​The Everton players who haven’t been away with their national teams returned to Finch Farm on Friday to begin their preseason fitness conditioning and training. Jordan Pickford remains with England, while Idrissa Gueye, Iliman Ndiaye, and Nathan Patterson are taking extended breaks after their World Cup campaigns.
Attacking midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall brought energy to the dressing room last season, and it seems that spark has carried over into the new term. The Blues will be glad to see defensive mainstay Jarrad Branthwaite back on his feet and in training again, and it appears he has switched to the more traditional squad number 4.
New signing and Everton’s first addition of the summer, midfielder Hayden Hackney, was also present at training. Merlin Rohl’s loan-to-buy deal from Bundesliga side SC Freiburg was completed last week. The Toffees also negotiated a lower transfer fee for winger Tyrique George. Veteran defender James Tarkowski returned to training, and with Seamus Coleman having left the club, Tarkowski is expected to be among the leading candidates for the captaincy.
Harrison Armstrong didn’t feature heavily in the latter part of last season, but he will be keen to push for more involvement this time around. Rumours have swirled about departures for Thierno Barry, Beto, Dwight McNeil, and Adam Aznou, yet all remain at training for now. The same goes for Carlo Alcaraz, who is widely expected to depart. Tim Iroegbunam’s name has also been linked with a potential move away.
Upcoming preseason fixtures include: Saturday, July 18 at 2:00 pm BST against Dundee FC at Dens Park in Scotland; Saturday, July 25 at 3:00 pm BST away to Bolton Wanderers at the Toughsheet Community Stadium in England; Tuesday, July 28 at 7:45 pm BST, Everton at Stoke City at the bet365 Stadium in England; Saturday, August 1 at 4:00 pm BST against Hamburger SV at the Volksparkstadion in Germany; Saturday, August 8 at 4:00 pm BST versus VfB Stuttgart at the MHP Arena in Germany; Wednesday, August 12 at 5:15 pm BST, Everton versus Newcastle United at Murrayfield in Scotland; Saturday, August 15 at 3:00 pm BST, Everton against LOSC Lille at Hill Dickinson Stadium; Saturday, August 22 at 3:00 pm BST, Everton versus Crystal Palace at Hill Dickinson Stadium in the Premier League; Saturday, August 29 at 3:00 pm BST, Everton at AFC Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium in the Premier League. The summer transfer window closes on Tuesday, September 1 at 11:00 pm BST.