Three signings have been confirmed and the expectation is more will follow at Everton. The biggest priority remains unsolved - bringing in a new right back - and judging by the questions submitted this week, few supporters will rest easy until a right-sided defender is pictured in the new shirt.
Will Everton sign a right-back before the season begins?
Liam asked: "Will Everton sign a right-back before the season begins? That's got to be the main priority. We can’t have Jake O'Brien in that position ever again."
Joe Thomas responds: "My hope is this is a position addressed soon. I don’t think anyone is in doubt - at the club or within the fanbase - this needs solving and I know Everton have been actively looking at targets. For me, it is important to try and fill this position before the season starts so that any new player has a chance to settle in at the club and with his teammates. They would be relied upon immediately, so that preparation time would be useful."
"There is still more than six weeks to go and the team at Everton know they will be judged on this, so even with the World Cup, there is plenty of time to get a player over the line - the likes of Guela Doue and Aaron Wan-Bissaka, two of the players they have looked at, are now well into their post-tournament breaks."
Do Everton need two right-backs?
@mattwill1982 asked: "Do you agree with me that we need to sign two right-backs? Nathan Patterson will likely go and I don't want to get one injury and have Jake O’Brien playing there again."
Joe Thomas: "I do agree with this. I feel sorry for Nathan Patterson in that he has suffered so much misfortune with injury since joining Everton that his Blues career has not been able to take off. I thought he did well at Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa last season, well enough to then be used in the final months of the season - particularly to allow Jake O’Brien to move across to centre back after Jarrad Branthwaite’s injury."
"David Moyes thought otherwise and it is hard to see a scenario whereby Patterson does not benefit from a move. I do think Everton need two viable options in each full-back position and, while James Garner provides good cover, really I would like to see competition and cover there. Two right-backs might sound like a lot to ask for, but it makes sense and if one of them could be signed soon, I think it would help huge swathes of the fanbase sleep more easily given the length of time it has taken to solve this problem."
What's happening with Gana Gueye?
Terry asked: "What's happening with Gana Gueye? Do you think he could go? It looked like his wife was packing their things up!"
Joe Thomas: "Everton were engaged in conversations with Idrissa Gueye’s representatives before he left for the World Cup but, clearly, nothing was agreed. He is now a free agent and he will have plenty of offers given his prominence for Everton last season and Senegal at the World Cup. I expect there to be more conversations between Everton and his camp but I do think there is a chance he could go. Everton are keen to reduce their reliance on a player who will turn 37 in September and he may well believe he can still play a significant role elsewhere. A compromise could be reached and deliberations over his extension last year, and when he returned to the club in 2022, were drawn out. But there is a possibility he has played his last game for Everton."
Hayden Hackney signing and Harrison Armstrong's future
Pete asked: "It's great signing Hayden Hackney and maybe a No.6, but where does that leave Harrison Armstrong?"
Joe Thomas: "Hayden Hackney is a really positive signing but I do think it is a deal that makes most sense if outgoings are anticipated in central midfield. Idrissa Gueye may well be one and I do think Tim Iroegbunam could be another, given there has been interest in him already and that he has one year left on his current contract. That reduces some of the competition for Harrison Armstrong next season but still leaves the club with quite a few players who would probably see their best position as a box-to-box midfielder. I do think Everton still need a defensive midfielder to allow those players the freedom to get up and down the pitch."
"None of this has to stop Armstrong’s progression, so long as he is handled in the right way. There may be greater opportunities for pressure-free minutes for a player who is still so young. Clubs have been interested in him, in England and overseas, pretty much since he burst onto the scene. I could not rule out another loan - there would be an argument that a year in Europe could really help him progress - but I hope one of the first things that happens when the players return is that someone explains to him what the Hackney deal means for him and makes sure he is reassured over his pathway into the first team because I think he could be a star."
RB Leipzig interest in Thierno Barry and Tyler Dibling
EFC81 asked: "Anything in this RB Leipzig interest in Thierno Barry and Tyler Dibling?"
Joe Thomas: "RB Leipzig have put some tentative feelers out there about Thierno Barry. They have largely been a source of positivity at Everton. Given the club’s reputation for developing players, their interest is being seen as vindication of what the club sees - that there is real potential in the forward. There is a willingness to persevere with Barry, though they could be tested by a serious bid for him. On Tyler Dibling, there will be a lot of clubs monitoring his progress at Everton during what is set to be a really important pre-season for him. Everton need a good option on the right wing and would like to see him become that, but the next few weeks are crucial for him."
