‘David Moyes to snub Kyle Walker, push to sign rival Premier League ace at Everton’
David Moyes has to choose to sign another Premier League right-back over Manchester City outcast Kyle Walker amid rumours of Everton pursuit of his services.
Everton enjoyed a revival under Moyes in the second-half of last season, and they eventually finished 13th in the Premier League as they bid farewell to Goodison Park on a high.
This summer will represent the first transfer window with The Friedkin Group at the helm for Everton, following their December takeover, and they have already made a start to their business with playmaker Charly Alcaraz signed from Flamengo after the buy option was activated in his loan deal.
Former club chief Keith Wyness recently revealed to Football Insider that he believes there will be around 10 new signings made as Moyes looks to overhaul his squad in the coming months, and former scout Mick Brown has recently revealed to Football Insider that Man City stalwart Walker is a target for the Toffees this summer.
Walker has “no way back” at the Etihad Stadium following a recent loan spell at AC Milan, according to Football Insider’s Pete O’Rourke, but he is not the only right-back that Everton are looking at, and they should choose another player to sign over him ahead of the new campaign.
Everton need Southampton’s Kyle Walker-Peters over Walker
Walker is liked by Everton, but they are weighing up other potential right-back options this summer after recently offering club-captain Seamus Coleman a one-year contract extension following Ashley Young’s release at the end of his deal.
Football Insider revealed earlier this month that the Toffees are plotting a move for Southampton man Kyle Walker-Peters, with West Ham, Brighton and Fulham also interested as he prepares to leave St Mary’s on 30 June when his contract expires.
The Times have now reported that the Cottagers’ Kenny Tete and the Irons’ Vladimir Coufal are each under consideration among Everton chiefs as they leave their respective clubs, alongside Walker and Walker-Peters, but it is the latter who Moyes should be looking to sign this summer for a number of reasons.
Walker-Peters is the youngest of the Toffees’ four targets in his position, at 28-years-old, compared to Walker at 35, Coufal at 32 and Tete at 29, soon to be 30, and so he would be able to grow with the club as they move into the Hill Dickinson Stadium rather than being another short-term fix like Young.
The two-cap England international has a lot of experience in the Premier League, too, with nearly 150 appearances in the division, and while fellow ex-Spurs man Walker has won titles and has even more experience, his ability to play consistently well at a high level has to be questioned now after the shaky performances for City last term that caused him to be loaned out.
Walker-Peters’ wage demands would also likely be less than all three of Everton’s other targets given his status as a recently-relegated player, while Tete joined Fulham as a full Netherlands international and Champions League regular with Lyon, and Coufal similarly played regularly for Slavia Prague in Europe’s premier club competition and at international level for Czechia prior to joining the Hammers.
Everton should prioritise attacking signings after securing Walker-Peters
The Toffees’ defensive record was certainly not an issue last season, with only Liverpool and Chelsea conceding less than them as a team throughout the campaign, and they are unlikely to need a high-profile defensive signing with Jarrad Branthwaite set to stay on Merseyside amid interest from the Blues.
If Walker-Peters is snapped up soon, then they need to focus on signing more forwards to improve their attacking prowess and depth next term, especially with striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin likely to leave Everton this summer.
| Player | Signed from | Transfer fee |
| Jake O’Brien | Lyon | £16.4m [Sky Sports] |
| Iliman Ndiaye | Marseille | £16.9m [The Guardian] |
| Tim Iroegbunam | Aston Villa | £9m [Daily Mail] |
Everton chiefs are believed to be planning to allow Moyes to “attack” the transfer market this summer as they look to overhaul his playing squad, and University of Liverpool finance expert Kieran Maguire recently told the BBC that a spend of between “£50-£100m” is realistic for the club without major sales.
Walker is not the only Man City outcast they are looking at to sign, with Football Insider recently revealing that Jack Grealish favours joining Everton over a move to Newcastle United or an overseas club.
He would certainly be a marquee capture ahead of their move to their new stadium, but Moyes will need more players through the door if the Toffees are to build on their 13th-placed finish and compete for European qualification in 2025/26.