11 players who could leave Everton as Kevin Thelwell makes honest admission

Sean Dyche could be left with fewer than half his current squad with a Goodison Park exodus on the horizon amid the ongoing takeover saga

Everton director of football Kevin Thelwell has admitted “players will be sold” as the club look to prioritise long-term stability over short-term success.

This could result in Sean Dyche losing as much as half his current first-team squad, with at least 11 players up for sale or out of contract.

The scope of the resulting overhaul will likely be heavily dictated by the Toffees’ ongoing takeover saga.

A deal with prospective buyers 777 Partners is set to be broken off in the coming days due to concerns over their financial viability, meaning the club could feasibly go into administration before the end of the season.

Any summer signings will likely be contingent on if and when a new deal is secured, with majority owner Farhad Moshiri reticent to add to the £750m he has already invested in the club.

In a letter to fans, Thelwell said: “The reality is, given the regulations in place and the club’s current financial position, we have to trade well.

“Whilst we want to ensure the team is as competitive as possible, we cannot lose sight of our central objective to protect the long-term stability of the club.

“That does mean players will be sold, and also that every tool at our disposal will be used to secure new additions to the squad, including utilisation of the loan market.”

Here’s a list of 11 players who could leave the club this summer as a result.

Amadou Onana

Onana is one of Everton’s most valuable current assets, a supremely talented young central midfielder who has been crucial to the Toffees’ survival this season.

The 22-year-old is a long-term Arsenal and Newcastle target, with Barcelona and Manchester United also linked.

And it seems likely one of those clubs will stump up the £50m asking price this summer, which Everton may be forced to reduce in order to raise funds for their rebuild elsewhere.

Andre Gomes

Gomes has been one of several expensive albatrosses round Everton’s neck in recent years, playing just 72 league games in the five years since signing from Barcelona for £22.5m.

He has earned a reported £120,000 every week of that stint, a remnant of the shocking mismanagement which resulted in Everton being deducted eight points for breaching financial regulations this season.

Having started just five Premier League games this season, there is no chance of Gomes’s massive contract being renewed when it expires in June.

Andy Lonergan

The most low-key of the potential exits, 40-year-old goalkeeper Andy Lonergan has never played for Everton in a competitive game and will certainly leave when his contract expires this summer.

Arnaut Danjuma

Considering how long Everton have pursued Danjuma for, his loan spell on Merseyside has been a shocking disappointment.

The Dutch international has scored just twice in all competitions this season and will head back to Tottenham in the summer with no chance of a Goodison Park return.

Ashley Young

This is a borderline case, but Young’s performances have continued to decline this season and he will be 39 by the start of next season.

The recent announcement that he’s going to spend his summer covering the Euros for talkSPORT gives a hint at a potential future career and may well suggest his head is already turning away from football.

With Young unlikely to improve any time soon it’s probably best to let his contract expire this summer and move on.

Ben Godfrey

Everton have a choice here – either give 26-year-old Godfrey what would likely be an improved contract or attempt to move him on.

His current deal ends in June 2025, and despite having a sustained run of first-team football having nearly left in January, attempting to get a healthy fee for Godfrey this summer is probably Everton’s best option.

Dele Alli

Dele hasn’t played for the Toffees since August 2022 and it doesn’t look like he will again.

His £100,000 per week deal expires this summer and the odds of it being renewed are virtually none.

Idrissa Gueye

There are a couple of options for Gueye, but most seem to end with him leaving Everton.

His contract expires this summer, although there is the option for a one-year extension built in to that deal.

From a financial point of view, the best move for Everton would be to confirm that contract extension and hope to sell Gueye for a fee, but at 34 this seems unlikely.

Confirming his extension and keeping him for a final season is also a viable option, but his reported £80,000 per week deal is an obvious barrier to this,

This makes it highly likely he leaves this summer after five years at the club across two stints.

Jack Harrison

Leeds United loanee Harrison has been a key player for Dyche this season, playing 36 games across all competitions.

Yet he has struggled to convert those minutes into tangible output, registering just four goals and three assists from the right wing, his less-favoured side.

Harrison is believed not to be keen on a return to Elland Road, but this does not mean Everton are going to be able to stump up what could be over £20m to sign him permanently.

While another loan could be an option, the 27-year-old has not done enough to justify such a significant outlay, especially when he is most comfortable on the left, a position Dwight McNeil has long laid claim to.