Everton’s transfer question: which reported targets are worth pursuing?

Everton need reinforcements after a season that promised a European push and ended in 13th place. They were three points off a Champions League spot after beating Chelsea 3-0 on March 21, then failed to win any of their final seven matches. The club have yet to make a summer signing, while reports have linked them with a long list of possible arrivals. Sorting plausible fits from tempting distractions is the real challenge.

That’s the idea behind “Sign or swerve,” a regular short feature on the ECHO’s Royal Blue podcast. Here, the question is put to 10 players linked with Everton, listed alphabetically. The verdicts are opinions, of course—but they offer a useful way to weigh squad needs against price, age and fit under David Moyes.

Raoul Bellanova: swerve

Raoul Bellanova, 26, Atalanta, right-back.

Everton badly need a right-back—and arguably two—but Bellanova still feels like a risky fit. The Italy international offers quality and an attacking instinct the side could use. The concern is whether the cost and adaptation curve make sense: Atalanta paid €25 million for him less than two years ago, and the Premier League would be a new test.

Verdict: Swerve.

Jarrod Bowen, 29, West Ham United, right wing.

Bowen is a proven top-class performer, and he’s a player I enjoy watching. Reports also describe him as a positive presence in the dressing room. Moyes gave him his Premier League breakthrough, which adds an appealing thread to the link. What’s not to like?

Champions League · David Moyes · Everton FC · Premier League

Everton’s striker choices carry very different risks

Jarrod Bowen would be an attractive addition, but Everton may struggle to win that race if he has plenty of suitors. The recommendation here is still to sign him.

Liam Delap, 23, Chelsea, striker

Delap divides Evertonians sharply. David Moyes wanted him last summer, but Delap chose to join Enzo Maresca, his former Manchester City coach, at Chelsea. He impressed for relegated Ipswich Town, then struggled at Stamford Bridge. Which version Everton would get remains an open question. Even Romelu Lukaku has found Chelsea a difficult place to be a striker, so Delap’s poor spell there doesn’t settle the matter. I’d take the chance. Verdict: Sign.

Doue fits the need, if the price comes down

Guela Doue, 23, Strasbourg, right-back

Everton have tracked Doue for some time, and Moyes saw him first-hand when Ivory Coast played Scotland at Hill Dickinson Stadium. He looks like an ideal answer at right-back: he supplied seven assists for Strasbourg last season. The catch is the reported £40 million asking price, which appears beyond Everton’s reach. I’d want the player, but not at that fee. Verdict: Sign (but not for that fee).

Karl Etta Eyong, 22, Levante, striker

Eyong has emerged as a link in the past week, but the case for him is hard to make on the evidence here. The Cameroon international is still developing, yet his goal return offers little reassurance. Everton paid £27 million for Thierno Barry after he scored 11 times for Villarreal, and Barry has not convinced so far. Eyong also left Villarreal on September 1 last year, then scored only six La Liga goals for his new club. That’s too much uncertainty for another striker bet. Verdict: Swerve.

Hackney could lift the mood

Hayden Hackney, 23, Middlesbrough, midfielder

Hackney was named Championship Player of the Season, and landing him early could give Everton supporters a lift at Hill Dickinson Stadium. He was disappointed to miss promotion with his boyhood club, Middlesbrough, and has one year left on his contract. People close to him say he is keen to trade the Riverside Stadium for Merseyside. Everton should pursue a deal that works for the club, but a drawn-out negotiation—or losing him to a rival—would be a costly way to handle an achievable target. Verdict: Sign.

Gabriel Jesus, 29, Arsenal, striker

There was a time when signing Jesus would have felt like a major coup. That version of the Brazil international is harder to find now: injuries have disrupted recent seasons, and it’s fair to question whether he still has the hunger and durability he once showed. Everton could end up paying marquee wages and fees for a player who may not deliver at that level. Verdict: Swerve.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka, 28, West Ham United, right-back.

Wan-Bissaka makes more sense as one half of a right-back rebuild than as Everton’s sole answer at the position. His Manchester United spell never justified the £45 million fee, and his return to London came less than two years ago, when he signed a seven-year deal with West Ham. With the Hammers relegated, they may be willing to sell at a reduced price. The DR Congo international could be a sensible opportunity if the fee is right; the catch is that Everton would still need another option.

Verdict: Sign, provided he isn’t the only option.

Harry Wilson, 29, Fulham, right winger.

Wilson is a free agent, which gives him room to seek the biggest contract of his career. That could make him costly despite the lack of a transfer fee. Everton tried a similar move for Fulham right-back Kenny Tete last season, only for Tete to stay at Craven Cottage. Wilson doesn’t appear to be on the same path, but that near miss may make the club cautious.

There’s no objection here to Everton signing a Liverpool alumnus: Kevin Sheedy was this correspondent’s boyhood hero. Wilson is a smooth player, though not in Sheedy’s class, and his lack of pace is the sticking point. David Moyes’s side needs more speed out wide.

Verdict: Swerve.

Edon Zhegrova, 27, Juventus, right winger.

Moise Kean’s time at Juventus may have left Everton wary of shopping there, though reports say the club has tracked Kosovo international Zhegrova for some time. His final seasons at Lille looked promising. His first Serie A campaign did not: he failed to score.

That record will sound familiar to Everton supporters. Jesper Lindstrom also arrived from Napoli without scoring at Goodison Park, then went without a goal again during his 2025/26 spell with Wolfsburg. Zhegrova may offer a fresh start, but the available evidence gives Everton reason to hesitate.