Defender signs deal; twist over World Cup winner

Football FanCast has gathered some of the latest transfer rumours concerning the potential incomings and outgoings we could see at Everton this winter whilst noting the key deals of their summer window.

Who did Everton sign this summer?

It has been a tricky summer for the Toffees to navigate following what was a seriously underwhelming campaign for them in the league last year.

However, the higher-ups have shown some ambition in the transfer market and given Sean Dyche some funds to bolster his squad ahead of what could be yet another season in which the Merseysiders fight tooth and nail to stave off a drop to the Championship come May.

The club has seemingly focused on bringing in some more firepower to the team, with the singings of Beto, Arnaut Danjuma, Youssef Chermiti and Jack Harrison all sure to help the side with scoring more goals across the campaign.

Interestingly, Dyche also turned to the incredibly experienced – and former England international – Ashley Young to come in and help his squad push on this year. Whilst the 38 year old has come in on a free, his know-how and invaluable experience should be a real boon to the rest of the team.

While there’s still a long way to go for the Toffees, they can at least take pride in what has turned out to be a rather successful summer transfer window.

Who did Everton sell this summer?

After just about surviving their second consecutive relegation scrap last season, it shouldn’t have come as a massive surprise that several players at the club would end up leaving over the summer months.

Moise Kean was their most expensive sale. The 23-year-old opted to re-join Serie A giants Juventus in a deal said to be worth around £25m.

One of last season’s key performers, Alex Iwobi, left in favour of a move to fellow Premier League outfit Fulham. The cottagers outlaid £22m for the Nigerian’s signature.

Ellis Simms and Niels Nkounkou also departed, with the former moving to Coventry City for £5m and the latter to Saint-Etienne for around £1.5m.

The likes of Yerry Mina, Tom Davies and Asmir Begovic all left the club on frees, whereas Mason Holgate joined the recently relegated Southampton on loan for the season.

Who could Everton sign in January?

Jerome Boateng – free agent: TEAMtalk is reporting that Everton held talks with former Bayern Munich defender Jerome Boateng.

Boateng is a free agent after being released by Lyon in the summer, and the Toffees were one of several clubs to talk to the 2014 World Cup winner.

However, it appears he rejected interest from the Merseysiders in order to return to Bayern, where he is currently training.

While Bayern have since confirmed they will not be re-signing the defender, the fact it seems as though Boateng is not too keen on a move to Everton will certainly come as a blow to Sean Dyche, who is eager to strengthen his defensive ranks.

The former Burnley boss is reportedly ‘unconvinced’ about his defensive options and has doubts over whether they can drive the club forward.

The report notes the Boateng link could’ve been used as a motivator for his defenders to improve their level of performance, though the truth in that notion is unclear.

Harry Maguire – Manchester United: Reports from Spain have claimed that Everton are looking to sign former Manchester United captain and England international Harry Maguire in the coming January transfer window.

A fee shouldn’t be too much of a stumbling block for either side in this deal, as United already accepted a £30m offer from West Ham in the summer. With the likelihood of limited game time over the next few months and another three months coming off his contract, any deal with Everton would likely come in below that £30m figure.

While his last couple of years at United have been nothing short of a disaster, there is clearly still a good player there, and were he given the opportunity to start anew at Goodison, he could rediscover the form that earned him his move to Old Trafford in the first place.

Adnan Januzaj – Sevilla: Another report from Spain has revealed that the Toffees are interested in bringing former United wonderkid Adnan Januzaj to Merseyside this winter.

The 28-year-old spent part of last season on loan with Turkish side Istanbul Basaksehir, but after scoring just two goals in 11 games, Sevilla are happy to cut their losses.

The report claims that if Everton make a suitable offer for the Belgian, the La Liga side would eagerly accept it, though it does not specify what would be considered suitable.

While he was once one of the most sought-after players in England, it remains to be seen whether he would be a smart addition to an Everton team that will likely be battling it out towards the bottom of the league again this season.

Wilfried Gnonto – Leeds United: Liverpool World has reported that Everton will continue their pursuit of Leeds United’s highly-rated youngster Wilfried Gnonto in the January transfer window.

The Toffees spent much of the latter stages of the summer window trying to sort a deal to sign the young Italian, but could not get a deal over the line in time.

The fee that would reportedly be enough to get the deal done is around £25m; however, transfer insider Ben Jacobs has told GiveMeSport that he does not think Leeds will sanction a move in the summer, saying:

“My sense of the situation is that it’s blown over, and that Gnonto respects Leeds’ position and that nothing will be sanctioned mid-season.

“And then, obviously, by the summer, it will all simply depend on whether Leeds go up or stay in the Championship.”

We’ll have to keep our eye on this one, then.

Who could leave Everton in January?

Jarrad Branthwaite: Everton announced on Friday that the 21-year-old had penned a new deal running through to 2027, dispelling any rumours of a January exit.

It had been reported that Manchester United were very keen on signing the youngster, but a move to Old Trafford now looks extremely unlikely, at least at this stage.

The England Under-21 international, who featured in his nation’s European Championship triumph in the summer, has become a fixture in Dyche’s side this term, following a fruitful season-long loan spell with Dutch outfit PSV.

Branthwaite described the new deal as a show of commitment: “To sign this new contract was to show the commitment I have for the Club and show how much it means to me to play for Everton.”

How could Everton line up in January?

How would the rumoured signings above impact Everton? Would they sit on the bench or come straight into the starting XI?

It seems that Boateng remains a longshot for the moment, although you would expect someone of his stature and experience would be immediately installed to the starting lineup. The German would surely not be keen on moving only to become a regular substitute.

On the other hand, were Januzaj to sign for the Toffees, he would undoubtedly be a new face for the bench, for as good as he was in the past, he hasn’t shown any real quality in the last few years of his career.

However, Gnonto and Maguire stand a greater chance of making it into Everton’s XI. Gnonto is still young, relatively inexperienced and raw, but he has shown enough in his short Premier League career that he could be a regular starter for a top-half team, and if you are not going to start him, what’s the point in spending £25m on him?

While lacking much in the way of game time in recent months, Maguire is still a solid defender. While he may not be of the quality required to take United beyond where they currently find themselves, he would surely be a great addition to Everton’s backline and help them avoid – or survive – a third successive relegation fight.

Potential Everton XI (4-4-1-1) – Pickford; Young, Branthwaite, Maguire, Patterson; McNeil, Onana, Gueye, Gnonto; Doucoure; Calvert-Lewin