Everton have completed two permanent signings this summer, with two more expected to follow. The gaps that remain say as much about the club’s priorities as the deals already struck.
Business done
Hayden Hackney arrived from Middlesbrough for an initial £16.5m, rising to around £25m with add-ons, as detailed in Everton’s live summer transfer tracker. The Championship Player of the Season joins as a progressive, deep-lying midfielder rather than a direct replacement for Idrissa Gana Gueye, whose contract expired on 30 June after his second spell at the club.
Tim Iroegbunam remains the only current squad member with a defensive profile similar to Gueye’s, which makes retaining him despite interest from Borussia Dortmund and Stuttgart more important than it might otherwise appear.
Arthur Barratt’s move from Chelsea’s academy and Merlin Rohl’s loan being made permanent complete the confirmed business. Neither changes the first team immediately, but both add depth.
Business advanced
Two further deals are close. Everton and Chelsea have agreed a fee in excess of £20m for winger Tyrique George, with personal terms the final step. On paper, shrewd business for a 20-year-old with six senior goals already to his name.
Jack Grealish’s position has shifted in Everton’s favour. The club didn’t trigger their £50m option after his season-ending foot injury, but Grealish chose to stay on Merseyside through his rehabilitation rather than return to Manchester City.
Talks are progressing toward a permanent deal in the region of £20m, well below City’s original valuation.
Where the gaps remain
Right-back appears the most urgent need. Aaron Wan-Bissaka has emerged as the most advanced target, helped by West Ham’s relegation lowering his value and David Moyes’ familiarity with the player from his own time at the club, a situation ReadWestHam has tracked closely from the other side.
Raoul Bellanova, Rico Lewis, Djed Spence and Guela Doue remain under consideration behind him, with a formal offer already lodged for Bellanova.
Attack is the second priority. Liam Delap is a leading contender following his difficult debut season at Chelsea, whose valuation has dropped from around £40m towards £30m.
Jarrod Bowen has made his willingness to join known to Moyes directly. However, no formal approach has been lodged, and any deal depends on funds raised elsewhere in the squad, as Everton’s talking points on the Ndiaye situation set out in more detail.
That funding question centres on Iliman Ndiaye. His contract talks have stalled, and reports of Man City interest worth up to £69m persist. A sale would fund a move for Bowen, but it would mean trading a 26-year-old with Champions League ambitions for someone three years his senior.
Goalkeeping cover has also been a thing, with Everton competing alongside Manchester United for free agent Karl Darlow as backup to Pickford.
The bottom line…
Two deals done, two more advanced, one right-back and one forward still needed. How the Ndiaye situation is resolved will determine whether the rest of the window looks joined-up or reactive by the time pre-season begins.
