Everton

Everton are investigating footage of their goalkeeper Jordan Pickford allegedly embroiled in a brawl in his hometown of Sunderland. 

Per BBC Sport, a video emerged on social media in which Pickford appears to be being restrained. "The club has been made aware of an alleged incident involving one of our players and we are looking into the matter," Everton said.

Here is the footage of the incident:

Pickford there Hahahha pic.twitter.com/WmP5uC3Xx6

— Harrison (@hworden20) April 1, 2019

Another clip emerged of Pickford being heckled in a bar while he was taking photographs with fans:

Hi Jordan bro. Arms like a T-rex pic.twitter.com/NIsONgEnkb

— Brad Pickle (@lukebambridge) March 31, 2019

The flashpoint occurred a day on from Everton's 2-0 win over West Ham United in the Premier League.

Pickford became a national hero in the summer of 2018, as he excelled for England at the FIFA World Cup. The goalkeeper made a number of excellent saves at the tournament, as the Three Lions progressed to the semi-finals of the competition.

While that tournament came on the back of a fine debut season at Goodison Park—he was named the club's Player of the Year—this term has been a struggle for the former Sunderland stopper.

Pickford has made a number of high-profile errors for the Toffees, including a last-gasp gaffe at Anfield in the Merseyside derby in December that allowed Divock Origi to score a dramatic winner.

Everton manager Marco Silva believes Idrissa Gueye will turn his full focus back to the Toffees after missing out on a transfer to Paris Saint-Germain in January. 

The midfielder was heavily linked with the Ligue 1 giants in the final days of the window, with daily reports coming out of France and the Premier League side repeatedly downplaying the speculation.

Per Goal's Jamie Smith Silva believes Gueye will not sulk now that the saga is over:

"When a club like PSG has a big interest in one of our players it means we're doing a good job. The January market is really tough, because the market is open when you're playing and training.  

"The board never told me the deal would be done or not. They never told me to prepare to replace him. Of course it was a good opportunity for Gana, but it's a fantastic opportunity to stay with us also. 

"I know Gueye is a good professional and a fantastic boy. He likes our club, he enjoys playing in our club. When PSG comes for one player, he starts thinking about his future.  

"Now it's stopped - the market has closed - I've no doubts he will be thinking about playing for Everton again."  

According to Sky Sports News, the 29-year-old asked the club for a transfer. Silva admitted the Toffees turned down a bid from Les Parisiens, per Ryan Benson of Goal. There were also rumours of a second bid, which Silva denied, per Goal's James Westwood.

Most of the speculation came from the French press, but a transfer never seemed likely. Per Get French Football News, Le Parisien made it clear it wasn't going to happen:

PSG added Leandro Paredes to their midfield ranks but were on the lookout for more depth after Marco Verratti suffered an injury, according to Smith. They also have to deal with the Adrien Rabiot situation, as the Frenchman hasn't featured since announcing in December his intention to leave on a free transfer.

The experienced Gueye was a Ligue 1 standout at Lille before he came to England, so he could have been an excellent immediate-impact signing.

The price was a major sticking point, as Les Parisiens reportedly only offered £21.5 million for the Senegal international. Sportswriter Ian Croll thought that was far too little:

PSG source on Idrissa Gueye situation to Le Parisien: “Only a miracle could unblock this.”

— Get French Football News (@GFFN) January 30, 2019

With 19 Premier League starts under his belt this season, Gueye is a key contributor for the Toffees. He sat out against Huddersfield, and Silva will undoubtedly hope he can return to the pitch with his mind at Goodison Park, rather than Paris.

If he has requested a transfer a summer move seems likely, but for now, Everton need him. The club's form has not been great in the last few weeks, and a ticket for European football already seems next to impossible to obtain.

Everton have denied reports Idrissa Gueye has handed in a transfer request in an attempt to force a move from the Toffees to Paris Saint-Germain after the French champions recently bid £21.5 million for him. 

Sky Sports News initially reported Gueye had "written to club officials pleading with them to allow him" to leave for PSG.

But Everton later told the same outlet they have received no such plea from Gueye and remain adamant he is not for sale.

Gueye, 29, has a contract at Goodison Park until 2022, so an offer of £21.5 million was never likely to prove tempting to Everton, even if they were open to selling him:

BREAKING: Everton have rejected a £21.5 million bid from PSG for midfielder Idrissa Gana Gueye, per @_pauljoyce pic.twitter.com/gV16nE4zYy

— B/R Football (@brfootball) January 28, 2019

PSG will need to submit a much-improved bid before the end of the January transfer window if they are to succeed in their move for the midfielder. 

Not only will Everton be concerned about getting a decent fee for Gueye, they would also have very little time to replace him before the January window shuts on Thursday if they sold him.

Morgan Schneiderlin could theoretically deputise until the summer, while James McCarthy is nearing a return to action following a broken leg.

But Gueye would be a huge loss for Marco Silva's side as he has been a rock in the centre of Everton's midfield this term:

Idrissa Gueye has made more tackles (83) than any other player in the Premier League this season; 20.7% of Everton's total.

The only player with higher than 20% of their team's output. 😳 pic.twitter.com/qxowB6qhI6

— Squawka (@Squawka) January 28, 2019

The former Lille player's combative nature is surely one of the main attractions for PSG.

Thomas Tuchel's side often play brilliant attacking football, but they are lacking steel in their engine room. They will also lose Adrien Rabiot when his contract expires in June, leaving a big hole in their midfield.

Signing Gueye makes a lot of sense for PSG. But it is understandable, especially in the January transfer window, that Everton are not going to let him go easily. 

Everton chief executive Denise Barrett-Baxendale has said the Toffees are aiming to win the Premier League at their proposed new stadium. 

The Merseyside club want a quick turnaround on the building of their Bramley-Moore Dock Stadium, and Barrett-Baxendale has stated the club are targeting a full range of silverware, including the Premier League title.

According to Simon Stone of BBC Sport, Barrett-Baxendale commented about why Everton want to move to a new £500 million home. Speaking at the club's annual meeting, the club director revealed her wider ambition after Everton eventually leave Goodison Park.

"It means challenging for domestic titles and trophies," she said. "Not only to win cups but to win Premier League titles too."

Per Stone, club owner Farhad Moshiri underlined the investment he is prepared to oversee to make Everton a world-class club.

Moshiri said:

"A new stadium is a necessity. We don't have a choice. We don't have a plan B or C.

"It is extremely expensive. It will cost us £100m more than other sites but it is like Mastermind. We have started so we will finish.

"I have spent £250m to turn a museum into a competitive outfit, we will complete the stadium. We will raise £350m through the city, the naming rights will be some more. There is an equity gap of £100m. This club is sufficiently robust to see this project through.

"If we want a big club we need a modern stadium."

Moshiri's financial power has made Everton fans dream again. The club was arguably the best team in Europe in 1985, and could have won the European Cup if English clubs were not banned from European competition.

However, even in a new stadium, Everton would struggle to compete with the powerhouses of the northwest and London.

Manchester City have taken a decade to fully overtake Manchester United, and Liverpool have rebuilt their club over a number of years.

Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur remain contenders, leaving the Toffees down the pecking order despite their investments.

Everton's new stadium will make them more attractive to major talent, but they will have to spend a long period improving all parts of their infrastructure to win the English title ahead of their illustrious competitors.

Everton have revealed their proposal for a 52,000-seat stadium at the Bramley-Moore Dock, with the potential to increase capacity to 62,000 in the future and the possibility for safe standing should the government approve. 

The Toffees laid out their plans on Thursday:

"The proposed capacity and design of the new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock will be subject to further public consultation and engagement with supporters during the design process, and with other important stakeholders, including Liverpool City Council and Historic England.

"The projected capacity takes into account several factors which include design and orientation of the stadium on a dock site, current and future ticket demand and forecast revenues and costs. The stadium will also be 'futureproofed' for any changes in regulations in relation to 'safe standing.' The design of two of the stands will make it easy to adopt a rail seating/safe standing solution, which will offer optionality and flexibility, should the law change in future."

As shared by Bleacher Report's Matt Jones, Everton's attendance has been top-notch so far this season, and he believes the choice for a capacity of just 52,000 initially is cautious but smart:

A reminder this hour Everton have sold out every home Premier League home game since the start of last season #EFC

— Matt Jones (@MattJFootball) December 20, 2018

52,000 probably a bit cautious, but think there are definitely reasons to be cautious.

Great that the club have given such quick feedback from the consultations.

I trust them to get this new stadium right, which isn’t something I ever thought I’d say #EFC

— Matt Jones (@MattJFootball) December 20, 2018

Everton play their football at the historic Goodison Park, which seats just under 40,000. The stadium opened in 1892 and lies in the middle of a residential area, making expansion difficult.

In the club statement, Everton announced a second public consultation will be held in the summer before the club submits a "detailed planning application" later in 2019. Redevelopment of Goodison Park is also planned.

At 52,000 seats, the new stadium would be slightly smaller than that of rivals Liverpool and Newcastle United. Manchester United's Old Trafford remains the biggest Premier League ground—at nearly 75,000 seats—ahead of West Ham United's London Stadium and Arsenal's Emirates Stadium. Tottenham Hotspur were scheduled to move into their new 62,000-seat ground this season, but delays have kept them at Wembley so far.

As reported by the Guardian's David Conn, the Premier League has a ban on standing, which is under review and could be overturned in the near future.

Everton have been banned from signing academy players for two years and fined £500,000 after they were found to have made an illegal approach for a schoolboy who played for Cardiff City in 2016.

Per the Mirror's Liam Prenderville, the player now plies his trade for Manchester United.

The Times' Paul Joyce shared Everton's reaction to the news, as the Toffees took full responsibility and accepted the sanctions:

Everton statement: We are extremely disappointed with some of the practices we have found which are not in line with our values and not acceptable to Everton. We have accepted the penalties imposed on us by the Premier League and have given them our strongest apologies.

— paul joyce (@_pauljoyce) November 8, 2018

According to Prenderville, the probe found Everton offered incentives to the player and his family in a bid to convince him to join their academy. The ban means the Toffees can't register any players between the ages of 10 and 18 if those players were previously with another club from the Premier League or EFL.

The report also stated Everton opened their own investigation and suspended their head of recruitment, Martin Waldron. Per Joyce, the investigation uncovered six other instances where the Toffees broke the rules:

Premier League say Everton immediately admitted the allegations over Cardiff City schoolboy and set up its own internal inquiry which established that similar misconduct had occurred in relation to six other Academy players.

— paul joyce (@_pauljoyce) November 8, 2018

Everton's Under-23 squad currently leads the Premier League 2 standings, a competition they won in the 2016-17 campaign. The Under-18s also lead their league, sitting a single point ahead of rivals Liverpool.

The academy has long held a sterling reputation, producing talents like Wayne Rooney, Ross Barkley and Tom Davies, one of the brightest young stars of the current Toffees side.

Everton have committed to building the current squad through the youngsters, with big things expected from the likes of Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Ademola Lookman, Mason Holgate and Jonjoe Kenny.

As part of that approach the Toffees need a steady influx of talent to rise to the senior side from the academy. Any type of ban presents a big blow to those plans.

Liverpool were handed a similar ban last year, per the Guardian's Andy Hunter. The second year of their ban was suspended.

Everton will attempt to capture Divock Origi from Liverpool in January, according to Turkish reports.

The Toffees are reportedly prepared to bolster manager Marco Silva's squad during the winter and have their sights set on the Belgium international.

According to Turkish newspaper Aksam (h/t Sport Witness), Besiktas will attempt to sign Goodison Park striker Cenk Tosun on loan if Silva is successful in his pursuit of Origi.

Origi arrived at Anfield in 2014 from Lille, but the 23-year-old has failed to make an impression under Reds coach Jurgen Klopp.

The Belgian spent last term on loan with Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga, scoring six goals in 31 Bundesliga appearances, but his performances were not enough to see him climb the ranks at his parent club.

Daniel Sturridge has dramatically recovered his form on Merseyside, giving Klopp the auxiliary striker he needs to cover Roberto Firmino as the No. 9 from the substitutes bench.

According to the Mirror and AMK (h/t Turkish Football's Emre Sarigul), Fenerbahce were interested in taking the player to Istanbul on loan, with Liverpool reportedly planning to extend the striker's contract. The Reds reportedly valued Origi at £26 million in August, but Fener were said to only be prepared to pay £1.8 million for a yearlong loan.

Origi has time and youth on his side, and a switch to Everton would be a wise choice for the player.

Everton are rebuilding their squad from the foundations up, and Silva would be a good coaching fit to develop Origi's talent.

The Belgian has only played nine minutes of Premier League football this term, and he appeared laboured during pre-season.

Football writer Joel Rabinowitz gave a scathing assessment back in July:

https://twitter.com/joel_archie/status/1021138770341580800

The Toffees lie 11th in the Premier League at present, having scored only 13 goals in eight games.

However, two convincing league wins on the bounce against Fulham and Leicester City have revitalised the Goodison outfit, and they can attack the January transfer window with confidence if they can further increase their win ratio.

Origi would represent a risk for Everton, especially if Liverpool insist on anything near the previously reported £26 million valuation, but the player could provide fresh impetus for the second half of the campaign.

Everton are reportedly considering offering a deal to former Arsenal and Manchester City playmaker Samir Nasri. 

According to Ian Ladyman of the Daily Mail, Toffees boss Marco Silva wants to add more creativity to his side. Consequently, the club is ready to give the 31-year-old, who is a free agent, an opportunity.

As Ladyman noted, Nasri has been serving a ban from football as a result of an illegal treatment he underwent in 2016.

"The treatment, taken while on holiday, was for hydration but was found to contain micronutrient components that were on the World Anti-Doping Agency banned list," Ladyman said. "Nasri was initially banned for six months, but that was subsequently increased to 18 months."

However, according to David Prentice of the Liverpool Echo, the Toffees aren't interested in snapping up the former Marseille star.

The Frenchman's last club was Antalyaspor in Turkey, although he only turned out for the team eight times, scoring two goals.

Prior to that, Nasri enjoyed a season on loan with Sevilla. In 2016-17, he made 30 appearances for the Andalusian club in all competitions and scored three goals. However, he excelled in a number of different roles for Jorge Sampaoli's team and showed he still had the class to make an impression at the highest level.

Per WhoScored.com, during his time with Sevilla he operated a little deeper and provided a controlling presence in midfield:

Samir Nasri: Only Thiago Motta made more passes per game in the Champions League last season than Nasri (93.6) https://t.co/igWNQrF1Ti

— WhoScored (@WhoScored) August 21, 2017

The worry for any club looking at him, in addition to the ban, would be the fact that he's not played in a top-five European league since his loan at Sevilla from City came to an end.

Everton have other options to call upon in this area of the pitch. While a quartet of Gylfi Sigurdsson, Richarlison, Bernard and Theo Walcott looks likely to be Silva's preferred attacking setup, in Ademola Lookman and Kieran Dowell the team have two bright, young creative players in reserve.

Lookman has yet to start a Premier League game for Everton this season but showed what he is capable of for England's under-21s in their 7-0 rout of the Andorra under-21s on Thursday:

Win & Euro Qualification🤙🏽
Goal⚽
Assist👟
MOTM 💫
🦁🦁🦁@England pic.twitter.com/gmObhlf3EH

— Ademola Lookman (@Alookman_) October 11, 2018

Additionally, summer loan signing Andre Gomes and James McCarthy, who has been on the sidelines with a broken leg, appear to be close to full fitness too:

Everton's James McCarthy made his comeback from a broken leg today in behind-closed-doors game. Yerry Mina, Andre Gomes and Beni Baningime also played in the 60 minute training match.

— paul joyce (@_pauljoyce) October 11, 2018

Nasri has experience in the Premier League, having enjoyed prosperous stints at Arsenal and especially City. At the Etihad Stadium, he won the title twice and was a key creative force for the team.

At Everton, he would offer another option in the final third or midfield for Silva, potentially making him a useful asset from the bench or in cup matches. However, given the array of young talent on the club's books, it would be a shame if a veteran arrived to hinder their progress.

Everton forward Theo Walcott has said he "fell out of love with football" towards the end of his time at former club Arsenal.

Walcott left the Gunners in January 2018, bringing an end to 12 years with the north London club, having fallen down the pecking order under former manager Arsene Wenger.

Speaking about that time in his career ahead of the Toffees' match against Arsenal on Sunday in the Premier League, the England international said that while he loved his time at the Emirates Stadium, there were some tough times towards the end of his stint with the Gunners, per Sky Sports:

"I'm not going to lie, I fell out of love with football for a little bit. Because I had some good performances, but then just didn't get the chance to play on.

"Scoring over 100 goals for Arsenal is a great achievement for me personally, and then just the last year-and-a-half was tough, I can't lie. It was really tough, not being able to get into the team, being in and out.

"I just felt I wanted to get the excitement of football again. I didn't feel like it was going to be at Arsenal then."    

Walcott moved to Everton for a fee in the region of £20 million and has had a positive impact for the Toffees so far. He was bright on the right flank last season, and this season he's already netted twice for the team in the Premier League.

While the former Southampton man divided opinion during his time at the Emirates, it's difficult to argue with his goalscoring record, especially given he would often play from one of the wide positions.

Tifo Football broke down how influential he was in front of goal for the north London club:

Theo Walcott for Arsenal in the Premier League since 2009/10:

207 games
429 shots
218 take ons completed
184 chances created
59 goals
35 assists

Maybe a victim of the unrealistic expectations placed on him, but certainly a strong output for any player in the top flight. 🔴⚪️ pic.twitter.com/2jYvRfuMVS

— Tifo Football by The Athletic (@TifoFootball_) January 18, 2018

For Walcott and Arsenal, it felt like the right time for a change, and the forward has gone from being a peripheral figure to a key player at Goodison Park.

Although his decision-making and injury record remain sketchy, Walcott can still be a major threat. From the right wing, his speed still scares defenders, and he's still dependable when he does get on the end of chances inside the area.

James Benge of the Evening Standard commented on how lively Walcott has looked in a blue shirt:

First time watching Everton this season. Theo Walcott is really, really good.

— James Benge (@jamesbenge) September 16, 2018

Everton supporters will hope he's among the goals on Sunday against his former club, as they will be seeking to bounce back from a 3-1 loss to West Ham United last weekend. However, the Toffees haven't won at Arsenal since 1996.

The Gunners, meanwhile, have won four matches in a row in all competitions and, if they can nullify the threat of their former winger, will feel confident of extending that run against Everton.

Everton confirmed on Friday they have completed the signing of centre-back Kurt Zouma on a season-long loan from Chelsea: 

🇫🇷 | Defender @KurtZouma joins #EFC on a season-long loan from @ChelseaFC.

More ➡️ https://t.co/JdHLN6iDpN pic.twitter.com/IzIHxBTahN

— Everton (@Everton) August 10, 2018

Zouma spent last season on loan at Stoke City and will again spend the campaign away from Stamford Bridge after signing with the Toffees.

The defender's arrival continues a busy summer for Everton who have already signed Richarlison, Lucas Digne, Yerry Mina, Andre Gomes, Bernardo and Joao Virginia in the summer transfer window.

Zouma will wear the No. 5 shirt during his loan spell at Goodison Park, per the Everton website.

Everton managed Marco Silva has said the deal does not include an option to sign the defender permanently, per Phil Kirkbride at the Liverpool Echo:

https://twitter.com/philkecho/status/1027897448910528512

The Frenchman moved to Chelsea in 2014 from French side Saint-Etienne. He was widely regarded as one of the most promising young defenders in Europe at the time. 

However, his career at Chelsea was interrupted by a serious knee injury in 2016. He spent last season with Stoke where he was a regular for the Potters who ended the season by being relegated.

Before he moved to the Britannia Stadium he signed a new six-year deal with Chelsea which showed the club's faith in his ability.

New manager Maurizio Sarri has explained why he was keen to allow some of his players to leave this summer on loan, per Oliver Harbord at Football.London.

"Now I think the squad is too large, so I think some players have to go on loan," he said. "But I don't know who at the moment. I prefer to have 23-24 players, and three or four very young players. No more."

Chelsea have plenty of strength in defence with David Luiz, Gary Cahill, Andreas Christensen, Antonio Rudiger all ahead of Zouma in the pecking order.

The Blues will be hoping Zouma can see some regular game time at Everton this season in order to gain experience and continue his development.

Zouma will face competition for a place in the Toffees team. The club have invested heavily in signing Mina from Barcelona for £27.19 million, per BBC Sport.

The club also have Phil Jagielka, Michael Keane and Mason Holgate in the squad meaning Zouma will need to impress to force his way into Silva's starting XI.