Everton are the bookmakers favourites to land Stoke City goalkeeper Jack Butland this summer.
Stoke City’s Jack Butland in action
Touted as English football’s next great goalkeeper, Stoke City star Jack Butland has endured the most difficult year of his career to date.
Butland, 24, made his name with Birmingham City before joining Stoke in 2013, and after loan spells with Birmingham, Barnsley, Leeds and Derby, he has become a Premier League star.
Butland now has 38 Premier League appearances and four England caps to his name, but he has lost the last year due to injury.
An ankle blow sustained against Germany in March 2016 has given Butland recurring problems, and he made his first Premier League appearance in over a year on Saturday afternoon as Stoke lost 2-0 at Swansea.
Whilst Butland will now be hoping to re-establish himself between now and the end of the season, there is already some murmurings over his future, with bookmakers pricing up odds for a possible summer move.
Stoke City’s Jack Butland
Sky Bet have priced up Everton as the 7/1 favourites to land Butland this summer, with Liverpool an Manchester City at 10/1 and both West Ham and Manchester United further back at 12/1.
There is no doubting Butland’s ability, and Everton certainly need a new goalkeeper given that neither Joel Robles or Maarten Stekelenburg have proven themselves as top Premier League stoppers this season – but moving for Butland could be a risk.
England’s Jack Butland during the national anthem
Butland has endured a number of injury setbacks this season, and with just one appearance to his name this season, it’s far too early to assume that he will be back to his usual best by the start of next season.
Right now, Sunderland’s Jordan Pickford seems to be a better choice than Butland if Everton want an English goalkeeper, but the Stoke stopper is a name that should remain on the Toffees’ wish list for January or next summer if they are still in the market for a goalkeeper, giving themselves time to see how Butland recovers from his lengthy lay-off.
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