Hoping to spark their transfer window into life to follow up on Thierno Barry’s pending arrival, Everton have reportedly entered the race to sign a Championship star.
Who Everton are targeting after Barry
With Barry reportedly on his way to complete a move worth around £30m from Villarreal, it won’t be long until Everton are able to shift their focus towards further incomings. Just who those targets are is the big question. As things stand, names such as James McAtee and Takefusa Kubo remain the most interesting and the Toffees could yet push on to land two more attacking reinforcements.
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The Toffees are in the market for reinforcements.
McAtee particularly stands out. The Manchester City graduate desperately needs to leave the Etihad in search of consistent game time and entering a new era with Everton at The Hill Dickinson Stadium would hand him exactly that.
Whilst he was forced to play a frustrating role last season, McAtee still impressed whenever given the opportunity to thrive under Pep Guardiola. So much so that the Spaniard had nothing but positives to say about the 22-year-old after he scored a hat-trick against Salford City in the FA Cup.
“I am so happy for him, he is a special player. A hat trick is not easy. He has an incredible sense in front of goal, he has the right tempo, he changed the rhythm to score and I am very happy for him.”
Even after that praise, however, McAtee’s future looks destined to come away from the Citizens. Of course, the last time that City sold a young player like McAtee, Chelsea gained an incredible player in Cole Palmer, who is now one of the best that the Premier League has to offer.
Whether Everton can repeat Chelsea’s genius for McAtee remains to be seen, but midfield reinforcements seem to be the Toffees’ priority with or without the Man City gem this summer.
Everton join Hayden Hackney race
According to Sky Sports, Everton have now joined the race to sign Hayden Hackney from Middlesbrough this summer after making initial enquiries over his availability.
Joining a hectic race to sign the £25m midfielder, the Toffees may finally hand Hackney a well-earned path to the Premier League and land an impressive replacement for the departed Abdoulaye Doucoure in the process.
|
League stats 24/25 (via FBref) |
Hayden Hackney |
Abdoulaye Doucoure |
|---|---|---|
|
Minutes |
3,792 |
2,564 |
|
Progressive Passes |
440 |
38 |
|
Tackles Won |
56 |
28 |
|
Ball Recoveries |
281 |
150 |
To say that Hackney is ready for the Premier League would be an understatement. Even as Boro failed to secure a spot in the playoffs last season, he dominated the Championship in the middle of the park both in and out of possession and recently helped England U21s to a European Championship triumph.
It’s no surprise that former manager Michael Carrick was so full of praise for his star man, telling reporters after Hackney won the Young Player of the Year award in 2024: “I’m not taking any credit for Hayden Hackney winning the Young Player of the Year award.
“He’s a talented lad and more importantly he is so down to earth and humble. He’s willing to listen and he’s a very fast learner, so anything you tell him he takes on board straight away.”
