We've now entered the final month of the summer transfer window and having already brought in five players, Everton manager Sean Dyche was coy about the prospect of further new faces when asked after his side's 3-0 friendly defeat at Coventry City. The Blues boss had snapped up Jake O'Brien that day with the centre-back and following midfielder Tim Iroegbunam and attackers Iliman Ndiaye, Jack Harrison and Jesper Lindstrom through the entrance to Finch Farm.
Many of Everton's big names - particularly in the back five - are yet to return but just how much more business does director of Kevin Thelwell have to do? Even if money is now tight at the Blues, that has not stopped the club being linked with the likes of Scott McTominay, Tammy Abraham and Kalvin Phillips.
Following that heavy defeat to Coventry, Everton are still looking for a first friendly win with the game coming after a 3-3 draw at Seamus Coleman's former club Sligo Rovers in Ireland and 2-1 defeat at League Two Salford City.
Their pre-season remaining fixtures are at Preston North End this Saturday and then at home to Roma, in what is set to be Goodison Park's last friendly ahead of the ground's final 2024/25 campaign.
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Paul Wheelock
Goodnight
Thanks very much for joining us on today's Everton FC live blog. Have a good evening.
Chris Beesley
Takeover: 'Three groups circling' but Friedkin could 'come back'
Former Everton chief executive Keith Wyness believes there are three groups currently wanting to buy the club but reckons Dan Friedkin could still block a rival bid and resurrect his own interest after he pulled out of takeover talks a fortnight ago.
It was the fourth time in two years that a period of exclusivity ended without wantaway owner Farhad Moshiri offloading his 94.1% stake in the club.
Wyness, who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs, reckons the US investors now have “control over the stadium” and “a say in any future takeover.
Click here for the full story
Paul Wheelock
Tammy Abraham claim
Tammy Abraham, the former Chelsea striker who is now at Roma, has been linked with Everton throughout the summer.
And if Dominic Calvert-Lewin was to leave the Blues, it is a deal that would make sense.
But regardless of that, a report by Corriere della Sera (via Sport Witness) says that while Abraham is “destined to leave” Roma , he does not want to return to England to sign for Everton, or West Ham United for that matter, and instead has set his sights on joining some of his former team-mates at AC Milan.
However, given that Milan have just signed Euro 2024 winning captain Alvaro Morta, would Abraham be first choice there? And, anyway, the €30m price tag put on Abraham's head will be problematic for the San Siro outfit, it is reported. Although Roma are also said to be willing to commit suitors to a €25m permanent deal after an initial loan period.
Sounds like a lot of ifs, buts and maybes to me. Let's see about this one.
Chris Beesley
Under-21 fixtures announced
Everton Under-21s Premier League 2 fixtures for 2024/25 have been announced.
Paul Tait's young Blues will begin their campaign at home to Blackburn Rovers at Southport on Friday August 16, the night before the first team kick-off against Brighton & Hove Albion.
Click here for the games in full
Paul Wheelock
Issa Kabore wanted by Everton Premier League rivals
Issa Kabore was a player I was impressed with most of the times I watched Luton Town last season - including in their 2-1 triumph at Goodison Park early on in the campaign.
It was pleasing, then, to see him linked with Everton earlier this summer. But the Manchester City right-back, who spent last season on loan at Luton, clearly has other admirers...
Chris Beesley
Everton could take chance on exciting winger who plays like former transfer target
Tallares and Paraguay winger Ramon Sosa has been linked with a potential transfer to Everton but what might he bring to the Blues side?
Sosa was born on August 31, 1999, in Maracana – not the giant Brazilian national football stadium in Rio de Janeiro but rather a small town in Paraguay – and began his career with another namesake of a big name in the sport.
His first club was River Plate, but again not Club Atletico River Plate, 38 times champions of Argentina and four times Copa Libertadores winners, but a small outfit from the Mburicao neighbourhood of Paraguay’s capital city Asuncion.
After spells with River Plate and Olimpia in the Paraguayan Primera Division, Sosa moved to Argentina in 2022 when he joined Gimasia La Plata. Netting six times in 42 matches for them, he then switched to his current club Tallares in the city of Cordoba in 2023, scoring 10 times in 35 games last term while adding six in 21 outings in 2024 so far.
Making his international debut for Paraguay in a 2-0 loss to Colombia on November 20, 2022, he has been capped 14 times for his country to date and has scored one international goal, breaking his duck in his most-recent outing, a 2-1 loss to Costa Rica in their final Copa America group game this summer on July 3 at the Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas.
Click here for the full article on Sosa's playing style.
Chris Beesley
Shakespeare enjoyed perfect Everton manager record
Craig Shakespeare, who has died aged 60, enjoyed a 100% winning record as Everton ‘manager.’
The Brummie enjoyed one of the most-curious managerial cameos in Blues history when he took charge of the first team for a Europa League dead rubber in Cyprus on Thursday December 7, 2017.
With Everton having already been eliminated from the competition and new manager Sam Allardyce attending a pre-arranged medical appointment, Shakespeare took a shadow squad out to the eastern Mediterranean island while assistant manager Sammy Lee also stayed back on Merseyside to work with the senior players ahead of that Sunday’s Merseyside Derby (a Wayne Rooney penalty would cancel out Mohamed Salah’s opener to earn a draw at Anfield).
Click here for the full article
Paul Wheelock
Everton and Manchester United in hunt for Richard Rios
According to TEAMtalk, Everton and Manchester United are among several clubs interested in the 24-year-old Palmeiras midfielder Richard Rios, who impessed for Colombia at the Copa America.
The report goes on to say West Ham United and Leicester City are also interested in the £12m-rated Rios and that Everton are looking to raise funds by offloading Michael Keane, Mason Holgate and Neal Maupay.
The Blues have already made five summer signings.
Chris Beesley
O' Brien transfer strengthens Everton grip on table they already top
Everton’s fifth arrival of the summer Jake O’Brien is their biggest signing of the transfer window – literally, given that he is an imposing 6ft 6in tall – and his acquisition enables the Blues to strengthen their grip on one Premier League table that they’re already topping.
Click here for the full story
Chris Beesley
Everton's Breathlessness Hub has potentially saved 30 lives so far
Everton in the Community recently hosted a mass heart screening event at Goodison Park as part of its ongoing work with its Breathlessness Hub, which has detected 30 potential heart failure cases to date.
In partnership with Pumping Marvellous, Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Us2.ai and LumiraDx, the Club’s official charity offered free heart health checks to local residents aged 40 and over in order to help identify suspected cardiovascular conditions and enable people to receive earlier diagnosis and treatment.
Almost 950 people attended EitC’s mass heart screening event, at which more than 20 per cent of attendees were identified as symptomatic of heart failure using the BEAT acronym – Breathless, Exhausted, Ankle Swelling and Time for a blood test. Following this, over 200 people received a NT-proBNP test which is used to determine how well the heart is able to pump blood around the body.
Of those, 16 individuals had elevated NT-proBNP levels which can indicate the presence of heart failure. Subsequently, these patients either received an echocardiogram at the event or were referred for an urgent echocardiogram at the charity’s unique heart and lung screening hub.
Further to this, a significant number of people were identified with high blood pressure and atrial fibrillation – which is a condition that causes an irregular and often fast heartbeat. By detecting these conditions earlier on, EitC has helped to prevent these patients from potential strokes and heart failure whilst contributing to significant savings for the NHS.
The success of the mass heart screening event encompasses EitC’s continued work with its Breathlessness Hub. Situated in the charity’s mental health and wellbeing hub, The People’s Place and funded by AstraZeneca, the charity’s life-saving service offers early diagnosis and treatment for heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and other chronic conditions to the local community and patients signposted by their local GP.
Following its launch in spring, EitC has provided significant support for hundreds of individuals suffering from chronic breathlessness at the hub and through its mass heart screening event. To date, the charity has screened 1,085 people and detected 30 potential heart failure cases. Also, 27 patients have received a spirometry appointment, which measures how much air you can breathe in and out of your lungs and an additional 100 individuals have been scheduled in for a spirometry test in the coming weeks.
What’s more, 137 patients have received further respiratory investigations at the hub and three patients have been referred on to a virtual ward for their follow-up treatment, saving the NHS approximately £39,720. Virtual wards enable the patient to get the care they need at home safely and conveniently, rather than being in hospital, reducing costs for the NHS and pressure on hospital beds.
In addition, recent survey feedback from those accessing the hub has revealed that 89 per cent of patients preferred their experience at The People’s Place to a clinical hospital setting. The findings also showed that participants also benefitted from the wrap-around support available at the hub, with 33 per cent referred for further emotional and wellbeing support following their breathlessness diagnosis.
The charity’s Breathlessness Hub is England’s first community-based heart and lung screening hub and is leading the way with community health screenings. Heart failure impacts over one million people and in Merseyside, the cases are higher than the national average. The hub facilitates access for all from across the county and provides them with life-changing and lifesaving information about their heart health and treatment options whilst helping to alleviate pressure on the region’s public services.
Jon Jones, Director of Adult Services at Everton in the Community said: “Our recent mass heart screening event was a huge success and with vital support from our partners, we managed to screen almost 950 local residents from across Liverpool and over 200 of those individuals received a NT-proBNP test.”
“The event formed part of our ongoing work with our Breathlessness Hub at The People’s Place. What makes this programme so unique is that the support and screening doesn’t stop after this event, we’ll continue to identify cardiovascular and respiratory issues and give people access to wrap-around services, including mental health and wellbeing support.
“We’ve made great strides so far with our life-saving hub by bringing community health screenings closer to people's homes, helping to detect and treat heart failure and provide patients with better outcomes.”
To find out more about Everton’s Breathlessness Hub, email peoplesplace@evertonfc.com.
Paul Wheelock
Manchester United make move for centre-back
Manchester United have saw two bids for Everton centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite rejected this summer.
It was hoped they would not return for a third after they signed Leny Yoro from Lille for £52m.
But with Yoro having picked up a pre-season injury that will rule him out for up to three months, there were fears United could come back in for Branthwaite.
However, it appears they are targetting another central defender. The Athletic's David Ornstein reports the Reds Devils have submitted an offer to sign Matthijs de Ligt, as well as right-back Noussair Mazraouri, from Bayern Munich.
The reports continues: "The Old Trafford hierarchy want to bolster their ranks by landing both defenders and stepped up their pursuit on Thursday via a joint bid.
"There was optimism at United and among the players’ representatives that this would satisfy Bayern’s expectations for squad members they deem surplus to requirements.
But the proposal was rejected and the Bundesliga side told their Premier League counterparts it will need a higher fee to reach an agreement, with talks ongoing."
Paul Wheelock
Kalvin Phillips claim
One midfielder we know Everton manager Sean Dyche is interested in is Manchester City's Kalvin Phillips.
The England international has endured a torried time at City but he is now back at the home of the Premier League champions after a forgettable loan spell at West Ham United.
In City's latest pre-season friendly, a 2-2 draw with Barcelona in America, Phillips was deployed as a centre-back with Pep Guardiola hinting it may be a better position for the player, whose future he admits is very much uncertain.
The City boss said: "Kalvin I don't know what is going to happen with his situation. He was really good for the problems we had. I know Kalvin when he gets the ball and can see all the pitch in front of him he's a really good player. When he has the small spaces there are more problems.
“That's why with the problems we have he makes an incredible effort with his position. He was confident with the ball and helps us a lot. I'm really pleased with his performance."
Paul Wheelock
Scott McTominay bid
Scott McTominay has long been linked with Everton and it appears clear that they do like the look of the Manchester United midfielder.
But it seems as if the Blues will be priced out of a move for the Scotland international, who is the subject of an improved, £20m offer from Fulham.
The Times report that United are likely to turn down the offer as they hold out for £25-30m for the 27-year-old.
The story adds: "Everton have been long-term admirers of McTominay but they do not have enough money to buy him. A year ago, United rejected a bid of £30million for McTominay as they wanted £40million at that stage."
Paul Wheelock
Very sad news
We start with some very sad news that emerged last night.
Former Leicester City manager Craig Shakespeare, who was first-team coach Sam Allardyce as Everton boss during the 2017-18 season, has died at the age of 60. It had been announced in October that Shakespeare had been diagnosed with cancer.
A statement released on behalf of his family via the League Managers' Association said Shakespeare "passed away peacefully at home surrounded by his family".
It added: "While the family are immensely proud of his footballing achievements as both a player and a coach, to us, his family, he will always primarily be a loving and loved husband, father, son, brother and uncle.
"The loss is devastating to us all and we would ask that privacy be given at this incredibly difficult time as we try to come to terms with, and mourn, the loss of a very special person.
"The family would like to thank and acknowledge the many prayers and good wishes sent during the past few difficult months, many of which we were unable to respond to but all meant a lot to Craig and the family."
Rest in peace, Craig.
Paul Wheelock
Good morning
And welcome to your Everton transfer and takeover live blog for Friday, August 2.
Hope you are well.
Stick with us throughout the day for all the latest developments from Goodison Park and all the build-up to tomorrow's pre-season friendly at Preston North End.
Chris Beesley
On this day
Everton suffered a 3-0 defeat at Coventry City this week but on this day in 1987, Colin Harvey marked his first day as Blues boss with a 1-0 victory over the West Midlands outfit in the Charity Shield.
Wayne Clarke's goal just before half-time gave the League Champions the trophy against the FA Cup winners in front of an 88,000 crowd.
Chris Beesley
Major development starts on new Everton Stadium pitch
Everton’s pitch at their future home is taking shape as the waterproof membrane that signals the build-up of the playing surface at the new stadium is being rolled out.
The Blues kick-off their historic final season at Goodison Park later this month against Brighton & Hove Albion and will move to the 52,888 capacity new Everton Stadium for the 2025/26 campaign.
Click here for the full story and an explanation of the technology that is being used on the turf at Bramley-Moore Dock.
Chris Beesley
Everton could repeat O'Brien transfer strategy to solve problem position
Everton have been linked with a move for Habib Diarra but what could the player potentially bring to their side?
Get French Football cites L’Equipe as reporting that Everton are interested in the 20-year-old as they ponder their options in midfield and could be set to submit an initial approach in the coming days.
However, the article also cautions that the Alsatian outfit have been resolute in their belief that the player – who has four years remaining on his current contract – will not be sold in the current window – although Everton have been tracking Diarra for several months and now could be in a position to act upon their interest.
The Blues’ latest recruit Jake O’Brien has already credited his Republic of Ireland team-mate and captain Seamus Coleman for helping persuade him to move to Goodison Park so could Idrissa Gueye and Iliman Ndiaye be prepared to step in to tempt their fellow Senegal international to come to Merseyside?
Click here for the full story
Chris Beesley
Everton's Branthwaite resolve could be tested after huge Man U blow
As the summer transfer window moves into its final month, Everton’s resolve over Jarrad Branthwaite could be tested again with Manchester United’s new recruit Leny Yoro having been ruled out for around three months with a foot injury.
Yoro limped off in the 35th minute of the 2-1 pre-season friendly defeat to Arsenal in the early hours of Sunday at the SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, after lengthy treatment and was then seen using crutches and wearing a protective boot on his left foot.
The 18-year-old defender joined the Red Devils on a five-year contract from Lille this summer in a deal worth up to £58.9m and has opted to stay with the team on their US tour, with further assessment to be carried out upon his return to the UK.
Eyebrows were raised when Manchester United splashed out such a hefty fee on the uncapped youngster with no Premier League experience given their parsimonious pursuit of Branthwaite and making it clear they would ‘not be held to ransom’ over the England international.
Click here for the full story
Chris Beesley
Everton stance on more summer transfers
Sean Dyche said he was not expecting further signings during the summer but has teased: “We will have to wait and see.”
The Blues boss was speaking to ECHO Everton correspondent Joe Thomas following Tuesday night's 3-0 defeat to Coventry City, when the announcement over the purchase of Jake O'Brien was made just over two hours before kick-off.
Click here for the full article
Chris Beesley
Thelwell talks
Everton director of football Kevin Thelwell generally likes to keep something of a low profile but he'll be giving a talk next month at a football networking event at St George's Park.
The transfer window will have closed by then so it could be interesting over what he has to say.
— Training Ground Guru (@ground_guru) August 1, 2024#TGGLive Speaker Spotlight
Kevin Thelwell is Director of Football @Everton and one of football's most experienced leaders. Was Sporting Director @Wolves & Head of Sport at NY Red Bulls before joining Blues.
For more & to buy tickets, click link
Chris Beesley
Blues 'priced out' over McTominay
Everton are struggling to follow up their interest in Manchester United’s Scott McTominay with a bid as Fulham have submitted a £20million offer for the midfielder, according to a report.
An article from James Ducker in the Daily Telegraph states that Istanbul rivals Galatasaray and Fenerbahce are also strongly interested in the Scotland international with the Londoners’ bid – after having an initial £15million offer rejected – still falling short of Old Trafford chiefs’ valuation of at least £25million. The same piece says Everton are also admirers of McTominay but are unlikely to be able to afford the player amid the uncertainty hanging over the club following the collapse of the Friedkin Group’s proposed takeover.
Chris Beesley
Everton have clear new transfer priority
Everton secured a fifth signing of a busy summer when Jake O'Brien's move from Coventry City was completed on Tuesday. The 23-year-old was revealed as a Blue after the club swooped for a player who had been on their radar for some time but looked set to be targeted by Premier League rivals last week.
The towering centre back could make a first appearance in the friendly at Preston North End, where supporters could also get their first glimpse of another new signing - Jesper Lindstrom. Will anyone else head through the doors of Finch Farm? Sean Dyche said it was unlikely at this stage but teased: "Wait and see."
The ECHO's Blues writers look at what their priority would now be after O'Brien's arrival.
Click here to read what they have to say
Chris Beesley
Good morning
Hello everyone and welcome to Thursday's Everton Live Blog.
It's August and that means we're into the final month of the summer transfer window and we're actually finishing a bit earlier this year given that deadline day is August 30.
Just how happy are you with the business that Sean Dyche and Kevin Thelwell have done so far?
There's always plenty to discuss so stick with us throughout the day for all the latest news and views on the Blues.
Chris Beesley
Everton must address short-term priority as necessary move edges closer
Here's a snap shot of today's Talking Point following Everton's 3-0 defeat at Coventry City...
An opportunity to get into good habits and build some momentum or just a glorified fitness exercise, that’s always been the dilemma over how to judge pre-season fixtures. But having been sent to Coventry, Everton’s latest friendly made for painful viewing.
In truth, Sean Dyche’s side never got going and were ruthlessly exposed at both ends of the field by Mark Robins’ upwardly-mobile side who after a couple of near-misses when knocking at the Premier League door and giving eventual FA Cup winners Manchester United the fright of their lives in their Wembley semi-final, look like they could have another positive season ahead of them in the Championship.
Results in friendlies are not always a clear indicator of what lies ahead. Last summer, Everton went unbeaten across their half dozen warm-up fixtures only for it to take them six Premier League games to find their first competitive victory but with almost 3,000 travelling supporters making the 240-mile round trip from Merseyside for this disappointment, they’ll be expecting to see a considerable improvement against Preston North End at Deepdale on Saturday.
Click here for the full article
Chris Beesley
Blues 'eye Sosa'
Everton are interested in Argentinian club CA Talleres' winger Ramon Sosa but face competition from Nottingham Forest for his signature, according to TEAMtalk.
The outlet states they exclusively revealed the Blues interest in the Paraguay international in January and sporting director Kevin Thelwell could now step up his efforts to sign the 24-year-old.
Their article adds Sean Dyche has made signing a new winger one of his top priorities and says Everton have missed out on Jaden Philogene already this summer and are now scouring the market for alternatives.
The more the merrier I guess, but did nobody tell them about the Blues subsequently snapping up Jesper Lindstrom after Philogene went back to Aston Villa from Hull City?
Chris Beesley
Branthwaite transfer stance shared after Everton confirm O'Brien deal
Everton manager Sean Dyche has denied that the arrival of Jake O’Brien is linked to Jarrad Branthwaite’s future.
The towering 6ft 6in Republic of Ireland international centre-back – who is an inch taller than ‘The Carlisle Kaiser’ – became the club's fifth signing of the summer on Tuesday with his £16.43million transfer from Olympique Lyonnais announced just over a couple of hours before their friendly at Coventry City.
Click here to read what the Blues boss had to say.
Chris Beesley
Calvert-Lewin truth clear
The game at Coventry City marked the 10th anniversary of Romelu Lukaku signing for Everton on a permanent basis. But a decade on from the arrival of a striker who was by far the club’s most-prolific of the Premier League era, Dominic Calvert-Lewin's situation highlights the considerable dilemma that the Blues now face.
Meanwhile, a back four with some 1,212 Premier League games under their belt between them were regularly tormented throughout the night by the second-tier outfit.
Click here for my analysis from the Blues' 3-0 defeat in the West Midlands.
Chris Beesley
Orange love for Blues
Given their relative lack of travel for their summer friendlies, Everton have found some new friends it seems among controversial climate protesters Just Stop Oil.
The Goodison Park goal post incident was one of the group's first high-profile stunts.
We may love orange. But we'll always support the blues. #COYB #UTFT pic.twitter.com/QAiZZz3Bsd
— Just Stop Oil (@JustStop_Oil) July 31, 2024
Chris Beesley
At the Helm - Les remembered
The LEGEND Les Helm Ex Physio for @Everton bought a car from us today, I loved listening to his stories he is one funny guy and a gentleman he send his wishes to me old pal @jamie_milligan8 and had some funny stories about @Osman21Leon pic.twitter.com/z5XZWHwwg5
— John ‘Barney’ Barnes (@barneyefc79) July 11, 2018
Long-serving former Everton physio Les Helm who has died aged 87, reacted to the chaotic scenes that dogged the club’s pre-season under Mike Walker and prompted Neville Southall to walk out naked for a friendly, in his typically candid way.
Everton say Bootle-born and bred, Les, who passed away on Monday having previously worked at the club for over a decade, will be dearly missed by everyone who knew and worked with him, was an innovative and pioneering physiotherapist who blended a forward-thinking philosophy with a blunt, down-to-earth manner and the players loved and respected him for it.
Helm found himself caught up in a couple of the Blues' most-outrageous moments of the 1990s. Click here for the full story.
