A chat about Blues icons of different eras in Alan Ball and Leighton Baines.
The A to Z of Merseyside sport explores the impact of people, places and much more on Everton Football Club.
Paul Salt, Mike Hughes and Ian Kennedy discuss Everton's World Cup Winner Alan Ball and one of the best left-backs to call Goodison Park home, Leighton Baines.
Listen on BBC Sounds here or hit play below
The countdown to the World Cup is well and truly on, so here's a reminder of the Toffees selected to represent their countries from 11 June to 19 July.
The expanded 48-team competition is set to be the biggest in history, with the United States, Canada and Mexico hosting.
Everton's World Cup contingent:
Idrissa Gueye (Senegal)
Iliman Ndiaye (Senegal)
Nathan Patterson (Scotland)
Jordan Pickford (England)
The above graphic is based on the 2025-26 Premier League clubs and squad lists
Take a dive into each of the 48 squads here
Read more about the World Cup squads in numbers
Find out more about how to follow the competition on the BBC
Manchester City are weighing up moves for Everton forward Iliman Ndiaye. (Mail), external
Want more transfer stories? Read Tuesday's full gossip column
Image source, Getty ImagesVitalii Mykolenko has signed a new three-year deal at Everton.
The defender was out of contract this summer but has now committed his future to the Toffees until June 2029. The 27-year-old has made 157 appearances since joining the club in January 2022 from Dynamo Kyiv.
"I feel excited to sign this new contract – very excited and proud," Mykolenko told club media.
"In the first few years of my time here we were struggling, but our team as a family, every person in the building gave everything to get through it. What we have now is stronger and we are getting better every season.
"For me, it's most important to feel confident and feel comfortable in the environment and I have that here, so I'm really happy."
Image source, Getty ImagesWe asked for your views on what one thing needs to change at Everton before the new campaign and why.
Here are some of your comments:
Mike: New manager, new ideas, positive approach. A coach who learns from mistakes, uses and develops players and understands the need to inspire fans. A coach who can pick players in the correct positions. Everton need to play front-foot football with players allowed to express themselves. Young players need to be given game time and we need to stop cramming extra centre-backs and central midfielders into the team. Build the team on Pickford, Branthwaite and O'Brien at the back and Garner, Dewsbury-Hall and N'Diaye as the 6/8/10.
Steve: David Moyes. We need a manager who is more tactical, more flexible and more inspirational. The team must play with more verve, speed, and ingenuity. The defence needs to stop making disastrous mistakes.
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Stephen: We need a manager who can attract talent, put his faith in the players at his disposal and tailor his tactical approach in order to win games. Unfortunately, although he'll always be an Everton legend, Moyes isn't that person. Time to make a change.
David: We need to move away from the culture, both as fans and the people running Everton, of panicking and firing the manager at the first sign of trouble. Everton will never get back to winning trophies with that attitude. We need to stick with it, just as Carter and Kendall did by ignoring the noise from our supporters, who let their understandable frustrations get the better of them. Successful clubs do not chop and change managers, directors of football, etc, as often as we have. That approach has failed at Everton and it is time to move on and give someone the time and loyalty to build. Trevor Steven recently called for restraint and less toxicity from our fan base and he's right.
Craig: Absolutely not rocket science - a capable right-back to replace Seamus and a pedigree striker with experience to replace the two presumably decent guys who sadly lack any ability but who have toiled both with effort but very little ability. As a supporter of almost 70 years, when I think of past Everton strikers why is it that a transfer or a youth academy graduate has not come through?
Image source, Getty ImagesEverton's chief revenue officer Aaron Duckmanton joined BBC Radio Merseyside to discuss how a variety of events hosted over the summer at Hill Dickinson Stadium are helping to fund transfers for the Toffees.
"We wanted to build a world-class venue and with a world-class venue comes the ability to programme it for 365 days of the year," he explained.
"What we do in the summer is secondary to what we do on the football pitch but there is a huge importance as to how we programme events. We're really pleased with the line-up that we have got this summer. When we look at what we have been able to put into the stadium both from a sport and an event point of view, everyone is really proud of it."
On England's Lionesses playing at Hill Dickinson Stadium, on 9 June, Duckmanton said: "There is a commitment from the FA to bring the national teams outside of London. The Lionesses look to play 50% of their games away from Wembley, they have played at the Etihad and the City Ground recently so it was a very open conversation.
"With the commitment and the investment that we have made into Everton Women and the move to Goodison Park and the success that we have had, when we discussed around bringing a fixture here, we both pinpointed the Ukraine game. We wanted to make it a statement, we wanted a qualifier, the last qualifier for the Lionesses before they head to the tournament [World Cup in Brazil next year].
"It was actually a really nice marriage between the FA and the stadium to bring this game here. We're all really excited about it, we know the players are excited about it. We've got over 100 ex-Everton and England national players attending the game. The actual spectacle we're going to put together for the stadium, for the FA and for women's football is something really special."
Duckmanton also spoke about hosting England World Cup watch parties at Hill Dickinson: "It's a massive summer for international football, the World Cup is the biggest event that we all look forward to and when we looked at what we could do, we've got amazing spaces and amazing bars. We know people like to congregate and that the World Cup is a social activity.
"The timings are quite unique this year with it being in the US in the evenings. We thought the best thing to do would be to open a space and let people have a good time and experience it together.
"We hope that we will have 400-plus Evertonians each night watching [England number one] Jordan [Pickford]. We've got three watch parties booked in but we have all the plans to go all the way to the final should England get there so we are hoping that that is the case."
With so many different events being hosted at the new stadium, there could be concern that Everton are in danger of losing their identity and the challenges of ensuring it remains their home, and Duckmanton said: "It's always the balance. We are learning in every event that we have done, how to incorporate Everton, the club and the values that we want into these events. The promoters or the rights holders and federations who are coming here embrace what Everton is.
"The rugby league teams came up here and you will see the content that they put out celebrated the badge and the crest and how important it was to be playing at Everton's stadium, not just Hill Dickinson as a venue. The same team and the same people who operate our matchdays are working to operate our event days so you know that the same themes, values and consistency that Everton has and the staff has are coming through into the event.
"We don't want to lose our identity by being a venue for hire, that's not what we are. We are Everton Football Club sharing our stadium and sharing what the city of Liverpool is with the rest of the world."
Finally, Duckmanton spoke about whether any of the revenue generated by these events goes directly into buying new players: "It sure does. We are now governed by stringent rules and what we can spend on players based on the revenue that we can bring in, so the job of me and the team is to support what the playing staff do.
"That means by bringing in third party events, any advantage that we can deliver by programming the stadium and by bringing in new events and new revenue lines, it's all recognised so we can have a competitive advantage against clubs in our set by being able to programme our stadium. West Ham,Tottenham,Arsenal - they have all been able to increase their revenues by adding non-football events and that was always the plan for this. World class stadium, world class events which bring in world class revenues."
Fan Paul McIntosh and The Blue Room podcast's Warren Doyle discussed David Moyes' side missing out on European qualification on BBC Radio Merseyside, after Everton's 13th-place finish.
McIntosh said: "Taking into account the [conceding of] late goals, the performance against Sunderland was just disgraceful considering what we had at stake at the time. It was like we had given up completely."
Everton lost 3-1 against the Black Cats in their penultimate game of the season, a result that effectively ended their European hopes.
Doyle added: "We were so close to getting there [into Europe]. This season was the chance for us to really take that opportunity in a weakened mid-table Premier League and get that European spot. We hit poor form at the wrong time and it cost us ultimately - it is a missed opportunity."
The Toffees finished the season with no wins in their last seven games as European football slipped from their grasp.
Doyle added: "Ultimately the squad just wasn't good enough, we didn't have players in key positions that we needed to push on. We didn't progress as much as we would have liked and those are the reasons for it. It's just such a shame because we were in such a good position in February, March time and that is the frustrating thing for all of us."
Listen to the full chat below or on BBC Sounds here
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Chris Collinson
BBC Sport statistician
With all 48 World Cup squads now confirmed, we look at how they shape up and compare with each other leading into the tournament.
Which clubs have the most players?
Looking just at the 20 clubs that made up the 2025-26 Premier League, only this season's top three have more players at the World Cup than Conference League winners Crystal Palace (12).
Including players out on loan over the season, Sunderland remarkably have as many representatives on the global stage as Chelsea and Liverpool (11), showing just how globe-trotting their recruitment was following promotion last summer.
The majority of Brentford, Everton and Leeds' squads can put their feet up and recharge their batteries for next season, with those clubs sending just four players each.
The 2026-27 Premier League season will be here before we know it, with the first matches taking place on Saturday, 22 August.
We have a simple question for you - what one thing needs to change at your club before the new campaign and why?
It can be a player, manager, ticketing issue, owner, or wider change.
Image source, Getty ImagesMiddlesbrough fan Tom Green has been speaking to BBC Radio Merseyside's Total Sport show about the Toffees' links with midfielder Hayden Hackney.
Hackney is said to have a number of suitors but reports this week have said Everton are one of them., external
Supporter Green, from The Boro Breakdown podcast, says he would expect a fee of between £15-20m for 23-year-old Hackney, who is out of contract in June of 2027.
He explained: "I think everyone knew it was a foregone conclusion he would leave as soon as we didn't win the play-offs. It definitely seemed like promotion or bust for him.
Listen below or get more Everton audio here on BBC Sounds
"He's a really dynamic central midfielder. I would say he has stepped up this year, shown by the fact of him winning Player of the Season. When he came into the team his passing and getting a shot away were his best attributes and he's built on that this year.
"What we have seen in the Championship this season is him taking the ball and dribbling it, joining the attack that way. And he has a great long shot. He's up for two contenders for our goal of the season."
Asked for an ideal role for Hackney, Green said he sits somewhere between a box-to-box and attacking midfielder, someone who may offer competition for James Garner.
He added: "I would say he is Premier League ready. We played in the cup against Fulham and coming out of that game I thought there were three or four who stood out as being able to handle that level of opposition - Hackney would have been top of that list.
"I would say he would definitely end up being competition for James Garner. I think he can be very good. I don't think he has hit his ceiling yet. His cameo in the play-off final showed he was levels above players in our team. I think he's definitely too good for the Championship."
Everton are chasing Arsenal's Brazil forward Gabriel Jesus, 29, but want the Premier League champions to reduce their £20m asking price. (Football Insider), external
Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column
Image source, Getty ImagesFormer left-back Leighton Baines says it is "a privilege and a honour" to be part of Everton's backroom staff, having reunited with former boss David Moyes who brought him to the club from Wigan Athletic in 2007.
The 41-year-old was inducted into the club's Hall of Fame last month, joining 37 other former players, after making 420 appearances over 13 seasons for the Toffees.
Baines told , externalEvertontv in a recent interview, external: "The award is quite surreal. When you hear some of the names who have won the award in the past, it is very humbling to be put in that company.
"It is important to take stock and appreciate what you've had. I have been incredibly lucky to find my way back to this football club. I am really happy that I was able to give my best playing years to this football club.
"The privilege is now mine, after people looked after me and kept me in the building when I finished playing, and I take that responsibility seriously."
After retiring at the end of the 2019-20 season, Baines became a development coach in the club's academy before being appointed under-18s head coach in October 2021.
In January 2025, after Sean Dyche's sacking, Baines took interim charge of the Toffees, alongside Seamus Coleman, for an FA Cup tie against Peterborough United before gaining a spot in the first-team coaching set up under Moyes.
"It has been a great 18 months for me," assistant manager Baines added. "I wasn't trying to be in the first-team environment in any way, my focus was completely on becoming a better coach, but then things changed.
"The manager came in and asked me to come up with him, which is obviously a fantastic opportunity and I have thoroughly enjoyed it.
"Being able to work with the players at this level, you can't lose sight of how much of a real honour that is."
Everton season-ticket holder Tony Bott says the club's seven-game winless run at the end of the 2025-26 season, which saw David Moyes' side drop out of European football contention, was "shocking, embarrassing, annoying and very frustrating".
Speaking on BBC Radio Merseyside's Total Sport, Bott said: "The tailing off in the last seven games was totally abysmal.
"Some people might argue that Everton overperformed and overachieved. I suppose if you'd said we would finish in the top 10 at the start of the season, most fans would've taken that as a bit of progress from where we have been over the past couple of seasons.
"But to have got to the position we did and for it all to fall away, that was shocking.
"People have become quite dissatisfied in regards to David Moyes' performance of late because of this falling by the wayside.
"To see our season endeavour crumble the way it did was shocking, embarrassing, annoying and very frustrating.
"The manager's comments after the final game, defending not qualifying for Europe and all the rest of it, just doesn't sit well either.
"I'm not calling for his head, I don't think it is time for him to go personally, but I do think the club needs to do a lot this summer."
Listen to the full conversation above and listen on BBC Sounds
Image source, Getty ImagesEverton boss David Moyes says a teenage Wayne Rooney was "the last of the street footballers" in the English game.
During Moyes' first spell in charge of the Toffees, he gave the striker his professional debut at just 16 years old.
Speaking on The Wayne Rooney Show about his first thoughts on the player, Moyes said: "He was a cheeky Scouser but also an unbelievable talent.
"We were saying: 'He can't be that good at that age.' I was actually getting a lot of criticism from the media because we had other good centre-forwards at the time. Kevin Campbell Tomasz Radzinski, quite a few others - Big Duncan [Ferguson] was still around and trying to get Wayne in the team wasn't easy, because they were senior players.
"A couple of times I had to play him off the left in the early days, but I say this to the young players: 'Often you don't get the big gig in your team where you play.'
"The talent Wayne had was the bit which we found really difficult because he was also physically equipped to play in men's football, which was really, really strange for someone so young.
"But he was a brilliant talent. We used to talk about street footballers in this country. For me, Wayne was the last of the street footballers, or certainly the last of the ones I know of."
Moyes also touched on how he felt when he first took the Goodison Park job back in 2002.
"I had a brilliant opportunity to manage Everton," he said. "At that time, I had been getting offered quite a few jobs to go to other Premier League clubs.
"I went to see Sir Alex [Ferguson] a few times about [other] jobs that had been offered and he said: 'No, I don't think you should take that job.'
"I had the chance to become Manchester United assistant manager before that as well and it didn't pan out, so when Everton came along it just felt right at the time."
Find this episode of The Wayne Rooney Show on YouTube, external, BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds
Image source, Getty ImagesThe first episode of BBC Radio Merseyside's A to Z of Everton focuses on defender Gary Ablett, who played for both Merseyside clubs, and former Toffees midfielder Mikel Arteta.
Arteta made 209 appearances for the Toffees between 2005 and 2011, winning the player of the season award twice and being an integral part of David Moyes' teams that qualified for Europe on two occasions.
"He's very much in the news as Arsenal manager these days and many outside of Everton often forget he played for them, but he was there for quite a while," said Radio Merseyside's Phil Munns.
"Massive fondness for him. He was probably one of the best players I saw growing up - technically gifted. He came in initially on a loan from Real Sociedad, it was one of the underrated bargain signings Everton made under David Moyes.
"It was at a crucial time in the 2004-05 season when he signed on loan in the January and that is when Everton went on to finish fourth and qualify for the Champions League.
"They were missing a little bit, Thomas Gravesen had departed, so they needed a little bit in midfield to carry them home. The rest as they say is history. He went on to get some incredible moments in an Everton shirt.
"He was just one of those who provided that little bit of magic really and he inspired one of the great Everton chants."
Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter
Image source, Getty ImagesEverton are still weighing up whether to trigger Tyrique George's option-to-buy clause this summer following his loan spell from Chelsea.
The 20-year-old forward's future remains unclear, as does the value of the option, although it could be in a similar ballpark to the £22m fee agreed with Fulham on deadline day last summer.
George made just one start in 11 appearances at Hill Dickinson Stadium but, at times, looked impressive from the bench.
When asked about his future and that of Manchester City loanee Jack Grealish last week, Everton boss David Moyes replied: "At the moment, they go back to their clubs and we'll take it from there.
"As the summer goes on, we'll decide what path we're going to take on both of them. We like Tyrique, obviously we like Jack a lot – but we've not got an answer [yet].
"We've enjoyed having Tyrique here – he's been an excellent boy and his work-rate and everything has been excellent, so we're happy with him."
Chelsea have been looking to sell George during the past two transfer windows and would be likely to consider suitable similar offers in future.
The Stamford Bridge club still need to raise funds through player sales because of their Uefa settlement agreement and, as an academy graduate, George would represent pure profit in the club's accounts, increasing the incentive to sell the homegrown winger.
Multiple sources have denied rumours that manager Xabi Alonso has spoken to George, or any other player, before the new season to assure them they are part of his plans.
Image source, Getty ImagesWe asked for your views on who Everton should sign from the relegated Premier League sides Wolves,Burnley and West Ham United.
Here are some of your comments:
David: Try for Jarrod Bowen, maybe El Hadji Malick Diouf, swerve on Aaron Wan-Bissaka. Maxime Esteve from Burnley a good signing. Not sure about any Wolves players, didn't seem to have much fight in them. Hwang Hee-Chan as a back-up to a much-needed new front three.
Steven: Gotta be Crysencio Summerville from West Ham, he looks dynamic and obviously Bowen would be a great addition but his age and how much they would want might be a no-no.
Gary: I would say Wan-Bissaka at only £10m. Bowen won't leave unless he would like to carry on playing international football. David Moyes has got to add a right-back and a decent striker. Thierno Barry and Beto, I fear, won't cut it if we qualify for Europe next season. Yet I do think Tyler Dibling and Wan-Bissaka or Summerville on the right side and Iliman Ndaiye on the left if we don't sign Jack Grealish. We also need a CB and LB. Squad depth at the moment is a real problem and we need to add pace and creativity, along with the signing of Tyrique George, which would be really good.
Theo: I think we should sign Summerville from West Ham, he was their best player.
Antoni: We need pace, creativity and someone who could slot into the first team immediately. Summerville and Bowen from West Ham and Mateus Mane from Wolves must be up there on the wishlist for Everton's decision-makers this summer.
Ciaran: Esteve and Zian Flemming from Burnley. Diouf from West Ham.
Rich: I think Wan-Bissaka would be good for a cheap option and, not that I agree, but no doubt Moyes will try for Tomas Soucek. I'd like Mane from Wolves but so would most clubs! I don't think many other players would improve us, only add cover. Majority of the current squad should be covered with new additions to improve us.
Martin: Should've signed Bowen before LAST season. Typical Blues. Will have to pay as much or more for him now and he's a year older. Recruitment has been abysmal for a decade.
Wayne Rooney returns to Everton to sit down with David Moyes and the pair revisit the debut, the transfer saga and the moments that shaped both their careers.
Listen to the full show below, or on BBC Football YouTube when it airs at 17:00 BST, as well as iPlayer, or BBC Sounds
Episodes drop every Friday & Monday morning
Wayne and Moyes: The Transfer That Changed Everything
BBC Radio Merseyside are doing an 'A to Z of Merseyside Sport' for both their Liverpool and Everton pages on BBC Sounds throughout this summer.
It will be a combination of the sport team, fan contributors and guests, with big interviews also coming soon, exploring the impact of people, places and much more.
For Everton's letter 'A', they focus on Gary Ablett, one of those who made the direct trip across the park and Mikel Arteta, the Spaniard who became one of the best players of David Moyes' first spell in charge.
Hit play below to hear the first episode in full or listen on BBC Sounds here
A to Z; Ablett and Arteta
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