A World Cup semi-final ended in heartbreak, a midfield deal took shape, and Everton’s pre-season calendar kept filling out. Here’s everything that happened on Read Everton today in our Everton news round-up.
Pickford’s World Cup ends in Atlanta heartbreak
The day started with the fallout from Wednesday night’s semi-final defeat. Jordan Pickford was outstanding as England’s World Cup dream died against Argentina, producing a string of fine saves — including a superb stop from Nico Gonzalez’s header — before late goals from Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez turned a 1-0 lead into a 2-1 defeat.
It brought the curtain down on Everton’s World Cup involvement, and we pulled together a full summary of how Pickford, Nathan Patterson, Idrissa Gana Gueye and Iliman Ndiaye fared across the tournament, from Pickford’s run to the last four right through to Scotland’s group-stage exit and Senegal’s late collapse against Belgium.
Gueye agreement, Luiz stance and Grealish’s fitness wait
Our morning talking points rounded up the state of Everton’s transfer business. The headline news was an agreement in principle with Villarreal for Pape Gueye, worth around £24m plus add-ons — a deal that would become Everton’s fourth signing of the summer if it goes through.
Douglas Luiz was reported to be open to a return to the Premier League after Everton’s enquiry to Juventus, while Fiorentina have stepped up their pursuit of Christ Inao Oulai, adding competition to Everton’s interest. On Jack Grealish, the club’s position was made clear: no move, loan or permanent, until his recovery from injury is further along.
Rico Lewis interest steps up
Later in the morning, we reported that Everton have stepped up their interest in Manchester City’s Rico Lewis, with David Moyes said to be a big admirer of the 21-year-old’s versatility across right-back, left-back and midfield.
City are understood to be open to a sale for around £30m, though Everton will face competition, with Nottingham Forest, Fulham and Newcastle also credited with interest.
Hamburg trip gets its finishing touches
Away from transfers, Everton confirmed further details of the fan event accompanying next month’s Hamburg double-header, with a Bongo’s Bingo evening planned for Friday 31 July ahead of the men’s and women’s fixtures against HSV the following day.
It’s the last piece of a now fully confirmed pre-season schedule that also takes in Dundee, Bolton, Stoke, Stuttgart and Newcastle.
Jacob Murphy’s case splits opinion
The day closed with a deeper look at Everton’s interest in Newcastle’s Jacob Murphy, a target we’ve described as a divisive one.
At 31, with a year left on his contract and a fee well within Everton’s budget, he’s a sensible squad option rather than a marquee arrival — and the piece asks whether leaning on him signals a return to old recruitment habits, or simply sensible cover while the club waits on Grealish.
