Hayden Hackney has arrived at Everton, Idrissa Gueye is almost certainly leaving, and two more names have been added to the mix.
Here is where the midfield stands, position by position.
The base: Hackney is not a Gueye replacement
Hackney’s game is built on progression, not destruction. He won the Championship Player of the Season award for his passing range and ability to break lines from deep, and was regularly compared to Michael Carrick during his time at Middlesbrough.
Scouting reports are consistent on where his game is weaker: his defensive and transitional work lags behind his passing, and he has been assessed as needing a genuine ball-winner alongside him.
That’s pretty much the opposite of Gueye’s role at Everton, which was built on duels won and positional discipline rather than ball progression.
Of the midfielders already at the club, Tim Iroegbunam is the closest fit for the Gueye role. He matches him defensively, even if his passing is weaker, and his profile is one of a genuine holding midfielder rather than an attacking one.
Other clubs, including Ipswich, been credited with interest in him this summer. A sale would leave Everton without the one player suited to the job Hackney’s arrival was meant to help solve.
Of the two external targets, Mandela Keita fits alongside Hackney better than Richard Rios does. His numbers at Parma last season — 154 ball recoveries, 74 tackles, 44 interceptions — point to a genuine ball-winner.
Everton have opened talks with Parma and his representatives, though a staggered payment plan may be required to meet their valuation.
Rios is a similar type of player to Hackney: comfortable in possession, not primarily a ball-winner, and widely expected to prefer Napoli and Champions League football over a move to Merseyside.
Hackney and Iroegbunam look the most balanced pairing if Iroegbunam stays, with Keita as an option to strengthen it further. Rios would not address the imbalance in the way Keita could.
The runners: Garner, Dewsbury-Hall, Alcaraz, Rohl
James Garner has become arguably a more complete midfielder than Gueye over the past year, capable in both boxes and able to drop into a more defensive role when required.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall was one of last season’s biggest successes and should start in the 10. Charly Alcaraz offers a different option again, closer to a number 10 than a central midfielder.
Merlin Rohl’s loan has been made permanent, adding a fourth option when fit, though his injury record last season made for a stop-start campaign.
Waiting in the wings: Harrison Armstrong
Harrison Armstrong impressed on loan at Preston before being recalled in January, but has struggled for minutes since.
Middlesbrough are reportedly interested in taking him on loan as a replacement for the player who has just joined Everton. With five or six midfielders realistically ahead of him, another loan is the likely outcome.
Pecking order
Hackney and Iroegbunam, or Keita if a deal is completed, as the base pairing. Dewsbury-Hall advanced in the 10. Garner offering cover across both roles. Alcaraz and Rohl in rotation. Armstrong out on loan.
Whether Iroegbunam stays may prove as significant to the balance of this midfield as any incoming signing.
Without him or a replacement of similar profile, Everton’s midfield options are weighted toward progression rather than protection — the gap Hackney’s arrival has not, on its own, closed.
