Everton manager Sean Dyche wants a “phenomenal” international player to replace Jordan Pickford at Goodison Park, according to a new report.
Pickford struggling at Everton
The Blues suffered yet more heartbreak on Saturday evening, once again blowing a 2-0 lead, this time away to Aston Villa in the Premier League. For a while, it looked as though Dyche’s men had overcome their awful start to the season, but they ended up succumbing to another 3-2 loss, with Jhon Duran scoring the winning goal at Villa Park.
This is about as low a period as Everton fans can remember, with so little to shout about at the moment, and there are individuals who are really struggling for form, one of whom is Pickford.
The England international was horribly at fault for one of Tottenham’s goals in their 4-0 defeat in north London last month, being robbed by Son Heung-min, and his general performances have been nowhere near as good as they were last season when he often bailed the Blues out and produced some influential displays.
Pickford has now conceded 13 goals in just four matches in the league in 2024/25, and while that certainly isn’t solely down to him, he is not playing at the level he has shown he is capable of reaching in the past.
"Phenomenal" ace wanted by Dyche at Everton
According to an update from reliable journalist Alan Nixon [via NUFC Feed], Everton manager Dyche is keen on bringing Nick Pope to the club as a replacement for the under-pressure Pickford.
The Blues boss is thought to be unimpressed with his current goalkeeper’s form and would like to see the Newcastle and England stopper come in instead.
This is an intriguing transfer claim, considering what a high-profile figure Pickford is at Everton, becoming firmly England’s No.1 during his time at the club. He has been poor so far this season, though, averaging just a 5.97 rating from WhoScored across the four league games.
Opinion may be split as to whether the £60,000-a-week Pope is an upgrade on him or not, but he has proven himself a top-level ‘keeper in a Newcastle shirt, playing his part in them qualifying for the Champions League in 2022/23. Shay Given has waxed lyrical over him in the past, too, saying:
“He’s been absolutely brilliant. At the weekend at Selhurst Park, [after making his save to deny Mateta] the reaction, he just got up and thought ‘this is what I do every week – I’ve got this lads, no pressure’. Everyone respects him, he’s a phenomenal goalkeeper. He’s got about everything – he’s brilliant at dealing with crosses and you’ve seen his saves, foot saves and blocks one-on-one.”
Premier League
196
219
68
League Two
44
21
28
Championship
33
44
7
EFL Cup
17
15
6
National League
14
16
6
FA Cup
8
13
4
Champions League
5
5
1
League Two playoffs
2
1
1
Europa League qualifying
1
0
1
Pope is now hugely experienced, making 196 appearances in the Premier League and winning 10 caps for England, and if Dyche prefers him to Pickford, he could be trusted.