Everton have announced a contract extension for James Tarkowski with the 32-year-old centre half committed to the club until summer 2028.
The timing of the contract is no surprise. Tarkowski’s previous deal expired in 2026 and that meant clubs outside of England could agree a contract with him as early as 1 January, while any club could approach from the end of June next year.
It also follows a message from Moyes to the players in the summer, where he advised new contracts would be offered early in the season to give the club a chance to focus on rebuilding a squad that had just 13 senior players after several contracts expired this summer.
Journalist Paul Joyce has also confirmed Everton are in discussions to extend the deals of Jordan Pickford, whose contract expires in 2027, and James Garner, whose contract is up next summer.
Garner will be priority for Everton after his superb start to the new season and his age. At just 24 he will be entering his peak years and Everton will not want to lose him on a free transfer. There are reports he has a one-year extension to his current contract but a new deal would tie him down for longer and improve his wages to match his increasing importance to the squad.
Interestingly, Vitaly Mykolenko was not mentioned by Joyce despite the 26-year-old’s contract expiring next year. Mykolenko is the club’s only senior left back and is guaranteed a starting place as new signing Adam Aznou gets up to speed. However, there have been no reports of Everton offering him a new deal as we approach a point where foreign clubs can agree a pre-contract arrangement.
Everton do have the option of a one year extension and even if Mykolenko is unfancied by Moyes this would seem like a sensible option at this point to preserve some value before next summer.
The other expiring contracts at Everton are in the 30-plus category. The season will surely be the last for Seamus Coleman, who is likely to move into a coaching role when his contract expires next year.
Idrissa Gana Gueye signed a one-year extension this summer and the club will need to be active in the transfer window to replace his defensive contribution if this is his last year at the club.
Michael Keane has been a top performer for Everton this season but by the time his contract expires next summer he will be 33. An extension is unlikely unless Everton cannot find value in the transfer market.
The final player who will see his contract expiring is goalkeeper Harry Tyrer. The 23-year-old is highly rated but the club bungled his development this summer. Blackpool, who Tyrer starred for last season, approached the club about another loan deal but Everton delayed too long according to then-manager Steve Bruce.
Instead, Blackpool bought Bailey Peacock-Farrell and the club has since removed Bruce from the role after a poor start to the season. It has left Tyrer in limbo. Too old for u21 football, he is fourth choice keeper behind Pickford, Travers and King, and is facing six months on the sidelines. A loan in January is likely but he may be a departure next summer.
It will be refreshing for fans to see that only a handful of contracts need to be sorted before the summer after a huge turnover of players last year. The expiring transfer market could also be an area for Everton’s scouts to focus their attention next year.
Guehi, Vlahovic, Konate, Upemacano, De Jong and Maignan are all high profile players whose contracts are expiring but it is unlikely Everton will be interested in any of them.
Injury-prone former player John Stones is perenially linked to a return to the club, although wages and his availability could be an issue for Everton. Quenten Timber of Feyenoord is a quality all-rounder in midfielder and has attracted interest from the likes of Bayer Leverkusen and could also be an option.
Oscar Mingueza is a technically-gifted right back who can also play centrally and has four caps for Spain. The 26-year-old’s Celta Vigo contract expires next summer and he is probably the pick of the options in Everton’s urgent need to fill the right back spot.
Other players briefly linked with Everton in the past include Harry Maguire, Rico Henry and Adama Traore are also free agents next summer, although none are obvious upgrades for Everton.
Ex-Everton player Ross Barkley is also on a free transfer next summer, while Flamengo’s right winger Everton would be a nice case of nominative determanism.