Five players have already made it clear they want to be at Everton next season

Five players have already made it clear they want to be at Everton next season

Plenty of those currently set to leave the club have made their feelings clear over what they would love to happen this summer

Carlos Alcaraz celebrates scoring Everton's second goal with Jack Harrison during the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Everton at Selhurst Park. Both players have expressed a desire to stay at the club beyond this season. Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images

David Moyes will have some tough calls to make this summer. With safety assured, his attention is now moving on to the squad rebuild that is inevitable with 15 players on expiring deals.

The future of some of those is already clear - Neal Maupay’s loan move to Marseille, for instance, included an obligation for that deal to be made permanent. Orel Mangala proved a useful addition on the final day of the summer transfer window but the knee injury that ended his season in January will make it tough for Everton to entertain thoughts of securing him after such a long lay-off.

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While Moyes is still assessing some players, and has reached views on others, several players have contemplated their future in public over recent months.

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With the new stability offered by the takeover of the Friedkin Group, the surge in form inspired by Moyes and the promise of the stadium move over the summer, it is of little surprise that several would love to stay.

One of the first was Jesper Lindstrom - the Dane expressing an ambition to remain on Merseyside even before the takeover and while, under Sean Dyche, minutes were limited.

Despite a rough start to the campaign, the winger told the ECHO : “I will do everything I can for them to buy me because I like it here. I like the training… I like the life here. So hopefully they will buy me.”

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Lindstrom’s hopes that Everton will make his loan deal from Napoli permanent suffered a major blow when he suffered a double hernia setback a few weeks ago.

Moyes had challenged him to deliver more going forward if he wanted Everton to consider triggering the option to buy him, which stands at around £20m, but he has not had that chance over recent weeks.

Fellow winger, and Leeds United loanee, Jack Harrison was also tasked with providing more goals and assists. With his parent club promoted to the Premier League the option for him to return on loan, as he has done over the past two seasons, is no longer a given.

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Whether he has done enough for Moyes to explore bringing him back is unclear, but right wingers are likely to be a priority for the summer transfer window and Harrison has scored just once this season, though his displays have improved recently.

Last month he made his feelings clear , stating: “I have a lot of ambitions, even now. Some people might say, you're maybe getting on a bit in your career, or something, but I still have a goal, I've always had, that is to get into the England squad and be part of a top team in the Premier League , and hopefully I can do that with Everton.

“I think with new ownership, new manager, and going to an amazing new stadium next season, this is somewhere I want to be. It would be exciting to be part of a bigger picture and help a club get from where we have been for the past couple of years to fighting for European football again, and then even more in the way of silverware.

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“With the size of Everton and this fan base, with how passionate they are, there's no reason why the club can't achieve that, and who wouldn't want to be part of it?”

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Moyes was surprised by how low Harrison’s confidence was when he arrived back at Everton and has worked hard to build him back up. Those efforts have been boosted by the arrival of another loan signing, January recruit Carlos Alcaraz.

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Harrison has operated as Alcaraz’s translator, exploiting the Spanish he has learned with his Costa Rican partner. Their friendship has spurred him on, helped by the positive impact Alcaraz has had.

Despite that, Moyes has opted not to trigger the clause that would make the 22-year-old a permanent signing for around £12m had he started nine games. His absence from the starting XI at Chelsea means he can only hit eight, though Everton retain the opportunity to do a deal.

Alcaraz has crossed continents in search of a footballing home he is yet to find. He too has said he would like it to be at the Blues . He said: “I try not to think too much about the loan, the objectives and so on. I try to keep a cool head, to be patient, but I know that if I do things right, things will take care of themselves.

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“It would be great to stay here because the club, the institution, the fans... they’re great. It’s very crazy but that’s why I’m very calm and will keep doing the work I’ve been doing and show what type of player I am.”

Of those contracted to the club, one of the most significant decisions will be over the future of Idrissa Gueye. The centre midfielder has arguably been Everton’s best player since Moyes returned to Everton and took over the captain’s armband after James Tarkowski left the Goodison pitch with the injury that ended his season against Manchester City.

The 35-year-old said recently that he was considering his options but was effusive in his Everton stance , stating: “I’m not in a rush to decide about my future. I would love to continue at this place I call home, but that’s not only my decision to make.”

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His teammate Joao Virginia has been at Everton for seven years and is part of the goalkeeping unit that has enabled Jordan Pickford to operate with such consistency. Everton have the opportunity to extend his deal by a further 12 months.

When he sat down with the ECHO last month , he said: “It's Everton that has to trigger the option. I'm hoping they do, to be fair, because I love the club, I love everything around it. I'm very settled on Merseyside. My priority would be playing more games, and if I can do that, Everton would be amazing.

“It is not an easy spot to be in, being a backup. It's something that weighs on your mind, it's tough, it gets you tired because ideally you want to be playing more and more, but it is the role I have here at the club and I feel good with it and I feel prepared when I'm called upon… I have had an amazing last couple of years here.”

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