore every option.

"I think he is priceless, he is a generational talent.

"Despite Everton's struggles, and we have just finished 13th again, I think we are third or fourth in defensive stats. If you look at Everton's goalkeeper and centre-half pairing, it is almost faultless. Even the top four would probably have a decision to make if they were given the option to replace what they have got with what Everton have got - it is that good.

"So even if we got £100m [for Branthwaite], what are you going to do with it? You are not going to improve on what we have got because Everton aren't in a position to go and pick a £50m centre-back from the top four or five in Europe because we are just not.

"But you have to be realistic. As much as we are partisan and romantic and would love Jarrad Branthwaite to stay with Everton like Dave Watson for the whole of his career, football has changed.

"He can be anything he wants to be, he can play for any club in Europe, and we are not talking potential - he is the real deal now. His ceiling has still got so much more left, he has still got so much headroom.

"So unless Everton can match his ambition and do something like Aston Villa or Nottingham Forest have done, then Branthwaite has got every reason to say 'I'm gone'."

How do you feel about Branthwaite's future with Everton? Do they need to keep him at all costs?

Let us know

Listen to the full discussion on BBC Sounds

Nicola Pearson
BBC Sport journalist

As the dust settles on the 2024-25 Premier League season, we have been taking a look at some of the alternative ways the the table could have finished...

Passing in football has become an obsession.

The tiki-taka style of Barcelona has now become the basis of managerial philosophies across the leagues and lands of Europe and beyond.

The problem is, few teams have the ability to execute it at the level required to make it effective.

Pep Guardiola took it to another level when he was in charge of the La Liga giants and it has served his Manchester City side well since he took charge in 2016 having won 18 trophies in the following nine years.

And, if the Premier League season had come down to how well teams pass the ball, unsurprisingly the eight-time champions would have been celebrating a ninth title.

With nearly 90% accuracy, they rarely put a foot - or pass - wrong.

And yet, in reality, it did not translate to success on the pitch this year.

Whether it was teams finally finding the chinks in the passing-machine armour or the side's misplaced passes proving more costly than in previous seasons without key players, City could not take advantage of their dominance with the ball.

And for one of the most acute examples of ability with the ball not translating to on-the-pitch success, we only have to look at Southampton.

The Saints at one point looked set to break Derby County's record for the least amount of points in a Premier League campaign, and yet they were less than 1% behind actual league champions Liverpool when it came to passing accuracy.

While fans could have some appreciation for watching nice football, they might have appreciated some scrappy displays that resulted in hard-fought results and possible safety more.

In contrast, Crystal Palace had the least accurate passing of any team in the league.

And yet, Oliver Glasner's side ultimately finished 12th - just three points off a top-half finish - and won the FA Cup final against the club with the best passing ability of them all.

They are not the only team to have had successful seasons in their own right while being in the bottom six for passing accuracy.

Nottingham Forest were 19th in this table metric, but in reality were fighting for Champions League places.

Bournemouth and Brentford also battled for possible European spots into the final weeks of the season, and even Everton finished the campaign comfortably away from relegation that at one point they looked set to be in a battle to escape.

So what does this tell us? When it comes to winning football matches, passing the ball well is not the be-all and end-all.

*Table data from Opta

Nicola Pearson
BBC Sport journalist

Time is ticking on Dominic Calvert-Lewin's Everton future.

The 28-year-old is now into the final month of his contact with club and there is yet to be any announcement of an exit or new deal.

In a recent BBC Sport interview, Calvert-Lewin talked of how he has led the line through one of the "most difficult" periods in the club's history and that "Everton will always be a place that is special to me, so we will see what happens".

One thing that perhaps complicates the situation for the Toffees and Calvert-Lewin's future is his unfortunate recent history of injury and fitness issues.

BBC Sport pundit Nedum Onuoha has suggested that the striker should be kept on, but as a "squad player" on a "reduced wage and perhaps appearance-based clauses".

Calvert-Lewin joined the club from Sheffield United for £1.5m in 2016 and has since scored 71 goals in 273 games across all competitions.

The England international's impact steadily grew and his most prolific season in the Premier League came in 2020-21 when he netted 16 goals in 33 games.

His shot conversion rate peaked at 19% while his minutes-per-goal ratio was at its lowest at one every 180 minutes.

That was also the season where he spent the most time on the pitch racking up 2874 minutes.

The previous season had also been one where he showed his capabilities in front of goal - also reaching double figures with 13 - and where he played the most games of his league career with 36.

However, 2021-22 is when issues with injuries and fitness really started to appear.

His appearances in the league fell from 33 to just 17, but he was still able to contribute in front of goal with a shot conversion rate equal to that of 2019-20.

The following season was particularly difficult, with just 17 appearances again, his fewest minutes on the pitch since his debut campaign, a minutes-per-goal ratio that more than doubled to 586 and shot conversion rate down at 6%.

In the past two seasons, although he has managed to pick up the numbers when it comes to games, how much of those he has spent on the pitch has evolved.

Although he played 32 times in 2023-24, he started 26 of those and often did not get to finish the match, being substituted off on 22 occasions.

Last campaign, he started just over half the 26 matches he played and was subbed off in just under half of those.

It meant he struggled to return to the same levels of output as he produced during his peak campaigns, with just 10 goals across the past 58 games.

If a new deal can be reached with Everton, unless he can rekindle his previous form, Calvert-Lewin may have to adapt to a more supporting role in the team than that of the first-choice striker.

Image source, Getty Images

We asked for your questions for BBC Sport pundit Nedum Onuoha on your Premier League club.

Chris asked whether Everton should keep Dominic Calvert-Lewin on the expiry of his contract this summer.

Realistically, you have got to say this next season is going to be huge for Dominic Calvert-Lewin personally.

People have seen his talents but the goalscoring record that got him in and around the England squad is becoming longer and longer ago.

He needs to find a stretch where he is healthy, fit and available because you want to be able to rely on a striker and Everton have not been able to rely on Calvert-Lewin for a long time now.

To have a potential England international in the squad is brilliant - but only if they are available. The club will need to have a serious look at what they can do to first keep him healthy, but then secondly to keep him sharp. This comes from competition in the squad.

He is worth keeping for now because is there cover if Everton decide to let him go? Do they have someone who can fill those boots straight away?

Beto has done well in parts and been trusted in the back half of the season. I do not think Calvert-Lewin himself, or anyone at Everton, really expects him to be a guaranteed starter going forward. Unfortunately for him, he just has not played enough football in the past few seasons.

If the club can find a way to offer him a new deal - on a reduced wage and perhaps appearance-based clauses - then I would keep him as a squad player.

Any new contract would need to reflect his lack of football. He is just not going to get any deal on the same terms as when he was pushing to play for England, and if the player does not accept that or wants a fresh start then he should go.

Hopefully for Calvert-Lewin, he can work his way back to being a regular starter and regular goalscorer soon.

Nedum Onuoha was speaking to BBC Sport's Nat Hayward

Image source, PA Media

Football finance expert Kieran Maguire spoke to BBC Radio Merseyside on Everton's financial situation for the transfer window.

"I think Everton have to box clever," Maguire said. "I imagine Evertonians will be slightly frustrated because moving to this magnificent new stadium, it would be great to have a significant number of stellar signings.

"I still think Everton have the capacity to make one statement signing. A player of £40 to £50m, that's certainly within their capabilities but I think they will also have to be dealing with getting a few players off the payroll on the 30th of June when contracts expire, and using the exit door smartly to allow them to invest in the future.

"It's always a balancing act. Liverpool did it really well with the sale of Philippe Coutinho and they used that sale to build the spine of the side with the recruitment of Virgil van Dijk and Alisson.

"If the club were to make a major sale, the fanbase would expect that to be invested in players who can make an immediate difference, and therefore players that have an element of experience at a reasonable level of football."

Everton would have to match Thierno Barry's release clause of 40m euros (£33.7m) to sign the French striker from Villarreal. (Teamtalk, external)

Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column

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