About time! Everton's transfer activity finally clicking into gear

(Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

Things are happening.

Over a month after the season finished, albeit, only two weeks after the transfer window opened, Everton appear to be getting their first bits of business done.

The speculation over Hayden Hackney first began to mount earlier this month, and after weeks of negotiations, Everton seem to have got their man.

Hackney is set to cost Everton an initial £16.5M, according to reports from The Athletic, Paul Joyce of The Times and El Bobble, with a further £8M payable in add-ons. A medical is expected to take place this week, and all being well, the deal will be tied up swiftly, just in time for the Toffees’ pre-season testing to begin.

A stir was caused when The Telegraph initially reported the deal as being closer to £25M, but that was likely just from Middlesbrough aiming to get their brief out there quickly.

There’s enough reliable reporting that Hackney is costing Everton £16.5M up front, and in today’s market, that’s a good deal.

He’s just turned 24, he was the Championship Player of the Season last term, and brings plenty of attributes that Everton simply don’t have in their midfield. He’s quality at progressing the ball forward via passing or, mainly, carrying, which may sound like a pretty basic attribute, but simply put, it’s something that Everton’s midfield have not been good enough at.

Having a player in the middle who can get on the ball and move with it, at a decent pace, is going to be immensely helpful. And while Hackney still has plenty of areas to improve on, he has tenacity and will always get stuck in — something Evertonians will no doubt value.

He also brings leadership qualities, having been captain at Boro, and with question marks still over Idrissa Gana Gueye’s future, it won’t hurt to have another strong personality in the dressing room.

But getting the deal done for Hackney also seems to have coincided with Everton finally pulling the trigger on moving for Tyrique George.

It is understood Everton and Chelsea have held talks for several weeks over whether there was any room to manoeuvre on this transfer, with the Toffees reluctant to pay the supposed £25M buy option, which was included in the loan deal George joined on back in January.

There has, it seems, been a breakthrough, with The Athletic reporting on Monday evening that a deal was close. Other reliable publications, such as BBC Sport, followed up on Tuesday, and El Bobble subsequently posted that a deal had been struck.

So after waiting weeks for some action, Evertonians can look forward to two fresh faces at once.

Okay, George is returning after a loan spell, but nevertheless Everton are signing an exciting winger who has plenty of potential and is only 20. They have also managed to save money on the initial outlay, which, at least in theory, means they have more cash to use on other transfers this summer.

In Hackney, they are bringing in a player plenty of other Premier League clubs were willing to take a punt on too, and he’s at the ideal stage in his career to make an impact. He also gives Everton a bit of breathing space as they wait and see on how their midfield will shape up next season, with Tim Iroegbunam’s name having been circulated to interested parties, too, so Gueye may not be the only central player who departs. It is understood Everton still want to sign a much-needed defensive midfielder, as well.

Whether it’s pure coincidence or not, this uptick in business also coincides with the turn of Everton’s financial year. One can’t help but think that has something to do with being able to push these deals over the threshold.

But what’s now crucial is keeping up the momentum. Everton can’t get all of their business done, but they can at least ensure there are more players in by the time of the first pre-season friendly, against Dundee on July 18th.

There’s over 2 weeks to go, and in this writer’s opinion, Everton should be getting in at least two more players, on top of George and Hackney.

One of those could well be Jack Grealish: Talks have been underway with Manchester City for a while. Most fans would love to see Grealish back, and David Moyes certainly would. The player is clearly keen on the move too, but any deal will have to be done on terms that are right for Everton — another loan switch seems to be the preferred course of action.

The dire situation at right-back must now be prioritised, though. There are options out there and, even if a couple of those may be in action at the World Cup, it’s very unlikely they all will be by this time next week. It’s time to get a move on.

Martin Berry 3 Posted 01/07/2026 at 12:20:22

Settle down folks, you don't always get the the signings you want in the correct order due to circumstances unknown to us, a right back and striker I am sure is being worked on and will happen.

I am delighted if we get Hackney across the line, an absolute bargain, it also appears that we will welcome George through the doors too, he is an exciting player in the making.

It also looks as though we have negotiated good deals, shaving a bit of the original fees by parent clubs which can be reinvested elsewhere.

Ian Bennett 4 Posted 01/07/2026 at 12:28:05

I think they will sign Rico Lewis as well. Id prefer Doue from Strasbourg, but the money and chelsea ownership will mske it too hard of a deal.

Id back us to sign:- Delap loan Hackney Rico Lewis George Grealish Rohl

Mike Corcoran 5 Posted 01/07/2026 at 12:45:22

Rohl is done. Hackney coming. Rico would be great, George maybe, Delap dunno, Grealish please. And a decent attacking LB

Annika Herbert 6 Posted 01/07/2026 at 12:50:49

I don’t think Rohl is done at all. He is a quality player who is only going to improve.

However, there may well be concerns regarding his injury status. He has been prone to several throughout his career. In which case it makes sense to add an extra midfielder to the mix.

But, if he can stay fit, I think we will see more of Rohl next season.

Alan McGuffog 7 Posted 01/07/2026 at 13:22:02

We may have George. We still have Armstrong. Is there a Custer out there ?

Nathan Ford 8 Posted 01/07/2026 at 13:34:45

Annika, I think Mike meant Rohl is done as in the transfer has been completed and deal is done.

Edward Rogers 9 Posted 01/07/2026 at 13:38:29

Don't suppose Morocco's Hakimi fancies a spell on Merseyside? 😜 Best right back I've seen in years.

Christy Ring 10 Posted 01/07/2026 at 13:39:35

City looking for £35m for Lewis, not worth it, considering Nunes a midfielder, has played fullback all season?

Adrian Phillips 11 Posted 01/07/2026 at 14:10:48

I think you need to add the add ons for appearances, to reflect the cost of the deal. If he fails to make the appearances, it is basically a failed deal. The england and champions league add ons are more speculative. Everton is pushing to structure payments based on add ons, delayed payments, loan-purchase options in oder to parially defer accounting to the next accounting year and to spread out the cash impact.

Stu Darlington 12 Posted 01/07/2026 at 14:25:27

Some quality players already mentioned on this thread,all of whom would strengthen our squad,but I don’t see anyone who would fulfill our primary needs. These for me would be a central defender a right back and a pacy right winger.Our right side has been dire for years and our central defence was awful towards the end of the season and is hardly likely to get any better with age.

Annika Herbert 13 Posted 01/07/2026 at 15:03:39

Nathan 8, thanks for that, I think you are right and I just misinterpreted what Mike was saying.

Dave Abrahams 14 Posted 01/07/2026 at 15:33:16

Ian (4) Yes Rico Lewis would be a good versatile signing for full back and anywhere in midfield, even Moyes couldn’t doubt he’d be a great addition to the squad.

John Collins 15 Posted 01/07/2026 at 15:42:51

I would be amazed if Lewis signs. Unless he hasn't seen the restrictions the manager puts on full backs getting forward.

Lee Courtliff 16 Posted 01/07/2026 at 16:05:06

John, there are no restrictions getting forward, it's just that they're both bloody awful at it!

I can't I'm overly impressed with Lewis but it's certainly an option. But Hackney and George are both excellent signings with potential and importantly for us, sell on value.

As much as we don't like to think of things like that, we can't make the same mistakes all over again and end up stuck with players on the wage bill for years. Players who don't even play for us.

See Alli, Gomes, Tosun, Walcott, etc.

Ian Bennett 17 Posted 01/07/2026 at 16:22:34

Chelsea have signed Palestra for £47m, so that might open up Chalobah, or Josh Acheampong.

City linked with Liveramento, Newcastle getting picked off, Read, Gusto just one of many mentioned. Lewis looks done at City.

Spence will be looking for a regular position, and might not suit 3 at the back if Spurs go that way with Sensi, Van der ven, & Van Hecke. Porro, Robinson Udogie look ahead of him. Spence is quick, but has a similar output going forward as Wan Bissaka, for twice the fee.

Lewis as a British footballer, looks Everton all over. A good footballer, but lacks the physicality to reach the top.

Christy Ring 18 Posted 01/07/2026 at 18:56:06

I just hope Moyes being linked with Spence is over, absolutely useless this evening for England.

Tom Bowers 19 Posted 01/07/2026 at 19:08:30

Good news indeed. However I am perplexed why a player such as Hackney hasn't been swooped on by many of the bigger clubs at a bigger fee?

Surely a player of the season should be rated much more in demand.

Still if he replaces Gueye in the midfield then I will be satisfied and along with George should only improve Everton.

We now have to be prepared for some outgoings of players no longer rated by Moyes such as Alcaraz and Dibling who obviously has not progressed as expected.

Also we all agree a class target man and full back should be next to be brought in unless Moyes still believes Barry and Beto are worth persisting with. We shall see.

Ian Pilkington 20 Posted 01/07/2026 at 19:29:02

Jonathan Oppenheimer 21 Posted 01/07/2026 at 19:47:23

The calls for a new center back and striker seem misguided at this point, unless we’re selling Barry. Maybe a loan at striker, but we can’t blow another £30 million there. I wish we had waited last year in the striker position, but alas it had to be Barry.

Good business so far. Get Grealish, go all in on a right back, get some competition for Myko via loan, and we should be slightly higher up the table next season.

Jay Lewis 22 Posted 01/07/2026 at 22:43:13

No no no!! All these young players are too inexperienced and unproven, we need more 30yr old plus has beens like Stones, Trippier and Soucek to stabilise our mid table mediocrity!!!

What on earth is the Moyesiah gonna say when he gets back off his jollies in the US?

Hopefully the knobhead throws a hissy fit and fucks off to Scotland 🤭

Annika Herbert 23 Posted 01/07/2026 at 00:07:59

Not sure why there are so many calls for a back up left back. I thought that's what we bought Aznou for?

Given that some of our fans actually believe there Moyesiah improves players, I would have thought Aznou would have improved beyond all recognition after a full season under him?

So what's the point in having bought the player if he is never going to get a look in?

On a separate note, I see Spurs have just completed their 6th deal. Not keeping their powder dry are they?

Mike Gaynes 24 Posted 02/07/2026 at 02:03:51

"About time!" "Finally"

😂

The window has been open for just over two weeks.

Patric, either you or your headline writer is a hoot.

Martin Reppion 25 Posted 02/07/2026 at 07:13:08

Ian (#20)... I agree totally

Dan Nulty 26 Posted 02/07/2026 at 07:14:23

Don't really understand why we are signing George. Unless Moyes was deliberately holding him back knowing he was miles better than he is. We can't really afford to be spending our small budget on hoping there is potential.

John Collins 27 Posted 02/07/2026 at 07:16:02

About time! Everton's transfer activity finally clicking into gear.

Has anyone signed yet?

Tony Abrahams 28 Posted 02/07/2026 at 07:55:30

I’m not sure anyone has signed so far John, but I honestly don’t know what the rush is🙈

Last summer was a disaster with regards having players in early and settled but the team started the season okay and everything was looking up until that ridiculous cup exit at Wolves, and then the January window, was even worse, because it was clear that there was going to be a real opportunity to challenge for the champions league places, imo.

So with this being the third transfer window for the new regime, hopefully we begin to see real organisation behind a proper thought out plan. We will see.

Paul Griffiths 29 Posted 02/07/2026 at 08:06:28

Wouldn't it be great if we had signed Tonali today and Fernandes yesterday, and now Spuds are heavily linked to Somerville.

Well, I guess we can always feed off the scraps discarded from the Spuds table - Richy, Spence FFS, Bergvall, Gallagher.

George and Hackney are decent signings but neither of them excite me or make me excited for the new season. Our crack recruitment team have an awful lot of work to do. FFS make us excited.

Eric Myles 30 Posted 02/07/2026 at 08:18:26

Which of Hackney and George is going to play right back? Or will they alternate there?

Derek Thomas 31 Posted 02/07/2026 at 08:18:37

Jonathan @21; slightly higher?? well in that case, I'm looking forward to the 'Terrific Twelth' place DVD already mate.

Yesterday's man for today's Stability!

Kevin Molloy 32 Posted 02/07/2026 at 08:38:11

Paul yes, it's debatable whether either of them get in the team. Just like last year we seem to be signing a lot of players but how many of them will make the team. Are we really saying that we are signing players for £16m for our first team, at the same time Spurs are spending five times that much?

Jonathan Oppenheimer 33 Posted 02/07/2026 at 08:43:45

Derek 31, I’d love to challenge for Champions League places. I’d love to believe we could make that happen. Given that no one knows how much money we have to spend, I try to be realistic, and for me that’s fighting for 7th-9th place. If I thought we could buy a £35 million right and left back, plus Summerville or Bowen, plus bring back Grealish, plus a striker who was a clear step up from what we have now — bankrolled by selling Ndiaye for £60 million, which I don’t see happening — I’d show more optimism.

Realistically, unless we get everything spot on, which would mean unearthing a gem or two à la Branthwaite or even Ndiaye, plus not fucking up our right back buy, we need a couple more windows before we make the leap everyone wants to see.

And I’m not buying the argument about how close we were this past season. It’s true we technically were, but we were also dire for large chunks of the season, a sign of how far we have to go.

Paul Griffiths 34 Posted 02/07/2026 at 09:08:52

Agree Kevin, we need that wow factor and Grealish is not it. Grealish is an easy and tired signing. On loan OK, just, but please no transfer fee. TFG are fucking loaded but unfortunately for us they share around their various 'franchises' with prejudice. We are well behind Roma in their reckoning and places to hang out but give us major signings we can brag about. PLEASE.

Ian Bennett 35 Posted 02/07/2026 at 09:17:17

Brighton have gone above us on fee records paid in the Premier League. 12th in the list and a record broken 9 years ago.

My mate AI reckons that Premier league clubs have paid over £50m over 90 times. Everton not once.

And that's the problem. We arent good enough to sign brilliant energing talent from around THE WORLD, nor the ambition to sign top talent. Football is no secret, if you don't have the talent, you'll deliver nothing.

Until the cycle is broken, this club will remain also rans.

Dan Nulty 36 Posted 02/07/2026 at 09:24:49

To be fair Ian, because we don't sell players for huge amounts, we had a smallish, tired old ground and commercially we were very small our transfer budget would have been reliant on a huge benefactor.

We are commercially in a different league now and with the new revenue the stadium is generating it should increase our budget. We just need to find some gems in the transfer market until that feeds through to our bottom line.

Dave Abrahams 37 Posted 02/07/2026 at 10:14:48

Tony (28) Yes I agree there is / was no rush to sign players— didn’t PRS or whatever it was called finish on the 30th. June? And the new rules on money and transfers start the day after 1st of July which was yesterday, maybe that was why there was no big rush although Spurs were desperate to show their fans that last seasons near disaster will never happen again while we wait to see what our prospects are under our relatively new owners.

Jon Hirshman 38 Posted 02/07/2026 at 10:35:11

Hayden Hackney has signed.

Andrew Merrick 39 Posted 02/07/2026 at 10:36:01

Hackney signed up... "I'm delighted to be here. As soon as I spoke to the manager, as soon as I knew Everton were interested, to be honest, it was always going to be Everton. It’s such a big club, with the new stadium and the direction it’s going in. I just wanted to be part of that.

That does'nt gel with how I thought younger players viewed us, but there it is, on the OS.

Tony Abrahams 40 Posted 02/07/2026 at 11:08:18

It really is a great move for the kid, Andrew. 150 miles from home, playing for a big club, in a beautiful new stadium, and anyone from these shores already knows how passionate the fanbase is.

I can’t get excited by Everton, at the minute. I don’t know if it’s an age thing or if it’s because I find so much wrong regarding the circus that is the premier league, but if they can give us an energetic team, a team that wants to work hard and fight for every ball, then I’m sure my enthusiasm will return🤞

Andrew Ellams 41 Posted 02/07/2026 at 11:39:16

Signings like Rohl and Hackney should be getting us excited but as lots of you seem to be in agreement, they're not.

Nothing to do with those two players, Evertonians just seem to have reached peak apathy.

John Chambers 42 Posted 02/07/2026 at 11:41:24

Ian the big problem for the last 5 years or so is we have been such a basket case financially we have been in no position to compete with the "big" boys in buying established players and the likes of Brighton, Bournemouth and Brentford have been successful because they were always looking at the "emerging" market, and our talent spotting clearly hasn't been good enough. This summer is the first where we could have an opportunity to be a bit more competitive, as we finally lose the drag of PSR and start to get the commercial benefits of moving to BMD that will be important with the new SCR requirements. I don't expect to see a Moshiri style summer of unveiling a new player every other day but this is the first real opportunity in years to spend significantly more than we raise