Everton remain active in the market after completing their first transfer of the summer with James Tarkowski, so here are five former Toffees players Frank Lampard could now re-sign.
The Blues boss is eager to improve his options after fending off a potential relegation from the Premier League last season. He took charge in January with Everton just four points off the bottom three after sacking Rafa Benitez, and would end the term just four points clear.
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Tarkowski has since moved to Merseyside in a free transfer from Burnley after his contract expired at Turf Moor. But Lampard remains hopeful of adding to his engine room, with the Blues reportedly interested in Wolves’ Morgan Gibbs-White, plus free agent Jesse Lingard.
Richarlison joining Tottenham Hotspur for £50m, rising up to £60m, has also left Lampard looking for attacking reinforcements. So, which former Everton players can the Blues boss look to re-sign to reshape his squad ahead of starting the new season at home to Chelsea?
Lampard can improve creativity by re-signing former Everton player Barkley
Lampard can look to improve his side’s creativity this summer by re-signing former Everton player Ross Barkley from Chelsea. The midfielder left Merseyside for west London in 2018 for £15m, but is now in the final 12 months of the five-year, £96k-a-week contract penned.
Thomas Tuchel is also looking to move the 28-year-old on after he only occupied a bit-part presence in his plans. The Mirror report Chelsea are actively seeking a suitor for the 33-cap England international once again, having failed to find a new home for him during January.
Barkley made just 14 appearances across all competitions last season, with just six Premier League outings from one single start. Yet the Liverpool-born maestro offered a reminder of his ability on the final day with a positive performance and winning goal against Watford.
Everton can add midfield resilience by re-signing former player Gueye from PSG
Lampard can add extra resilience to the Everton midfield by re-signing Idrissa Gana Gueye from Paris Saint-Germain this summer. The Athletic report the Senegal star is one of a raft of fringe players the Ligue 1 giants are eager to offload after sacking Mauricio Pochettino.
Gueye moved to the French capital in 2019 for £30m as one of the Premier League’s best ball-winning anchors. He offered the second-most successful tackles (142) and sixth-most interceptions (74) by any player across the division during the prior term, per WhoScored.
The 32-year-old now has just one year remaining on his contract at Le Parc des Princes and was not a mainstay of PSG’s squad last season. Pochettino only started Gueye in 18 league fixtures across 26 outings, and the 94-cap ace must now earn Christophe Galtier’s backing.
Everton can offer former player Dowell his Premier League target this summer
Everton can see one of their former players fulfil his goal this summer by re-signing Kieran Dowell from Norwich City. The 24-year-old is determined to continue as a Premier League player after he failed to help prevent the Canaries’ immediate return to the Championship.
“Kieran Dowell would like to play in the Premier League,” boss Dean Smith said in July, via the Pink Un. “I would like to be managing in the Premier League. That is all [Teemu Pukki’s] agent was saying, I think. He’ll be staying [here], certainly. The squad will need trimming.”
Dowell left Goodison Park for Carrow Road in 2020 having only played in five senior games for Everton. The Toffees product helped Norwich win the Championship in his first season, before impressing in 19 top-flight outings with his ability to stretch defences and the pitch.
Lampard can hand Ledson his Premier League bow with Goodison return
Lampard can hand Ryan Ledson his Premier League bow with a return to Goodison for the Preston North End midfielder. The 24-year-old left Merseyside back in 2016, having played one senior game with the Blues in a dead-rubber Europa League loss to Krasnodar in 2014.
Preston bought Ledson off Oxford United two years after his Goodison exit, with whom he has amassed 111 appearances. He made 25 in last season’s second-tier campaign as their holding option, and made a miracle recovery from 10 games out after surgery on his knee.
The operation carried out in February was supposed to sideline the former England youth international until next term. But Ledson impressed Preston boss Ryan Lowe with his work off the pitch to rehabilitate at a much faster rate than expected for a key Lilywhites player.
“Unbelievable, he’s been fantastic,” Lowe said, via The Yorkshire Post. “They operated on him, got his knee cleaned out and he’s like a kid in a sweet shop out there – kicking balls everywhere. Fair play, he has got it done… I didn’t expect to see him [return] this quick.”
Deulofeu can help replace Richarlison but Everton must edge Napoli
Gerard Deulofeu could help replace Richarlison’s influence at Goodison if Lampard re-signs the former Everton player from Udinese this summer. The Spaniard has enjoyed two spells on Merseyside after joining on loan in 2013/14, before returning between 2015 and 2017.
His career would take the four-cap Spain dynamo back to Barcelona in 2017, before joining Watford permanently a year later. Udinese then moved in 2020 for a loan deal they turned full-time the following January for €17m (£14m). Yet Deulofeu could be on the move again.
Journalist Alfredo Pedulla notes the forward hopes to join Napoli after his 13 goals and five assists over 34 Serie A games. Udinese are willing to sell the 28-year-old for €18-20m (£15-17m). Corriere dello Sport also link him to Tottenham, and Mundo Deportivo to West Ham.
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