4 out of contract players Everton could sign this summer | OneFootball

The current Everton squad includes 24 players and an additional four out on loan, according to Spotrac.

Fast forward ahead to the under-contract players after this season, and the list dwindles to just 14, which includes striker Neal Maupay, who has been on loan this season at Marseille, but the French club reportedly has an obligation to buy the player after this year.

So in reality, Everton have 13 players signed for the 2025/26 campaign, including one goalkeeper (Jordan Pickford), three centerbacks (James Tarkowski, Jarrad Branthwaite, and Jake O'Brien), two fullbacks (Nathan Patterson and Vitalii Mykolenko), a handful of attackers (including Iliman Ndiaye, Dwight McNeil, and Beto), and three young midfielders (James Garner, Tim Iroegbunam, and Harrison Armstrong).

While new owners The Friedkin Group will need to invest money into the squad, it can't count solely on transfers from other clubs to fill out a roster.

For one, David Moyes and incoming CEO Angus Kinnear will need to consider new contracts for some that are would-be free agents this summer, but they'll also need to take advantage of free transfers where they can.

This has worked out for Everton in the past, with James Tarkowski the most recent example of a player on a free who has made a massive impact on the club.

In scouring the list of possible additions, Everton will need to make intelligent decisions, adding a mixture of veterans and less experienced players in order to field the best possible squad in can for next season.

With that in mind, here are four players the Toffees could add on free transfers this summer.

RB Tariq Lamptey

Current club: Brighton

Age: 24 (he'll turn 25 in September)

It's no secret that Everton have been searching for a starting right back for years now and that all efforts to cover that position for the long term have failed for various reasons.

Nathan Patterson was never going to be a true right back so much as a more attack-minded wing back and Ashley Young will turn 40 in July (along with being out of contract himself). So the time may finally be here to upgrade that position if the right opportunity comes along.

Tariq Lamptey is still quite young, but still has plenty of Premier League experience since joining Brighton from the Chelsea youth squad in 2019.

He's been slowed by a foot injury for much of this season, but he's still got a bright future ahead of him as a professional if he can maintain health. Lamptey has also been used on both the left and right sides as a fullback, as well as an attacking midfielder along the right.

CB CJ Egan-Riley

Current club: Burnley

Age: 22

Another young player with potential is centerback CJ Egan-Riley who has been a stalwart for Burnley as they've pushed to return to the Premier League after this season.

Egan-Riley is still very young, and so he isn't as experienced, but he's a former Manchester City youth player who has continued to improve as he's risen through the ranks from the U18 Premier League, Premier League 2, and now the Championship.

He's mostly played centerback, although he does have 41 career matches at right back, and you wonder if his size (just a hair over 6'0") will translate to the top flight, but the good news is that Everton have decent cover along the back line for now, meaning a kid like Egan-Riley could come in and not be expected to immediately contribute as a starter.

Depth will be key and the England international (who has two caps for the England U21 squad) could learn and provide cover if called upon.

RB Kenny Tete

Current club: Fulham

Age: 29 (he'll turn 30 in October)

If the Toffees prefer to slap another shorter term band aid on the right back issue rather than addressing it with a younger player like Lamptey, then current Fulham player Kenny Tete would be a reasonable option.

He missed a lot of time this year with a knee injury, but when he's played the Netherlands international has still shown himself to be a quality Premier League player. Tete has featured in 117 matches for Fulham manager Marco Silva since joining from Lyon in September of 2020.

His age means he can't be expected to be at Everton for a decade (unless he decides to pattern his career after Ashley Young), but he'd be a decent option for a few years, especially on a free transfer.

RB Nelson Semedo

Current club: Wolves

Age: 31 (he'll turn 32 in November)

The intention wasn't to make this list all defenders, but to be fair, the list of attacking options on the list are either uninspiring (Neymar anyone?), not returning current players (Dominic Calvert-Lewin), or, respectfully, way out of Everton's current league (Kevin De Bruyne and Jonathan David).

So we have yet another right back option, this time even more of a short term option than Tete in Nelson Semedo.

The Portuguese international joined Wolves from Barcelona in 2020 and has been quite steady for them, featuring in 160 matches and logging over 13,000 minutes for the West Midlands club.

This all came after 124 appearances for Barcelona during his time in Spain.

Semedo isn't going to come in and solidify the position for years to come, but he can be steady, like Tete, if Everton choose to focus their longer term investments in other areas of the pitch.