Everton Pursue Kyle Walker as Reliable Right-Back Solution
Everton’s search for a reliable right-back has led them to a familiar name – and a very stubborn one.
With Nathan Patterson struggling for minutes and edging towards the end of his contract, the right side of Everton’s defence has become a running problem rather than a passing concern. David Moyes has been patching over the gap by shunting centre-back Jake O’Brien out to the flank, a stopgap solution that underlines just how urgently the club want a specialist in that role.
Kyle Walker fits that brief. And then some.
Everton eye a proven operator
Walker’s appeal to Everton goes beyond the obvious. He can still run, still defend, still lead. But it’s his flexibility that really catches the eye at Goodison Park.
New Burnley boss Nicky Hayen has already started to experiment with the veteran, using him on the right of a back three – a position Walker knows inside out from his England days under Gareth Southgate. It’s a role that demands timing, intelligence, and the nerve to defend big spaces. Walker has built a career on exactly that.
For Everton, that profile is gold dust. A player who can operate as an orthodox right-back, tuck in as a third centre-half, and guide a defensive line that has too often looked fragile. The prospect of returning to the Premier League only sharpens the intrigue. At 34, chances for one more top-flight run do not come around often.
Everton aren’t putting all their eggs in one basket, though. They are also tracking Celtic’s Alistair Johnson and Crystal Palace defender Daniel Muñoz as they look to inject competition and depth into that side of the pitch.
Walker still leading the line at Burnley
All of that noise sits outside Turf Moor. Inside, Walker is acting like a man fully locked into the job in front of him.
He has been a prominent voice in Burnley’s pre-season, and his influence has spilled onto the pitch. Walker captained the Clarets in their recent Carabao Cup win over Notts County, then stepped up when it mattered most, converting the decisive penalty in the shootout with the calm of a player who has seen just about everything the game can throw at him.
This is not a defender going quietly.
At the EFL media day, Walker spoke openly about what the season means to him and to Burnley. “It's a different challenge for me personally but it's all about the club and bouncing back to the Premier League – that is vital. It's about your mentality,” he said, framing the campaign as a test of mindset as much as legs.
“I am not becoming anyone’s meme”
Questions about age and pace follow every veteran defender. Walker doesn’t duck them. He bites back.
Talking about facing younger, quicker forwards in the Championship, he delivered a pointed response to those waiting for a clip of him being beaten to go viral.
“I think they try to create, what are they called… memes now. They’ll try and create memes out of me, but I can assure you I am not becoming anyone’s meme,” he said.
“So when you come against me, I'll give it 100 percent. If you beat me on the day, you know, you shake hands at the end of the game, and you say it's a good game. I'm not rolling out anything to become a meme.”
It was defiant, sharp, and very much in character. Walker knows the narrative around ageing full-backs. He’s intent on rewriting it on his own terms.
So Everton wait, weighing up a move for a player who still sees himself at the highest level, while Burnley lean on a leader determined to drag them back there. One club needs a right-back. One club has a standard-bearer. The next decision belongs to Walker – and it could shape both seasons.
