Everton

Giulia Bould
BBC Radio Merseyside reporter

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Iliman Ndiaye's exit from the World Cup won't have been seen as a disappointment at Everton.

While the winger will be gutted after Senegal dropped a two-goal lead to be dumped out of the tournament by Belgium, as far as his club is concerned, it now means he won't be 'in the shop window' for the rest of the summer.

There's no denying the 26-year-old is a star among Everton's ranks, but there was frustration after his return from Afcon.

Ndiaye missed six Premier League games for the Toffees as he went all the way to the highly controversial final. When he came back, he looked tired and worn out, failing to fire on the pitch alight as he had done earlier in the season.

Before Afcon, he was on four goals; after Afcon, he managed just two more, and one was a penalty.

I don't imagine his form will have put off any suitors, though, and Everton have previously rejected interest in.

Ndiaye is under contract until 2029 so the Toffees aren't forced to sell. They are also in a much more stable place financially under The Friedkin Group and will shut down interest in their best players, as was seen with Jarrad Branthwaite last summer.

Senegal flying home from North America will be a relief for David Moyes more because it affords Ndiaye the chance to rest and recuperate.

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We have been asking you questions about Everton all summer. Our latest is a two-pronged query...

First, is there anyone on the free transfer list you think makes sense or is realistic as a signing?

John Stones, Solly March, Fabinho, Leon Goretzka, Dusan Vlahovic, Daichi Kamada and Yves Bissouma are just some of the names currently available - and you can see a list here of the 15 free agents involved at the World Cup.

And secondly, is there a player the Toffees are constantly linked with but you hope they never sign? If so, who and why?

Get in touch with your views here

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BBC Radio Tees' Mark Drury says new Everton signing Hayden Hackney is a "throwback" midfielder with "plenty of room for improvement".

The 24-year-old has signed for the Blues for a fee of at least £16m from boyhood club Middlesbrough after being named Championship Player of the Year last season.

"For Middlesbrough fans, it's long since been expected," Drury told BBC Radio Merseyside.

"It's a shame to see him go because he is a homegrown player and a Middlesbrough fan, but everybody wishes him well.

"What he is now is the baseline. I'm really interested to see what he becomes as there is lots of room for development.

"He is a player who likes to get on the ball and a box-to-box midfielder. He will quite often come and take the ball off the central defenders and he loves to carry the ball - it is not all about passing.

"He wants to drive the side up the pitch so he does like to dribble. He's got a good shot on him, he likes to join attacks and he's not shy of a tackle. He's a throwback to the sort of midfielder I grew up watching in the 80s and 90s.

"But there's plenty of room for improvement and I'm sure Everton will look to see him develop further in different ways."

Listen to the full chat below or on BBC Sounds

Everton are the latest Premier League team to be linked with Benfica and Colombia midfielder Richard Rios, 26. (Sport Witness), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column

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Nizaar Kinsella
Football reporter

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Keito Nakamura has attracted interest from Premier League clubs, including Bournemouth, Everton and Fulham with his impressive performances for Japan at the World Cup.

The 26-year-old winger has an agreement in place with his French side Reims that would allow him to leave for a suitable fee - understood to be about £21.5m - after the club failed to win promotion to Ligue 1 last season.

Everton and Bournemouth have asked what it might take to sign Nakamura with his entourage but would need to attackers to leave before making a move.

Fulham, who look likely to appoint Alvaro Arbeloa as their new manager, are also keen.

Nakamura spent last season playing in the French second tier, despite interest from clubs including Spanish club Villarreal and Turkish giants Besiktas, with offers reaching up to £15.5m.

The versatile forward finished as Reims' leading scorer with 14 goals and then established himself as Japan's first-choice left winger at the World Cup after Brighton's Kaoru Mitoma's was ruled out with a hamstring injury.

Nakamura scored one goal, provided an assist and was named in Opta's team of the group stage. Japan pushed Brazil in their last 32 match before the five-time champions scored a late winner to knock out the Samurai Blue.

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A criticism of Everton in recent years has been leaving transfer deals until late in the summer window.

The news Hayden Hackney has joined from Middlesbrough on 2 July leaves Toffees fans cautiously optimistic for the rest of the window and with a feeling there is now a proper recruitment plan in place.

It is exciting that a top Championship talent has chosen Everton for his next move, but what could come next?

A right-back remains top of the shopping list. It has been a problematic area for years and it is something that needs fixing if the Blues are to push for Europe.

I understand talks with Tyrique George are going well after he impressed during his loan spell and it should only be a matter of time until there is an agreement.

I believe it will also be a deal that will cost Everton significantly less than the option on the loan deal with Chelsea set out in January.

Listen to Total Sport Merseyside from 18:00 on weeknights on BBC Radio Merseyside.

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We asked for your views on Everton's first summer signing Hayden Hackney, who has joined from Middlesbrough in a long-term deal.

Here are some of your comments:

Jack: Good business in my view. I saw a bit of him last season and thought he looked a decent player. Combative yet a bit about him going forward. Next on the agenda is signing both Merlin Rohl and Tyrique George on permanent deals, plus Idrissa Gueye for another year. He is seriously underrated by some fans. Not a fan of Liam Delap, but would love to get Jarrod Bowen.

Ken: Great news for Everton. He was the best player in the Championship last season. He will definitely benefit the team.

Dennis: I'm absolutely delighted we have finally got him. I've seen him on TV for Middlesbrough and he was for me the standout player. He is top quality with a massive future ahead of him. Welcome to Everton, Hayden.

Marc: Is this a complete reversal of Moyes' thinking? At last the Penny has dropped and he's finally realising that an attacking team creates winners! Will this be using the midfield, wingers and long ball crosses to score goals instead of the boring, pass it along the back, negative, defensive strategy that opposing teams break through? If Everton are to be successful then this is surely the time to make it a change for the better.

Ian: Hopefully Moyes doesn't destroy his career like he's done with Tyler Dibling, Adam Aznou, Nathan Patterson and Charly Alcaraz. Just can't see him starting games under this guy.

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Everton manager David Moyes says Hayden Hackney "will provide greater competition in midfield" after securing the signature of the 24-year-old.

"Hayden is a promising young player who we've been tracking for some time, and I'm looking forward to working with him," said Moyes.

"We've had a track record over the years of identifying players in the Championship who have gone on to do really well for us and been good investments. We hope that will be the case with Hayden, too.

"He's an England Under-21 international who will provide greater competition in midfield, which is something I wanted going into the new season."

Listen to what Everton fans had to say on the club's transfer business so far

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"It was always going to be Everton," says Hayden Hackney after signing a five-year contract with the Blues.

The 24-year-old central midfielder, who was named the 2026-26 Championship Player of the Season for Middlesbrough, is David Moyes' first signing of the summer.

"I'm delighted to be here," said Hackney. "As soon as I spoke to the manager, as soon as I knew Everton were interested, to be honest, it was always going to be Everton.

"It's such a big club, with the new stadium and the direction it's going in. I just wanted to be part of that.

"The manager's track record of bringing players from the Championship to the Premier League was a massive part of my decision as well. Hopefully I can be the next one to do it successfully for Everton.

"It feels like a good fit for me, for sure. I think it's a given that you work hard, you run, you make tackles. I'll be doing that.

"I think fans can expect a bit of everything from me – attacking and defensively. I think I can carry the ball well, arrive late in the box, and hopefully score some goals. I think there's plenty more to come from me. Obviously, I haven't played in the Premier League yet, so once I get used to that I think I can kick on from there.

"It was big for me to get it done before the start of pre-season. I wanted to be here on day one and do the whole pre-season with the lads. I can't wait for it. It helps with everything. Obviously, it's a new set of lads who I'll get used to and then also living down here. I'm delighted.

"There are some unbelievable players here and the competition is going to be tough but I'm ready to get going and to compete."

A good way to start summer transfer business? How excited are you by Everton's newest recruit? Do you expect him to have an easy transition into the Premier Legaue?

Get in touch with your views here

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Everton have released their new home kit for the 2026-27 season and it sees the return of trinity amber on the collar and trimmed sleeves.

The traditional royal blue shirt is paired with white shorts that have a blue vertical flash on the sides and matching trinity amber trim on the cutaway.

Matching blue socks with white and trinity amber trim complete the look.

The goalkeeper kit is green with a black collar and sleeve trim and matching shorts and socks.

The kit will be available in long sleeve versions and there are some sponsor-free shirts available for adults, as well as children's or junior replica kits.

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We asked you which players you have watched at the World Cup that you think would be a great fit at Everton.

Here are some of your comments:

Jim: Daizen Maeda - Celtic and Japan midfielder. Great player who's expressed he wishes to move to the Premier League and wouldn't cost that much.

Ian: Kaishu Sano from Japan looks to be the midfielder we'll need if Idrissa Gana Gueye is to be on his way.

Charles: Ben Gannon-Doak. Electric pace and the end product is getting better.

John: Marvin Senaya was outstanding at right-back for Ghana against England - Anthony Gordon didn't get a look in. Everton need a right-back, look no further than him.

Everton will look to add Villarreal and Senegal international Pape Gueye, 27, or Parma's Belgian midfielder Mandela Keita, 24, if their Senegal midfielder Idrissa Gueye, 36, doesn't sign a contract extension. (Teamtalk), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column

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In the latest episode of BBC Radio Merseyside's Everton A to Z, we have reached the letter H.

Paul Salt, Mike Hughes and Giulia Bould discuss Toffees legends, Adrian Heath, Colin Harvey and Tim Howard.

On Heath, who made 290 appearances for Everton, Hughes said: "Great things expected of him when he came to Everton for a record fee. He was a talented footballer no doubt about it. The fans expected a lot and he ended up being a great player but he didn't find it easy from the word go.

"It did take him some time because of the pressure the whole team was under but what a fantastic footballer he turned out to be. He was wonderfully gifted in many different ways, he could play in a variety of positions.

"He was good at everything. He was a great passer of the ball, he saw things early, a great finisher, a great team-mate. Multi-talented."

Listen to the full episode below or on BBC Sounds

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Everton have announced CMC Markets as their new main partner in a multi-year agreement.

The financial services company will be the front-of-shirt sponsor for the 2026-27 season for the men's and women's teams, and under-21s.

Its branding will also feature across Everton's matchday and digital channels and it will work with the club, Everton in the Community and The People's Learning Trust to support community-focused financial literacy programmes for those in Merseyside.

Everton's president of business operations, Andrew Middleton, said CMC Markets "shares our ambitions, our values and our belief in what Everton is becoming".

He added: "This is an important agreement for the club and one that will play a key role in our continued commercial growth.

"Partnerships of this scale help us strengthen revenues, build a more sustainable platform for success and support our ambitions on and off the pitch.

Everton are confident of signing Chelsea winger Tyrique George, 20 - who they had on loan last season - on a permanent basis. (Teamtalk), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column

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We asked for your views on Everton closing in on deals to sign Hayden Hackney from Middlesbrough and Chelsea's Tyrique George, who had a short loan spell with the Toffees last season.

Here are some of your comments:

Steven: Two great prospects, so good business if we can get it done. I expect Hackney to start, with George providing cover out wide. Let's hope he gets more minutes than last season.

Andy: I haven't seen Hackney play, but he must be decent to win the league player of the season. Hopefully, he'd be another Tim Cahill in his impact. George would also be a good signing, but David Moyes needs to give him minutes! Five or 10 minutes to turn a game around is pointless so give him a run in the team. I want to hear news about full-backs and a striker, though.

Greg: It will only be good business if dithering Dave takes the bull by the horns and plays them, which he probably wont. They are both very good players who will improve if their given the chance.

Ben: Merlin Rohl adapted well to the Premier League and showed that he can be a good squad player and build towards being a regular starter. George brings a directness with some pace that other wingers at Everton don't bring, and Hackney would add good competition in the number eight role. Seems like decent business with low financial risk.

Martin: These are the type of players we should be going for at this time - young with bags of potential and in today's market neither player is costing the earth. However, our main priority was and still is full-back and striker.

Robbie: Excellent news if these two deals are completed. Two decent players and both good ages. More needed, but a good start - when confirmed!

Ian: Still want Moyes gone. He'll leave the two of them on the bench and have all his favourite players in the side as per usual.

In the latest episode of BBC Radio Merseyside's Everton A to Z, we have reached the letter G.

Paul Salt, Mike Hughes and Carl Woodward discuss Toffees legend Andy Gray and the rich history of Goodison Park.

Listen below or on BBC Sounds here

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Everton are active in the transfer market and close to agreeing a deal with two players.

They are Middlesbrough's highly rated midfielder Hayden Hackney and Chelsea winger Tyrique George, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Attacking midfielder Merlin Rohl is also set to make his loan move permanent following a successful spell from Freiburg last season.

What do you make of Everton's move for Hackney? Is he what the Toffees need? And did George and and Rohl impress enough to sign permanently?

Get in touch with your views here