The next Barkley: Everton considering move for "unbelievable" £15m star
da bet vitoria： Big summer ahead for Everton, and no mistake. David Moyes transformed the Merseyside mood when replacing Sean Dyche in January, but results in the Premier League have lulled of late.
da pinnacle： This is understandable, but it does shine a light on the urgent need for impactful first-team additions, especially with so many players approaching the end of their Toffees contracts.
While fans are hungry to see attacking additions, Everton aren’t restricted in their scope for signings, with one of the Championship’s finest midfielders recently added to The Friedkin Group’s shortlist.
Everton chasing EFL star
As per TEAMtalk, Everton have added Sheffield United’s Gustavo Hamer to their shortlist of summer targets as Moyes looks to strengthen his midfield.
Joining United from Coventry City for a reported £15m fee in 2023, the 27-year-old has showcased sustained quality as a playmaker and a combative midfield presence besides.
Striking a deal with the third-place Championship side will be more difficult if they are promoted to the Premier League, but if not, Everton will be sure to make their move.
What Gustavo Hamer would bring to Everton
Five days ago, Hamer was named the Championship Player of the Season for 2024/25, a worthy winner after a fantastic campaign as the centrepiece of the Blades’ promotion push.
Though a late-season dip has pulled Chris Wilder’s team away from the automatics, they are well placed to triumph through the play-offs, especially with Hamer pulling the strings, having scored nine goals and supplied seven assists in the second tier this term, playmaking from deep or out on the left.
Hailed for his “unbelievable” quality by former teammate Oli McBurnie, Hamer ranks among the top 1% of positional peers in the Championship this year for progressive passes, the top 6% for passes attempted and the top 4% for shot-creating actions per 90, as per FBref.
He’s also Prem-proven, having held his own for United in the Premier League last season, posting four goals and six assists across 34 matches, averaging two key passes per game and creating ten big chances, as per Sofascore.
A dead-ball specialist but so much more, Hamer could even shape into Everton’s next version of Ross Barkley, blessed with the same kind of robustness and gifted ability that the former Toffees youth graduate produced in his early years as a senior star on Merseyside.
Barkley left Everton for Chelsea way back in January 2018 for a £15m fee and he’s since been on something of a rollercoaster, but the argument’s there for Goodison Park remaining his most prosperous ground to this date, with former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger claiming in 2014 the rising talent was “one of the best” he had ever seen.
Still having devoted more time to Everton than any other club – by far – Barkley carried the kind of X-factor that Hamer would restore to Moyes’ team, combining with the likes of Iliman Ndiaye to create something special.
Ross Barkley: Senior Career by Club
Club
Apps
Goals
Assists
Everton
179
27
25
Chelsea
100
12
11
Luton Town
37
5
6
Aston Villa
50
7
2
OGC Nice
28
4
2
Sheffield Wednesday
13
4
0
Leeds United
4
0
1
Stats via Transfermarkt
Abdoulaye Doucoure, who is out of contract this summer, would likely need to leave to make way for Hamer, but this would be a trade-off worth committing to, with the Malian 32 years old and Everton’s highest earner at £130k per week.
Hamer’s capacity to play off the left, something Barkley has done at times throughout his career, only strengthens the case for his transfer to Bramley Moore.
Everton have some exciting attacking midfielders in their ranks, but Hamer might just take the cake if he’s welcomed to the fold this summer.
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