A list of players Everton could lose on free transfers this summer

12/31/2024 05:00 AM

Up to eight Toffees could start discussions on their respective exits tomorrow

With new ownership now in place at Everton, we can expect to see a number of new faces as The Friedkin Group establishes themselves at the club. The jury is still out on whether they will choose to replace Sean Dyche sooner or later, especially with the embattled manager's win percentage this season dropping to an abysmal 16.7% with just 0.83 goals scored per game.

However, this summer could be a time for change in the playing squad as well, with up to eight players on expiring contracts who could all leave the club on a free transfer if they are not transferred out during the January transfer window, which opens tomorrow.

Players whose contracts are set to end this season are allowed to officially start negotiations with other clubs from this month on as well, so you can expect some transfer chatter around all these players and more in the next few weeks.

Let's talk a look at the eight players by position, and what their futures might hold at the Toffees.

Goalkeepers

Asmir Begovic (37) - It was a bit of a surprise that the veteran goalie got brought back into the fold this season, but Dyche has shown an interest in maintaining three goalkeepers in the playing squad with one of them being an experienced veteran.
The retirement of Andy Lonergan over the offseason, there was a vacancy on the bench and Begovic was signed up again. The Toffees could choose to extend the reliable player, or indeed look for another player this summer for an equally minimal outlay.

Joao Virginia (25) - Indeed, what Everton do with Begovic over the summer could depend on what they do with the Portuguese player first. Virginia has not had much playing time behind the consistent Pickford and will be looking to kick on with his career having hit the 25-year mark himself this last autumn.
There isn't going to be too many opportunities to play here especially with Everton planning to hand Pickford a new contract that could effectively have the England #1 see out the rest of his career with the Toffees.
With minimal minutes and exposure, Everton might choose to move the goalie along this January to recoup some of the undisclosed transfer fee they paid Arsenal when they signed the Benfica youth system product in the summer of 2018.

Defenders

Seamus Coleman (36) - With injury issues continuing to plague the club captain, it is very likely he will choose to hang up his boots at the end of this season. He has barely featured for the club this campaign except in spot duty, and while the position is far from stable behind him, it is time for the club to move on from his fifteen years of service spanning 426 games with 28 goals and 28 assists.
There is no doubt the Irishman will start work right away on his coaching badges, much like his fellow fullback Leighton Baines did, and stay with the club in an off-the-pitch role.
That said, it would be something to see '60 Grand' lead the players out of the tunnel at the shiny new stadium on the docks next season. Maybe a one-game contract?

Michael Keane (31) - The defender has had a turmoiled time with the Toffees. While slow to turn and not blessed with pace, he remains a stodgy centrehalf strong to the tackle with aerial prowess as well. There are few truer hitters of the ball than Keane, who has had some truly memorable goals in the Everton shirt to look back on, including two just this season.
The signing of Jake O'Brien has pretty much ensured that there is no future in the starting lineup for Keane unless he wants to stay on as squad backup.
However, with the player turning 32 in a couple of weeks, he could be looking to resurrect his career either in the Championship or possibly with a promoted side next season. Keane will leave the Blues having featured 223 times with 15 goals and 10 assists.
He joined the club from Burnley eight years ago for an initial fee of £25 million, and with that amount fully amortized by now, anything the club can get for him in a January transfer would count as pure profit.

Ashley Young (39) - When Dyche reached out to his former teammate to join the Blues, neither could (or indeed, should) have imagined that the versatile fullback would go on to be on the teamsheet for just about every game. Yet here we are in Young's second season with the Blues with the veteran having featured in 51 games already.
The Toffees' inability to procure quality fullbacks likely due to paucity of funds has meant that Young has been pushed into action week in and week out no matter how exhausted or out of form he or Vitaliy Mykolenko have been. Nathan Patterson regaining fitness could mean some rest of Young's tired legs, but the young Scotsman's defending remains suspect.
With Everton having new owners who are expected to bring in some funds to bolster the transfer warchest over the summer, it is very unlikely that Young will get his contract extended into the next season.

Midfielders

Abdoulaye Doucoure (31) - At his best, the energetic midfielder has been lead-footed and creatively challenged, but does have the knock of popping up at the right places to score some critical goals in the club's recent history. However, Doucoure's decline has been as stark as how out of place he has looked with Dyche trying to use him as a #10.
There had been rumours of a move to the Gulf states that had fallen through last summer, and that represents a big miss for the club as that would have helped eradicate a big chunk of the PSR deficit in one fell swoop.
Dyche's insistence in using him playing off the striker in all situations will likely lead to his demise, but for the club's sake, cutting ties with one of the highest-paid players on the squad is the right move. If we can sell him in January, even better.

Idrissa Gueye (35) - Gana remains a key part of this squad and one of the first names on the teamsheet, especially as Tim Iroegbunam and James Garner remain sidelined for large parts of this season. Orel Mangala's excellent play has helped lighten Gueye's load thereby making him more effective, but he is still good for one or two big mistakes every game. Some of those do end up in the Blues' net and that is what needs to get cut out.
Last season the Senegal international popped up with some key goals during the critical days of the relegation battle, though this season that has dwindled to nothing. With his advancing age and slowing legs, this might be a good spring to thank him for his service to the club over two spells, and bid him farewell as we leave Goodison.

Forwards

Dominic Calvert-Lewin (27) - For a striker who should be entering his prime, Calvert-Lewin has fallen far, far away from the heady days under Carlo Ancelotti that saw him return to the England fray.
While he might have an argument that Dyche's attacking system (or lack thereof) puts him on an island and thus unable to get involved with play or influence the game, the truth of the matter is that his finishing is not Premier League standard, and for a team as creatively challenged as the Blues, he cannot afford to miss as many chances as he does.
It will be a shame if Everton cannot collect a single cent on a player they have invested nine whole years on. Having signed him for just £1.5 million from Sheffield United, if he can be moved this January any transfer fee the club gets would be a big boost in the PSR stakes.
Nothing has come out of previous conversations of a contract extension, and we can expect that DCL's time on Merseyside should be at an end sooner or later.

In all there are 82 Premier League players whose contracts come to an end with the completion of the 2024-25 season, and there might be some opportunities for the Blues to improve their squad strength and depth without spending too much.

• Arsenal - Thomas Partey, Jorginho, Kieran Tierney
• Aston Villa - Kourtney Hause, Robin Olsen
• Brighton - Tariq Lamptey, Jakub Moder, Joel Veltman, James Milner, Imari Samuels
• Brentford - Christian Norgaard, Josh Dasilva, Ben Mee
• Bournemouth - N/A
• Chelsea - Lucas Bergstrom
• CrystalPalace - Tyrick Mitchell, Will Hughes, Jeffrey Schlupp, Nathaniel Clyne, Joel Ward, Remi Matthews
• Everton - Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Abdoulaye Doucoure, Michael Keane, Idrissa Gueye, Ashley Young, Seamus Coleman, Joao Virginia, Asmir Begovic
• Fulham - Kenny Tete, Adama Traore, Raul Jimenez, Carlos Vinicius, Tom Cairney
• Ipswich Town - Axel Tuanzebe, Cameron Burgess, Massimo Luongo
• Leicester City - Jamie Vardy, Daniel Iversen, Danny Ward
• Liverpool - Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Vitezslav Jaros
• Manchester City - Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan, Scott Carson
• Manchester United - Amad, Harry Maguire, Christian Eriksen, Victor Lindelof, Jonny Evans, Tom Heaton
• Newcastle - Sean Longstaff, Callum Wilson, Fabian Schar, Jamaal Lascelles, Martin Dubravka, Emil Krafth, Mark Gillespie, John Ruddy
• Nottingham Forest - Chris Wood, Ola Aina, Harry Tofolo, Willy Boly
• Southampton - Kyle Walker-Peters, Adam Lallana, Jack Steptens, Joe Lumley
• Tottenham - Heung-min Son, Ben Davies, Fraser Forster, Sergio Reguilon, Alfie Whiteman
• West Ham - Vladimir Coufal, Danny Ings, Michail Antonio, Lukasz Fabianski, Aaron Cresswell
• Wolves - Nelson Semedo, Mario Lemina, Pablo Sarabia, Craig Dawson