After Everton announced that Cenk Tosun, Fabian Delph and Gylfi Sigurdsson would depart on a free transfer upon the expiry of their contracts at the end of June, the damning statistic became clear that the club would make an £82m loss on the trio.
This is in stark contrast to the Toffees’ Merseyside rivals who are experts in recouping fees for departing players. This is something that both Frank Lampard and director of football Kevin Thelwell must improve upon as they look to reshape and rejuvenate the Everton squad after an extremely disappointing campaign.
This is all the more pertinent in the financial climate they are operating in. Funds are reportedly tight at Goodison Park as Everton continue to deal with Financial Fair Play barometers and manage the move to their future Bramley-Moore Dock stadium.
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With the signing of James Tarkowski on a free transfer all but confirmed, this is a good start. However, a crucial component of building a side that the Goodison Park faithful can be proud of this summer is moving on fringe and first-team players to provide the finance to bring in fresh faces. Lampard and Thelwell must ensure the Blues don’t ever face a season like the last again.
So who could leave?
Richarlison or Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£50m)
In an ideal world, Lampard would keep his two key attacking assets and build around them as he looks to push the Toffees up the table. However, there is an acceptance that one of their key men may need to be sold to help satisfy FFP regulations. Richarlison is attracting interest from Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur, while Arsenal have been mentioned too, while Calvert-Lewin has been linked with Newcastle United.
Lampard needs funds to reshape his squad and while it is highly unlikely both of his star men will go, there is a strong possibility one may depart, although Richarlison is likely to command a higher fee and more than the aforementioned £50m.
Moises Kean (£24m)
After struggling at Goodison Park and a loan spell at Paris Saint-Germain, Kean joined his former club Juventus on a two-year loan last summer. The loan deal included an obligation to buy the forward for £24m in the summer of 2023.
However, after an underwhelming campaign of six goals in 42 appearances, Juventus may look to negotiate the price down and buy him instead this summer, aware that Everton need the cash.
Yerry Mina (£10m)
Arguably the Toffees' best defender when available, Mina made just 13 Premier League appearances last season as he struggled with injury. The Colombian missed 24 league matches and, as one of the club’s highest earners, he could be put up for sale.
He is valued at around €15m but, with less than a year left on his contract, the Blues may accept an offer less than that if they do decide to sell. Marseille were linked to Mina earlier this month and the impending move of Tarkowski to Goodison Park could accelerate an exit.
Andre Gomes (£7.5m)
After an impressive start at the club following a season-long loan and subsequent £22m transfer, a serious ankle injury in November 2019 hampered Gomes’ progress. The Toffees haven’t seen the best of the 29-capped Portugal international since.
As another high earner, Lampard would be keen to relieve the club of Gomes' wages and he has been linked with a move to Benfica, where he broke through as a youngster. The Portuguese side are flush with cash after the £85m sale of Darwin Nunez to Liverpool.
Michael Keane (£5m)
Keane has failed to fully convince the Goodison Park faithful after initially impressing and being a regular in Gareth Southgate’s England squads during his first few years at the club. He was part of a defensive unit that conceded 66 goals last season, the most the club has ever shipped in a Premier League campaign.
With the arrival of his former Burnley team-mate Tarkowski, Keane will likely be pushed further down the pecking order and Lampard could cash in on the former Manchester United youngster.
Allan (£5m)
Allan was another signing that initially impressed as Carlo Ancelotti’s Everton side took the league by storm during the early parts of the 2020/21 season. However, he has struggled since and experienced fitness issues during the latter part of the previous campaign. Now 31, he has been linked with a reunion with his former Napoli manager Maurizio Sarri at Lazio.
Jean-Philippe Gbamin (£5m)
Gbamin’s £25m move to Everton in 2019 has been nothing short of a disaster. The Ivory Coast midfielder has made just eight Premier League appearances across three seasons and been ravaged by injuries. However, he did impress on loan at CSKA Moscow during the second half of the 2021/22 season, making 13 appearances and scoring two goals.
At just 26, he still has plenty of his career ahead of him and the fact he was so highly rated before joining Everton means that the club may be able to recoup a small fee for the Ivorian.
Joao Virginia (£3m)
The Portuguese goalkeeper joined Sporting Lisbon on loan last summer in a quest for more first-team football. However, he struggled to dislodge Antonio Adan and made just eight appearances across all competitions.
He has since returned to Everton but there was reportedly a £3m option to buy with the loan deal, which wasn’t activated by Sporting. At 22 and highly rated, and with no clear pathway at Everton, the club could cash in on the keeper.
Nathan Broadhead (£250k)
Now 24, the time has likely passed for Broadhead to make a breakthrough at Everton. However, he impressed on loan at Sunderland last season, scoring 13 goals in 27 appearances as the Black Cats were promoted to the Championship.
There is interest from the Stadium of Light in securing the Welshman’s return and with a year remaining on his deal at Goodison Park, Lampard will hope the club can receive a fee for Broadhead.
Lewis Gibson (£250k)
Once seen as one of the most highly-rated academy prospects, Gibson was signed from Newcastle as a 17-year-old. However, after a half-season loan spell at Fleetwood Town in 2020, he struggled the following year at Reading. He was sent out on loan to Sheffield Wednesday ahead of the 2021/22 campaign but unfortunately injuries hampered his season and stopped him from making an impact.
He made only five League One appearances, amounting to about 250 minutes on the pitch. Everton are currently in negotiations over extending his contract, which expires at the end of June. If they are successful they could look to cash in on the 21-year-old, who is young enough to fulfil his potential.
