Will James Garner switch to Newcastle United?

The summer transfer carousel has barely begun to turn, but the whispers surrounding our midfield engine room are already growing louder. The latest name to emerge from the endless churn of the gossip columns is James Garner, with reports from the North East suggesting Newcastle United are casting admiring glances his way.

According to Tyneside journalist Ross Gregory, the Magpies are actively monitoring the 24-year-old as Eddie Howe looks to bolster his squad's depth ahead of their return to European football.

Garner, of course, was one of the standout performers during Everton's first season at Hill Dickinson Stadium. His composure, tactical versatility, and relentless work rate have made him an absolute cornerstone of David Moyes's system. It’s really no surprise that his form caught the eye of Thomas Tuchel, earning him spots in the pre-World Cup training camps for the national side.

But what does this reported interest actually mean for us?

On the pitch, losing Garner would be a significant blow. As we head into season 2.0 at the new ground, the priority has to be retaining the core group of favourites that Moyes has meticulously assembled. We need to be adding quality to the ranks — not auctioning off our most reliable assets to domestic rivals at the first sign of avarice. A player of his intelligence and commitment — someone who signed a contract extension when he didn't have to — is exactly the type of character we need to build around.

Off the pitch, however, the financial realities of modern football always loom large. While there’s no indication that the club is under immediate pressure to sell, the ever-present spectre of compliance with Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR) and Squad Cost Ratios (SCR) means that practically every player has a price tag. If Newcastle — backed by their immense sovereign wealth resources — decide to test our resolve with a substantial formal bid, The Friedkin Group will undoubtedly have a decision to make.

For now, this remains strictly in the "monitoring" phase. No formal approach has been lodged, and there's no sense that Garner is agitating for a move.

Ultimately, this summer window needs to deliver real, credible signings that prove Everton are genuinely moving forward. If the evidence around him suggests progress, Garner isn't going anywhere. But, if it delivers another window of hesitation and compromise, the Geordie whispers might just turn into something more concrete.

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Bill Hawker 1 Posted 25/06/2026 at 15:47:31

Well they've got £70M burning a hole in their pocket. I'd hate to lose Garner but, if they were willing to pay £40-50M, it would be hard to turn that down.

It still remains, though, Everton wouldn't have a clue on how to spend those funds if we did sell him.

Dale Self 3 Posted 25/06/2026 at 16:01:21

These are the moves that create anxiety with Moyes at the helm. We have Rohl and Armstrong to relace Gueye and Garner. This is where a rotation would have served us well.

Going cynical on this one. Deal him for anything above 40mill with match time and Champions League incentives. At worst, Moyes pays for not playing a deeper squad last season and is out by Christmas.

Additionally, factor in that some player performances may fade under the thrill of serving Moyes. Key players like Illi leaving could also affect future value.

John Collins 5 Posted 25/06/2026 at 16:11:46

Possibly Eric.

Would be a bad sign though moving forward.

David West 6 Posted 25/06/2026 at 16:54:22

He's settled, I don't see him going this summer after signing a new deal.

I think he's one who will now want the club to kick on like he has... or he will probably want out if we are just lingering 12th -10th position.

This first couple of months of the season, Moyes has to be doing something amazing or the crowd will be on him!

Jack Convery 7 Posted 25/06/2026 at 16:55:17

No way should Garner leave. However,Money talks, mm-hmm, money talks Dirty cash, I want you, dirty cash, I need you, oh Money talks, money talks Dirty cash, I want you, dirty cash, I need you, oh

We will soon know what EFC means to TFG.

Kevin Molloy 9 Posted 25/06/2026 at 17:05:22

I wouldn't accept anything less than £70M.

As others have noted, we'd have great difficulty spending the money anyway ('Guess what, he doesn't want to come!')

Tony Abrahams 10 Posted 25/06/2026 at 17:24:47

I was watching England the other night and a mate texted me to ask what I thought about Elliot Anderson. I said I think he's a good player but I also think he tries to play his own game a little bit too often, plus I also think that he takes too many touches of the ball, which can slow his team down at the wrong time sometimes.

I was reading a post from Robert Tressell on Evertonia and he was saying Forest have just turned down an offer of £120M for him. Elliot Anderson might be easier on the eye but I personally think that James Garner is a more complete midfield player.

So, on that basis, whoever is trying to buy James Garner is going to have to pay a lot more money than what people are prepared to sell him for on this thread! Football is all about different opinions!!

Mark Steers 11 Posted 25/06/2026 at 17:30:35

Let's get it right: James Garner is average -- and that's not being bad to him. I know he gives everything he has and top marks for that... but sadly he has no goals or assists to talk about and that's the name of the game.

If he stays, good... but, if he wants out, it won't harm us, I can tell you.

John Collins 12 Posted 25/06/2026 at 17:33:23

Agree 100% Tony. James outshone him in the two games this season.

Agree on the slowing down the game as well. He will annoy a couple of the established players if he keeps pointing to where he thinks they should be.

Andrew Ellams 14 Posted 25/06/2026 at 18:02:59

Why would he stay?

It would be naive to think that playing for Everton had no bearing on him missing out on the World Cup... so he will be looking elsewhere.

Ian Horan 15 Posted 25/06/2026 at 18:23:17

Garner is a boyhood supporter, he should be going nowhere.

He signed a new contract last year -- what happened to building a team?

Dale Self 16 Posted 25/06/2026 at 18:29:06

£120m for Anderson is crazy with Sandro valued at £100m whom Skunks bought at £55m.

Structuring a deal that expects to return £55-60M would be good business since we aren't going anywhere with Moyes.

Christy Ring 17 Posted 25/06/2026 at 19:08:14

We'll probably sell him now, and when Moyes is back from the World Cup, he'll want to know why isn't Garner training.

Dan Nulty 18 Posted 25/06/2026 at 19:14:19

As on other threads, I'd take the money provided we now actually have some decent scouts with some hidden gems lined up.

Very unlikely.

Alan McGuffog 19 Posted 25/06/2026 at 19:36:30

If he goes, we still have all the young talent in the Academy ready to step up.

Oh... hang on.

Christy Ring 20 Posted 25/06/2026 at 22:03:21

Looking at today's transfer speculation, Spurs want Tonali, and offering nearly £300k a week.

We all know why Milan sold him to Newcastle, and he got banned for 10 months? Isn't it a sad day he can move on and doesn't give a shit?

Derek Thomas 21 Posted 25/06/2026 at 22:57:11

Players come and go and Garner 'should' command a hefty fee. Do we need to sell though?

This still seems to be the haven't a fuckin clue Everton we've seen for 25+ years and, as stated above, if we do get decent money, can you trust our Transfer Committee to spend it wisely or get Moyes to actually play the new guys?

As always with our Regent Road Ramblers -- more questions than answers.

Bob Parrington 22 Posted 26/06/2026 at 01:11:15

It would be stupid to sell Garner.

Tell the prison bars strongly to GGF!!

Steve Brown 23 Posted 26/06/2026 at 02:34:20

Would we sell Branthwaite, Ndiaye and Garner to finance Grealish, Bowen, Wharton and, say, Alex Jimenez?

Not saying we should, but we might. £50 million buys you a decent quality premier league player now, while £100m + buys you top quality.

Even if our available transfer spend is £150 million per revenue, we will probably need to sell also this summer.

Paul Griffiths 24 Posted 26/06/2026 at 02:43:47

Ian H (15): Garner actually grew up supporting the Shite, even though he came from a family of Evertonians, Ugly duckling and all that.

Steve Brown 25 Posted 26/06/2026 at 02:54:06

Personally, I really like Saibari from Morocco in central midfield.

He wouldn't be cheap but a good player.

Paul Griffiths 26 Posted 26/06/2026 at 03:02:55

Steve, what do you think that we would get for those three?

I'm thinking Branthwaite £20-25M (if he passed a medical), Garner realistically £40M, Ndiaye (awful World Cup so far) £45M-£55M (possibly, possibly £60M at a real stretch).

Steve Brown 27 Posted 26/06/2026 at 04:35:33

Paul, all 3 are international players, plenty of PL experience and relatively young.

Branthwaite has had his injury problems but I could see us setting a price of £50M+ given Man Utd have bid that amount for him before.

Garner had a good Premier League season and would fetch £40M. Despite his poor form recently, Ndiaye has been a standout player for 2 seasons, so £60M-£70M?

So £150-160M? Not that bad considering the 3 of them cost us £27M.

The question is: What does that money buy you in terms of replacements? It can't be young talent as Moyes will never play them. My guess is that he would spend or waste the money on experienced pros aged 28 or over.

Paul Griffiths 28 Posted 26/06/2026 at 04:44:27

Cheers, Steve. I just don't see Branthwaite with his injury record over the last two seasons getting anywhere near £50M, mate, although reports suggest we want £70M. City would be nuts to pay that for a player who cannot be depended on.

Let's say £60M for Ndiaye and £40M for Garner.

Steve Brown 29 Posted 26/06/2026 at 08:46:22

I think then we keep Jarrad as he is a £70 million player.

Raymond Fox 30 Posted 26/06/2026 at 09:08:48

I agree Paul, Branthwaites value at the moment has dropped considerably due to his injury record. He's not worth £70m Steve, its a question if anyone would take a chance on him, it's a great pity for the lad but I think that's the reality. Our poor luck looks like it has struck again, but hopefully something can be done to him to put him right.

Paul Griffiths 31 Posted 26/06/2026 at 09:14:17

Completely agree Raymond.

Mike Powell 32 Posted 26/06/2026 at 09:54:02

Garner is going nowhere.

More bullshit from the media, who are always trying to unsettle our better players.

Tony Abrahams 33 Posted 26/06/2026 at 11:42:17

If Branthwaite can get over his injury problems he will become the best central defender in England, imo, so only a lunatic would consider selling him now whilst his stock is going to be so low because of those injury problems.

Andrew Ellams 34 Posted 26/06/2026 at 11:43:54

Steve @ 25, he's on his way to Bayern Munich for €55m.

John Collins 35 Posted 26/06/2026 at 13:47:26

The lunatics are on the grass Tony

Dale Self 36 Posted 26/06/2026 at 13:52:28

Paul 24, thank you for that. I was feeling bad for putting a price on him above. Cynical days.