James Garner Breaks Silence On £50M Everton Target: Does He Make Sense For The Toffees?

Wembley, Friday night: the stage was set for James Garner’s first England start and the 23-year-old seized it with both hands, capping a Player-of-the-Match display in the 1-1 draw with Uruguay. Yet while Garner’s composure in midfield stole the headlines, the post-match chatter quickly pivoted to a team-mate whose evening veered from redemption to regret—Arsenal’s Ben White—and, by extension, to Everton’s emerging interest in the defender.

White, introduced as a second-half substitute, nodded home the 81st-minute opener from a corner, briefly silencing a section of supporters still harbouring resentment over his abrupt 2022 World Cup exit. The feel-good narrative unravelled in the 94th minute when he upended Darwin Núñez, allowing Federico Valverde to slam home the equaliser from the spot. The irony was not lost on observers; only days earlier Thomas Tuchel had likened Garner’s all-action style to that of Real Madrid’s Uruguayan metronome.

Speaking to ITV Sport minutes after the final whistle, Garner was quick to shield White from criticism. “Yeah, you know he came in, got a goal and then of course, the penalty is probably going to be spoken about. Some people will say it is, some people will say it wasn’t,” he offered, a diplomatic verdict that underlined the dressing-room support for the much-debated defender.

Garner’s supportive words matter because, on Merseyside at least, White’s future has become a live conversation. According to a fresh iNews report, Everton have positioned themselves at the head of the queue for the 28-year-old’s signature this summer, viewing him as the specialist right-back solution David Moyes has sought all season. With the Toffees currently eighth—level with Brentford and only three points adrift of Liverpool in fifth—the club’s hierarchy believe a shrewd window can propel them into European contention under the fledgling ownership of the Friedkin Group.

The tactical fit is clear. Moyes has been forced to deploy either Jake O’Brien or Garner himself out of position on the right flank, a stop-gap that has cost Everton structural balance. White’s capacity to operate as an overlapping right-back, an inverted full-back, a ball-carrying centre-half or even a screening midfielder dovetails with Moyes’ demand for positional fluidity. Crucially, Arsenal’s willingness to sanction a £20-25 million deal—roughly half the £50 million they paid Brighton in 2021—makes the transaction palatable, especially with Jurrien Timber now established as Mikel Arteta’s first-choice right-back and White’s game-time dwindling to just over 1,000 minutes this term.

Competition will be fierce. Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea have all registered tentative interest, yet Everton hope their current league standing, combined with Arsenal’s reluctance to strengthen a direct top-four rival, will tip the scales in their favour. Securing a proven international with nearly 200 Premier League appearances for a mid-tier fee would represent the kind of calculated upgrade the new owners have promised supporters since taking the reins.

For now, Garner returns to club duty buoyed by personal acclaim; White heads back to north London with questions swirling once more. Whether the Arsenal man’s mixed Wembley cameo deters—or accelerates—Everton’s pursuit remains to be seen, but the Toffees’ intent is unmistakable: solve the right-back riddle and keep their upward trajectory alive.