Despite being widely-regarded as the best player on the planet in his position, Everton legend Neville Southall never got to play in the World Cup.
But back in 1990, the Blues almost replaced him with a goalkeeper from that summer’s finals. Today marks the 25th anniversary of Southall’s 751st and final Everton appearance – a milestone that is marked in a special edition of the ECHO’s Royal Blue podcast – but in 1990 the Welsh international’s future at Goodison Park was looking doubtful.
Despite penning a marathon seven-and-a-half-year deal in December 1988, Southall slapped in three separate transfer requests in 1990 and the Blues seriously looked into finding an alternative in between the sticks. Indeed, manager Colin Harvey went as far as bringing in another goalkeeper who had played in that summer’s World Cup finals in Italy.
