The summer promises to be a major one, forming as it does stage two of Everton CEO Angus Kinnear’s promised, two-year rebuild of the squad. Although much depends on which players arrive at the club in the coming weeks, almost as important are those members of the current team who may depart and – crucially – what kind of fees they bring in. Owners TFG are hardly short of money, but in the age of financial regulation, the new SCR (Squad Cost Ratio) regime ensures that the Blues must keep an eye on spending,
and look to balance that by generating funds; selling players is a big part of that equation.
Last season, the Toffees spent significantly on transfers (€129.8m) for the first time since Carlo Ancelotti was manager, but notably brought in just €12.6m in outgoings; that imbalance is not sustainable going forward. Everton’s spending has already risen to €65.3m, with the purchases of Merlin Röhl, Hayden Hackney and Tyrique George, but this barely scratches the surface of what is needed, with both fullback spots a major concern, questions in attack and quality depth in short supply. The capture of Arsenal’s Christian Nørgaard for £7m has bolstered the midfield, and Everton are currently in talks with Celtic for their Canadian right back, Alistair Johnston, with a fee of around £15m mooted. The club has to sell: here I take a look at those players who may be deemed surplus to requirements … along with those who may attract offers too good to reject.
Nathan Patterson
Value: €10.7m.
To repackage my thoughts from last season’s iteration of this column, Patterson’s future at Everton has been effectively nil for 18 months — and that’s being generous. Bombed out of the squad under Sean Dyche, following that infamous – no doubt cynically misinterpreted – allegedly good-natured slapping incident during a team-bonding jaunt to Portugal in March 2024, his last hope came with the arrival of fellow-Scot David Moyes. However, the right back was handed rare opportunities, and watched the departing über-veteran Ashley Young selected in his stead against Newcastle, to close out the 2024-25 campaign. Bafflingly, the club elected to hold onto Patterson as a “depth” option last season; he ended up posting a mighty 240 minutes of league action, which included two starts.
So, here we go again. It’s early August and the 24-year-old, who represented Scotland over the summer in the World Cup, was back as a late sub for Everton’s 2-1 preseason win over Hamburg at the weekend. Having entered the final year of his contract, surely he won’t still be with the Blues by the end of the transfer window? Sevilla asked about Patterson back in January, and there were rumours that Eintracht Frankfurt may be interested a few weeks ago, but it’s gone quiet since. With the Toffees seemingly on the verge of actually signing a new right back in Alistair Johnston, the Scot should be allowed to leave to any club which wants him, for a nominal fee — or even to see out his remaining contract on loan.
Verdict: sell (€3m) or loan (wages).
Mark Travers
Value: €4m.
Brought in as backup to Jordan Pickford last summer, the Irishman is already thought to want to move on, in search of game time. Having ended the previous campaign with a productive half-season loan at Middlesbrough, he ended up playing just two games for the Blues, both in the EFL CUP. At 27, and wishing to cement his place in the Republic of Ireland’s squad, it’s understandable that Travers would want to see more action. The Blues paid Bournemouth €4.6m for Travers, and with Coventry City and Wrexham linked last month, in addition to former club Boro more recently, a similar amount could see him depart in short order.
Verdict: sell (€3.7m).
Tim Iroegbunam
Value: €17.3m.
Considered by many to be a PSR-fudge signing from Aston Villa two years ago – with Lewis Dobbin heading in the opposite direction – the enthusiastic midfielder has proven to be a legitimate top-flight performer, racking up 29 league appearances for the Toffees last term (17 starts). He’s an athletic presence, strong in the tackle, and carries the ball well. But, having turned 23 a couple of months ago, Iroegbunam has shown no real sign of improving the weak areas of his game: positioning, passing and attacking threat, and is still prone to taking too many risks in possession. Now in the final year of his deal, and no more than fourth choice in midfield, the club has to assess his future. He’s unlikely to improve to the required level and is attracting interest from Hull City, and Europe, so it would be best – for both Everton and the player – to part ways, for the right price.
Verdict: sell (€20m).
James Garner
Value: €41.3m.
Last term, the midfielder elevated his game to a major degree — beyond what most thought probable. Free from the back injuries which had compromised two of his three campaigns at Everton, Garner improved so much that he moved from solid squad player status to one of the first names on the teamsheet, impressing to such an extent that he even made a late push for Thomas Tuchel’s England squad for the World Cup, and can count himself unlucky to miss out. With veteran teammate Idrissa Gueye finally showing signs of age, Garner assumed his mantle as preeminent midfielder, even deputizing very solidly at both fullback spots when needed. His elevated profile has brought admiring glances, but the 25-year-old signed a bumper new deal in January and it would take a huge offer to tempt the club into parting with him.
Verdict: retain (€70m+).
Carlos Alcaraz
Value: €15.8m
The Argentine joined Everton permanently after an impressive loan spell, but it has always looked an uphill struggle for him to make it into Moyes’ plans. Opting to hand him an absurd two-year contract suggested that he was seen as a squad player — and even a short-term flip opportunity. The Blues do hold a one-year extension option, but considering that Alcaraz actually accrued more league minutes (762) during his half-season loan spell than he did last term (685), it seems unlikely that this would be triggered; unless merely to protect him as an “asset”. The 23-year-old brings natural attacking intent to the side, and I think he has much to offer, but there is nothing indicating that Moyes’ opinion on him has changed, so he’s likely to remain merely a backup, and an expendable one at that.
Verdict: retain (€15m+).
Dwight McNeil
Value: €18.3m
The aforementioned McNeil had a £20m move to Crystal Palace agreed in January, only for the London club to pull out of the deal at the last minute. Although the winger subsequently – and somewhat bizarrely – was handed seven consecutive starts by Moyes, his availability surely hasn’t changed, especially with him now having entered the final year of his contract. The chances of Everton commanding a similar fee now is remote, but there have been links to Palace, West Ham and Nottingham Forest, and the odds are that other clubs may show interest as the window draws to a close in the coming weeks. McNeil is still only 26 and a capable player possessing a lot of Premier League experience, so the Blues should be able to collect a meaningful sum.
Verdict: sell (€15m).
Tyler Dibling
Value: €26.6m.
It seems crazy to suggest that the club’s most expensive signing last summer, at €40.5m, could be sold after just one season, but it is actually a possibility. Granted, it is unlikely, but Dibling has drawn reported interest from RB Leipzig, who will reportedly have representatives present in Stuttgart to watch the winger, so who knows? The England Under-21 international found games hard to come by last term, making 14 league appearances, with just four starts — totalling a meagre 350 minutes. The winger played only one minute in Everton’s last 14 games, with midfielders and Dwight McNeil – who the club agreed to sell at the end of the winter transfer window – preferred. It’s difficult to assess where he stands with Moyes currently, but it’s hard to imagine the club’s decision-makers would consider offloading the 20-year-old so quickly.
Verdict: retain (€45m+).
Iliman Ndiaye
Value: €51m
There’s been plenty of talk regarding Ndiaye’s future over the summer, with talk of rejected contracts, demands for the insertion of buyout clauses, interest from Manchester United and – most recently – a yet-to-materialize bid from Saudi club Al-Hilal. At the time of writing the attacker has joined his teammates in Germany, and could even feature in the weekend’s game against Stuttgart. Everton hold the cards, in that he is contracted until 2029 and is not actively agitating for a move, but given the sort of figures being bandied around as a theoretical asking price, should an offer in that ballpark be tabled it’s hard to imagine that the Toffees would refuse, despite what the exciting Senegalese offers the team.
Verdict: sell (€80m).
Thierno Barry
Value: €31.6m
As with Dibling, the striker was signed only a year ago, yet there exists the slim possibility that he could be sold this summer, with Leipzig again the rumoured interested party. That both players have (apparently) been identified by the German club, which is known for its adept recruitment profiling system, suggests that those similarly tasked at Everton may know what they are doing? Whilst Barry had an uneven campaign, failing to score until his 15th league appearance, and enduring a rocky relationship with elements of the fan base, eight goals for a Premier League debutant forward isn’t far off what might have been expected. The 23-year-old played with a dislocated shoulder for much of the campaign, and has looked strong and sharp in preseason, so it seems a stretch for him to depart the Toffees at this early stage.
Verdict: retain (€45m+).
Beto
Value: €17.9m
If the Blues are to part with one of their two strikers this summer, then it must be the Guinea-Bissau international. Signed three years ago, during a time of instability and serious cashflow problems at Everton, he was the best that the club could acquire. But in three seasons, he’s failed to show any consistency and at 28 this is as good as he’s going to get — and that is not enough for a team with the ambition to progress. Another who has entered the final year of his deal, it’s stick or twist time: offer him new terms, or sell, to prevent him walking out for nada at the end of the campaign. Although he can be a handful, if Everton wish to develop a genuine playing style, then they need a better footballer to lead the line. Beto has bagged 17 league goals over the past two campaigns, and would certainly attract interest should he be made available.
Verdict: sell (€18m).
Note: the Value provided is an average of the estimates provided by the sites listed below, whereas the figure given in the Verdict is what the club could expect to sell the player for, or what it may take to bring them to the negotiating table.
Statistics provided courtesy of transfermarkt.com and footballtransfers.com
