Managing Everton as £20m striker snubbed and Man Utd target signs contract

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Everton and David Moyes are welcoming a new era at Hill Dickinson Stadium this season and so far have left the January transfer market alone. But before February arrives, there could still be some incomings for the Toffees.

With a new place to call home, the Friedkin Group's first full season as owners of Everton has so far been satisfactory. After 21 games played, they sit 12th in the Premier League , but just six points away from fourth-place Liverpool .

The summer window saw the arrival of some pivotal puzzle pieces. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall was signed from Chelsea for £25million and although he is currently sidelined, his dynamic left-footed playmaking and stellar set pieces have been crucial to the Toffees' successes.

Jack Grealish has become a player renewed at Hill Dickinson Stadium and the promise of £40m man Tyler Dibling remains untapped. But some areas of the squad require improvement.

Thierno Barry was another summer recruit and he cost a whopping £27.5m when he signed from Spanish side Villarreal. He had bagged 11 goals in all competitions for them in the previous campaign.

Aged just 23, it seems too late to write him off, but the striker just isn't cutting it in the No. 9 position. Beto was another big-money signing in the final years of Farhad Moshiri's ownership , and he too has shown little to convince fans that he can be Everton's starting striker for years to come.

With goals clearly an issue, rumours have suggested that Fenerbahce's Youssef En-Nesyri could be snapped up for £20m. He has scored eight goals in all competitions for the Turkish side this season.

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However, En-Nesyri is already 28 and the price mooted for an ageing player may not be a wise financial choice. Instead, eyes should turn to a cheaper, short-term option, with the view that either Barry can develop, or a younger marksman with potential arrives in the summer.

Everton should look no further than West Ham ace Callum Wilson . In a disjointed team , Wilson has managed four league goals this season but has been pushed down the pecking order due to a flurry of new striker arrivals. He is not a glamorous name, but he knows Moyes, has an eye for goal, wouldn't step on any toes and would be cost-effective on a short loan.

Since he arrived from Manchester United in 2022, James Garner has swiftly become one of the Toffees' most loyal and impressive servants. This season, his creative play has become a key component of Moyes' improved results and his versatility cannot be overlooked. He is more than comfortable pulling the strings in midfield or slotting in at right-back.

At 24, he has many years at the top ahead of him, but his current deal at Hill Dickinson Stadium expires in June 2026. The club do have the unilateral option to extend his contract by an extra year.

Reports suggest that negotiations have begun with Garner over a new long-term deal and these must be concluded quickly. This is because the Daily Mail reports United could return and try to re-sign Garner this window in a cut-price deal, thanks to his expiring contract.

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Although Garner and Jake O'Brien have performed well in the right-back position this season, there is still an underlying concern that neither naturally plays there. Seamus Coleman for so many reliable years manned the right-back spot for the Toffees and now could be the time to bring in a long-term successor and give O'Brien and Garner the chance to feature elsewhere.

Brooke Norton-Cuffy is a former Chelsea and Arsenal academy full-back who moved to Genoa in Italy in 2024. The England under-21 star had previously spent time on loan at Coventry City and Millwall.

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However, in Serie A he has become a powerful and dominant wing-back with his game stepping up to a whole new level . Norton-Cuffy is one of the league's finest defensive talents, now 22 years old, and he possesses eye-watering pace, physicality and strength.

Everton are reportedly monitoring the young defender and should make a move this window for a £17.5m-rated player who holds homegrown status. Though they would face competition from the likes of Juventus for his signature.

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