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Sean Dyche does not want repeat of Everton Alex Iwobi transfer decision

Sean Dyche does not want to risk losing players who have shown they can make a valuable contribution to a small Everton squad, even while their first-team opportunities are limited

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 04: Sean Dyche the manager / head coach of Everton talks to Alexander Iwobi of Everton during the Premier League match between Everton FC and Arsenal FC at Goodison Park on February 4, 2023 in Liverpool, United Kingdom. (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)
Sean Dyche lost Alex Iwobi to Fulham in the summer when the Everton boss would have much preferred to keep the popular Everton midfielder(Image: Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)

Sean Dyche does not intend to sanction the departures of any of his senior players during the January transfer window. The Blues boss is working with a small squad made weaker by recent injuries and which is only likely to be strengthened this month “if the right deal comes along”.


His fringe players were crucial during a hectic festive fixture list that only highlighted how important those on the periphery of the first team are to helping Everton function during the turbulence of a season. As a result, exits do not currently appear to be planned for several players who are of interest to other clubs but whose opportunities have been limited this season, even for those whose value will be at its highest during this window. Dyche said circumstances can change but his focus is on making the most of the players he has available.


Ben Godfreyand Andre Gomes have both reportedly been the subject of interest in the early days of this transfer window. Godfrey was an apparent target for Italian side Atalanta while Gomes has been linked to Trabzonspor in Turkey. Both players are at intriguing stages in their Blues career. Godfrey will enter the final 12 months of his contract in the summer and, as a back-up centre back, will likely need injury and suspension to bite in order to get a run of games. Gomes, meanwhile, is on significant wages and is currently out of contract in the summer. Injury has held him back during Dyche’s 12 months on Merseyside and, when fit, Gomes is the fifth choice central midfielder in the senior squad.


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Should Everton be in a position of greater stability then the club may have been more willing to consider some exits this month but both have shown they have genuine value to Dyche in recent weeks. Godfrey made his first Premier League start of the season at Burnley in December and played well as the Blues won a key game, keeping a clean sheet. Gomes, meanwhile, was called into action when Idrissa Gueye left the pitch with a calf injury during the first half of the defeat at Tottenham Hotspur on December 23. Despite being named in the squad for just the first time since the first game of the season, Gomes produced one of the best performances of the afternoon. He scored once and VAR and a lack of ruthlessness prevented him from leaving north London with two assists as his introduction swung momentum Everton’s way.


Those stellar performances by players whose opportunities had been limited were echoed by Michael Keane, who scored and won the man-of-the-match accolade at Burnley, and by Beto, who was a nuisance during the win at Nottingham Forest and then scored in the victory over Newcastle United and dragged an underwhelming Everton level in the Carabao Cup quarter-final against Fulham.

That impact from squad players has provided particular satisfaction for Dyche and those around him. It vindicated the words of James Tarkowski after the Blues were hit with an unprecedented points deduction, when he spoke of the club’s positive form at the time being built on the pressure being applied by fringe players fighting to play a role.

Everton boss Dyche said: “The thing I’ve always spoken to players and squads about is that those who are not playing regularly are the most important people in a squad. Their professionalism is so important. They must keep themselves right and ready. I think the respect here has grown immensely with that, partly because I lead it, because I believe in it, and partly because some of the older players like Seamus [Coleman] have been on both sides of it. They’re with those guys telling them it’s brilliant how they’re going about it with no moaning and no gripes.

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“They’re not buzzing to not be playing, not remotely, but they are handling it properly, appropriately. They come and speak to me and we have truthful conversations. And then I respect the fact that they are willing to look after themselves. It pays you back. That is the thing I always tell them - it pays you back. If they look after themselves, when your chance comes you are ready. If you’re ready, you have an increased chance of staying in the side.”

The requirement for squad players to be ready to step up has been hammered home over recent weeks. Injuries to Abdoulaye Doucoure, Gueye, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Dwight McNeil, Seamus Coleman and Ashley Young hurt the squad in December. Their replacements largely impressed, however. As well as Keane, Godfrey, Beto and Gomes, Nathan Patterson, Arnaut Danjuma and Joao Virginia have each also been exposed to first-team football, proving their value. It is for precisely that reason that Dyche does not want his squad undermined - as it was in the summer when he lost ever-present Alex Iwobi on deadline day. This is even more pertinent given that the Blues are just one point above the relegation zone and, as a result, can ill-afford to take chances with departures even if, by rights, the players have earned a further 10 points than the table suggests.

Explaining his preferred approach to the coming weeks, Dyche said: “There will be no-one at this stage that we are thinking of letting go. That’s recognised first-team players let me be clear, some of the kids are different with loans. We’re not wanting to do that. With shifting sands in the market you never know but it’s all under our control and certainly at this stage we want everyone in the house.”

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