Here are your Everton morning headlines for Thursday, February 9.
Everton transfer hints spotted
Everton under-21s maintained their perfect Premier League International Cup record with a hard-fought 2-0 win over Dinamo Zagreb at Walton Hall Park on Wednesday night.
After an uneventful opening 45 minutes, Paul Tait’s side picked up the pace in the second-half and deservedly took the lead when Francis Okoronkwo turned home Liam Higgins’ cross seven minutes after the interval.
Substitute Katia Kouyate, who replaced Okoronkwo, then made an instant impact when he added a second just over 30 seconds after coming on. The win moves Everton into the knockout rounds of the competition and the ECHO has taken a look at three talking points from the game.
READ MORE: Dennis Geiger must avoid pitfalls of transfer flop if he makes Everton summer move
Price sends Dyche message
There was a little over two minutes on the clock when Isaac Price, Everton’s captain for the night, picked up the ball in the middle of the pitch. One step inside and he was away.
Driving forward he then attempted to play in Okoronkwo, but his pass was caught out. But it was in that moment when you could see just why the midfielder is so highly thought of.
Price was one of several academy prospects considered to be a genuine part of the senior squad by former Everton boss Frank Lampard as the Premier League returned following the World Cup break.
He only featured once for Lampard following the World Cup and before his sacking - but the former Chelsea and Derby County boss could not speak highly enough of the midfielder.
Whether Price is as high in the thinking of new Blues boss Sean Dyche remains to be seen, but there is also the small matter of the 19-year-old’s future. His deal is up at the end of the season and although the ECHO understands Everton want him to stay at the club, he is yet to put pen-to-paper on a new contract.
Even Price himself would accept he endured a frustrating night, here. He could have very easily walked away with the match ball, missing chances in both halves.
But he still looked a cut above and was constantly trying to get on the ball and make things happen. The fact he was on the receiving end of a shocking challenge from Luka Vrbancic, which resulted in the Zagreb midfielder being sent off, spoke volumes.
On this evidence, there is no reason to suggest Price won’t remain a genuine part of the senior squad between now and the end of the season. Everton must also be hoping the 19-year-old commits his long-term future to the club.
READ THE FULL STORY HERE.
Everton 'target' midfielder on a free transfer
Everton are being linked with a move for Hoffenheim midfielder Dennis Geiger.
The Blues have come under scrutiny for their recent transfer record, after not signing a single player during the January transfer window. A host of names were linked, but no new faces arrived at Finch Farm on, or before, deadline day.
Free agent Isco has been credited as a potential target for Everton in certain reports. And now it is being claimed that the Blues are in the market for another player on a free transfer.
According to German news outlet Kicker, the Blues are considering a deal to sign Geiger on a free transfer in the summer. The midfielder’s contract with Hoffenheim is apparently set to run out in the summer, with Everton one club said to be looking at signing the 24-year-old as a free agent.
READ THE FULL STORY HERE.
READ NEXT:
- 'Definitely consider' - Everton loanee Jarrad Branthwaite breaks silence amid Liverpool transfer links
- Sean Dyche lifts lid on possible Everton flexibility after 'ugly stuff' admission
Dominic Calvert-Lewin fitness and four more things on Sean Dyche's Everton 'to-do' list
- Everton investment latest as MSP Sports Capital face competition in Farhad Moshiri talks
- Everton readying 'transfer assault' on Udinese striker Beto after rejected bid confirmed
