According to TeamTalk, Everton is one of the teams interested in signing young defender Sam Curtis from St. Patrick’s Athletic in January.
According to a report published on November 12 by a UK internet publication, the Toffees are in competition with Manchester United, Manchester City, Sheffield United, Aston Villa, Middlesbrough, and Tottenham to recruit the 17-year-old.
The Irish sensation is reportedly close to receiving a full international call-up and is expected to be active during the January transfer window after leading St. Pat’s to a third-place finish in the Ireland Premier Division.
Curtis, who won the FAI International Football Awards’ Republic of Ireland Under-18 Player of the Year award for 2022, has already been contacted by Manchester United and Manchester City.
Arduous conflict
It’s encouraging to see Everton begin the search for such a gifted young player, and Curtis is the kind of wonderkid quality the Toffees need to fully improve their recruiting approach.
Curtis has demonstrated that he has what it takes to succeed at the senior level despite his young age by making 61 appearances in his senior career and scoring three goals for St Patrick’s Athletic.
It says volumes about his skill that, at the age of 17, he is already fighting for his full international debut with Ireland. It’s quite another matter entirely whether Everton can prevail in the competition to sign him.
Aston Villa and Tottenham are reportedly interested in Curtis, so it is unlikely that he will even contemplate joining Everton, even though it would be a great statement if they could pull this off.
Even though getting his signature could be difficult for Everton, they should still be searching the UK for fresh talent.
The blue half of Merseyside may be building a bright future, but only if they correctly recruit and produce academy jewels.
Everton director of football Kevin Thelwell has confirmed the club turned down the chance to sign Conor Coady for a cut-price fee in the summer.
Coady arrived at Goodison Park on loan in August 2022, with the option for Everton to purchase the center-back permanently.
However, the Toffees did not take up the option to sign the England international in the summer, and he instead joined Leicester City.
Thelwell gave an explanation of the decision made on November 10 for 33 minutes and 48 seconds on the Training Ground Guru Podcast. He said that the club didn’t want to obstruct Jarrad Branthwaite’s advancement to the first team.
In the past, Yerry Mina hadn’t played much, but he had a great season finale and was a major factor in keeping us up. Thelwell stated that we could have easily extended his contract by one more year.
When Coady entered the building, he was a true professional. We could have easily signed Conor for a low price on a permanent basis, but we declined because we wanted to keep Jarrad’s options open.
Good choice
Of Everton’s 38 Premier League games played last season, Coady started 23 of them, and it appeared as though he would be around for at least another season.
The Liverpool Echo stated on July 11 that the Toffees could have acquired the defender permanently for a mere £4.5 million throughout the summer.
Leicester quickly acquired the 30-year-old for an initial £7.5 million. July 1st on Sky Sports
In light of this, it seemed odd that Everton did not seize the opportunity to get an experienced player at such a low cost.
But since replacing Michael Keane as James Tarkowski’s teammate this season, Branthwaite has been nothing short of extraordinary.
Despite his detractors, Keane is a reliable backup who can step in if Branthwaite or Keane are hurt.
It’s important to keep in mind that, even though £4.5 million is not a significant transfer fee, Coady would have been paid a respectable salary.
Thelwell took a risk with this, but it has ultimately paid off.
