The Toffees youngsters all penned new contracts on 14 December last year, and since then, they have enjoyed mixed fortunes at Goodison Park.
One year ago today, Everton were boosted by the triple contract signing of youngsters Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Jonjoe Kenny and Mason Holgate.
All three penned new deals on the same day, making for a superb press release from the point of view of an Evertonian.
“There’s no doubt in my mind that they will play big roles at Everton for a long time to come,” former Toffees boss Sam Allardyce said at the time. “Mason, Jonjoe and Dominic epitomise what we are trying to accomplish with young players here”.
So, how have the trio got on in the 12 months following their new deals? Have the long-term contracts been justified?
With the acquisitions of Cenk Tosun and Theo Walcott in January, Calvert-Lewin has sadly lost his first-team place since the turn of the year, starting just two Premier League games in the second half of last season (Transfermarkt).
Although Tosun is now out of favour, Richarlison’s signing has continued to keep the 21-year-old away from a starting spot – just four in the league, in fact, but 10 substitute appearances show he still has a role to play under Marco Silva.
Holgate, meanwhile, alternated between starting berths and stints out of the team, and although he deputised well for the injured Seamus Coleman, he got just 13 minutes of action between the end of January and the end of the season.
This term, no Premier League starts since mid-September have triggered media reports of Holgate looking to go out on loan in January (The Mirror), something which a number of Toffees fans think is the best course of action.
Michael Keane, Kurt Zouma and Yerry Mina are currently ahead of Holgate at centre-back, while Coleman’s return at right-back is something which has also impacted on Jonjoe Kenny, whose only league appearances this term coincided with the Irishman’s absence.
Although the 21-year-old is not currently being linked with a departure, it might serve him well to consider a loan move away given his lack of first-team opportunities.
To conclude, Calvert-Lewin is probably the best placed of the trio to kick on at Everton during the second half of the season, while for Kenny and Holgate, they will either have to bide their time on the fringes of the first team or potentially consider their futures.
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