Everton had reportedly launched a late enquiry for the services of Kyle Walker-Peters but were met with a firm rejection from Southampton.
According to Mike McGrath of The Telegraph, Everton made a late move to try and sign Southampton right-back Kyle Walker-Peters in the final days of the transfer window but were unable to get a deal over the line.
Heading into the summer transfer window, a new right-back was seemingly high on the priority list for Everton manager Rafael Benitez. The Toffees worked hard to try and sign Denzel Dumfries from PSV Eindhoven but were beaten to the punch by Serie A champions Inter Milan.
With captain Seamus Coleman having had a plethora of injury issues of late and Jonjoe Kenny not entirely delivering on the initial promise that he had shown, a new right-back would have been a welcome addition at Goodison Park. To that end, they made a late enquiry for Southampton’s Walker-Peters, it has now emerged.
A product of the Tottenham Hotspur youth academy, the English defender made his senior debut for the Lilywhites back in 2017 under then-manager Mauricio Pochettino. However, he was never able to nail down a regular starting berth at the north London club.
Walker-Peters spent the second half of the 2019/20 campaign on loan at Southampton after having been deprived of playing time at Tottenham. And, the summer transfer window of 2020 saw the 24-year-old make the transfer to St. Mary’s Stadium permanent. And, the Englishman has made a solid impression with the Saints so far, bagging a goal and four assists in 48 games, including his loan stint.
This seemingly prompted Everton to consider a move for Walker-Peters late in the transfer window, with the Merseyside outfit even submitting an enquiry for the ex-Tottenham star in the final days of the summer trading period. However, they were met with disappointment as Southampton made it clear that they had no intentions of selling the defender.
The report also mentions that Walker-Peters’ former club, Tottenham also were eyeing the 24-year-old before they settled in on Emerson Royal, who arrived on the final day of the summer window from Barcelona.
Everton did get a deal done on the transfer deadline day, with Salomon Rondon coming in on a free transfer from Chinese Super League club Dalian Professional. As for Walker-Peters, it remains to be seen if the Toffees decide to go after him in the January window again or look at a different option to bolster their right-back department.
