Everton ‘hell-bent’ on agreeing James Garner deal after Aston Villa reveal
Everton are planning to hold talks with James Garner over a new contract and are “hell-bent” on keeping him despite the growing interest in his signature.
That is according to former Man United and Blackburn chief scout Mick Brown, who remains very well-connected within the game, as he exclusively told Football Insider that David Moyes is reluctant to lose any of his key players in the near future.
While talks over a new deal are not yet believed to have taken place, the boss is determined to keep the 24-year-old at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
This comes after Football Insider exclusively revealed on 16 October that Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest want Garner and have made contact over a deal.
Newcastle are also interested in Garner, and with his contract set to expire at the end of the season, clubs believe they could land him for a cut price in January.
David Moyes is reluctant to lose James Garner
Garner confessed he has not held talks with Everton over a new deal when asked last month, but added that he is enjoying his football after a strong start to the season.
Brown, who has a wealth of experience in top-level player recruitment and worked closely alongside Moyes at West Ham, explained that the manager is hoping he can keep the former Man United man beyond the end of the season.
“Garner has always been somebody I’ve rated,” he told Football Insider.
“He’s got a certain level of talent on the ball which Everton lack in their other players, and they see him as an important part of their team with those abilities.
“Without him in there, they are a weaker side, I don’t think there’s any debate about that.
“He’s enjoyed a decent spell at the start of this season and Moysey has spoken very highly of him.
“The problem with that is, these other clubs are now taking note of what he can do and looking at whether he could do those things in their team.
“If Moyes has anything to do with it, I expect they’ll be hell-bent on keeping him at the club, because he is a key part of what they want to do.
“They certainly won’t want to lose him on a free transfer, that would be a bad sign.”
Everton holding contract talks with other key stars
Garner is not the only player at the Hill Dickinson Stadium with his contract set to expire at the end of this season as James Tarkowski and Vitaliy Mykolenko are in the same situation.
Brown told Football Insider in September that Everton are not planning contract talks with Tarkowski until closer to the end of the current season.
The Toffees plan to asses the 32-year-old’s performances over the course of the season before deciding whether to hand him an extended deal given his age.
Meanwhile, Everton could allow Mykolenko to leave on a free transfer if they are able to land a replacement following Adam Aznou’s arrival.
Jordan Pickford was also set to see his contract expire in 2026, but Everton moved quickly to agree terms with their star player.
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