Promising SIGNS

SUMMER CONTRACT ROUND-UP AS BLUES EYE NEXT PHASE OF REBUILD

- By JOE THOMAS Everton FC Correspondent

EVERTON may have work to do in the transfer window ahead of the historic first season at the Hill Dickinson Stadium but it has still been a busy summer behind the scenes.

Nineteen players and staff have now signed new contracts with the Blues since the win at Newcastle United ended last season on a high - the first among them being goalscoring hero at St James’ Park, Carlos Alcaraz, as his loan from Flamengo was made permanent in May.

There have been some highprofile deals for first team players but work at Finch Farm has also focused on tying down some of the club's prospects.

Here, the ECHO takes a look at who has signed what, so far.

The most significant agreement to have been reached is perhaps that for Jarrad Branthwaite. Unlike some of his teammates, the 23-year-old was not out-of-contract when talks opened this summer but dealing with his future was deemed a necessity.

There was a jarring contrast between the message of the club - that he was too valuable to sell - and the contract he had signed just after breaking into the first team.

Everyone understood it needed to be addressed and the speed with which it was resolved represented an early win for Everton’s new-look leadership team.