Fifteen Everton players could say farewell after final match vs Arsenal as big summer decisions await

Everton’s ‘to do’ list for this summer will be significant regardless of the state of the club’s finances.

Uncertainty lingers over precisely what Sean Dyche and director of football Kevin Thelwell will be able to do with the squad - both the protracted takeover and a yet-to-be-heard battle over the accounting of interest linked to stadium loans present challenges when it comes to forward-planning.

But one certainty Everton can cling onto is that the club will be a Premier League outfit next season. As preparations continue to be drawn up at Finch Farm, here are the most pressing contract situations they need to reach a conclusion on.

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Loan players to return to parent clubs

An already threadbare squad will initially get smaller with the two loan signings returning to their parent clubs when the season concludes. The exits of Arnaut Danjuma and Jack Harrison will severely diminish Dyche’s attacking options out wide, leaving Dwight McNeil as the only recognised senior wide player in the ranks. Danjuma has struggled to make an impression since signing from Villarreal, falling in prominence after McNeil and Harrison returned from injuries at the start of the campaign.

As the 27-year-old looked set for a role amid January’s injury crisis he then suffered the misfortune of a serious ankle injury in the final minutes of the draw at Fulham. He has now returned to fitness but is yet to have made it back onto the pitch for Dyche despite being named on the bench in recent matches.

Harrison, on the other hand, has been a stalwart for Dyche. Aside from a few games on the bench last month, the Leeds United attacker has been ever-present when fit and contributed three goals and three assists in his 28 Premier League appearances. Danjuma’s limited opportunities - which sparked challenges to his time at Everton in January - suggest his future may be elsewhere. There is more to suggest Everton would like to reunite with Harrison but, aside from the club’s own issues, the Blues may well have to wait until Leeds United season is over - with the club looking likely to end up in the Championship play-offs.

Out of contract players

The contracts of six senior players are currently due to expire at the end of this campaign. Each presents a difficult decision and Dyche was clear that confirming safety weeks earlier than previous seasons did not offer as much clarity as he would typically expect. Andy Lonergan has not received first team minutes under Dyche but the third choice goalkeeper has been a regular in matchday squads and is a low cost part of a goalkeeping unit that has historically worked well at providing Jordan Pickford the opportunity to excel. Joao Virginia impressed when given a chance in January, keeping two clean sheets in the FA Cup games with Crystal Palace and is another product of that unit’s wider work.

Ashley Young may be 38 but has clocked up more than 30 appearances across all competitions and his versatility may be deemed useful again given Everton will start the summer with a lack of wide players given the expiring loan deals and the long-term injury suffered by Nathan Patterson. Vitalii Mykolenko’s outlook is looking more promising but he will also carry an injury into the close season. Dyche went out of his way to praise Young after the win over Brentford, adding: “[He is] A different class, I say to all the young players don’t look at anyone else other than him.”

Dyche also praised club captain Seamus Coleman for having “a heart as big as a bucket” and after a tough season with injury he is now set to feature in the squads over the final weeks of the season. Coleman, lauded by manager after manager as the soul of the dressing room and viewed as a crucial link between Finch Farm and the stands, is also out of contract at the end of the campaign. The club captain’s 15 year stint on Merseyside was recently celebrated with the launch of a special kit and there is little doubt that he has an important standing at the club that will come into consideration in talks over his next step.

Idrissa Gueye’s two year deal is also due to end this summer. The club has an option to extend his stay by a year and the central midfielder highlighted the impact he can still have by being the outstanding player in the week that kept Everton up - scoring in the wins over Nottingham Forest and Brentford while producing a landmark performance in the Merseyside derby victory.

Gueye’s wages, like those of fellow out-of-contract midfielders Andre Gomes and Dele, may be a topic of discussion but with an overhaul in the middle expected - injury issues have plagued both Gomes and Dele across recent seasons - and interest expected in Amadou Onana, there may be deemed additional value in keeping an experienced player in a key position.

Those fitness concerns for Gomes and Dele will impact the decision-making process when it comes to the pair, though Gomes has been impressive in flashes this season - most notably in the defeat at Tottenham Hotspur when he led a comeback that was only thwarted by controversial decisions.

Those entering the final 12 months

Discussions will also be held over the players heading into the last 12 months of their deals. Everton’s proximity to profit and sustainability limits mean the club may well be willing to cash in on players who spark interest and this window will be the last opportunity to do so on a host of stars. The highest profile player whose long-term situation needs addressing is Dominic Calvert-Lewin. While he struggled for goals across the middle third of the campaign he has finished with a flourish and his derby performance highlighted how effective he can be against those at the top end of the table. His improved durability this season makes him more important to Everton - but could also make him more attractive to rivals.

The centre back trio of Michael Keane, Ben Godfrey and Mason Holgate will also enter the final year of their deals. Dyche trusts Keane and has relied on Godfrey’s professionalism and versatility. Holgate’s year on loan suggests the club would likely listen to offers for him but this is another area where there could be serious change should Jarrad Branthwaite attract the interest he is expected to.

Beyond those players, Virginia and Lewis Dobbin have been valuable squad players this term and the lack of wide options and backup to Pickford mean both hold value to Dyche. Abdoulaye Doucoure will also enter the last year of his latest extension. The midfielder, key to Dyche’s approach, is understood to be happy at Everton and rebuffed interest in his services from Saudi Arabia in January.

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