Shay Given Questions Transfer Silence Around Jordan Pickford
Shay Given has watched the goalkeeper market spin and churn for two decades. Big clubs panic, scramble, overpay. The carousel rarely stops. Which is why, to him, Jordan Pickford’s static summer feels so strange.
Speaking to BOYLE Sports, the former Republic of Ireland number one admitted he cannot understand why there isn’t a queue forming for Everton’s first-choice keeper, a player who has quietly built one of the most substantial résumés in European football.
Pickford has been at Everton for nearly a decade. In that time he has become England’s undisputed number one, broken the record for England World Cup appearances by a goalkeeper and repeatedly kept a vulnerable club side afloat with high‑wire shot-stopping. Usually, that kind of profile triggers a feeding frenzy.
“It is strange that we haven't heard of other clubs moving in for him during that time,” Given said.
The mystery, for him, isn’t about ability. It’s about noise — or the lack of it.
There is always a goalkeeper summer
Most years, one move starts it. A Champions League club changes direction, a veteran is phased out, a rising star wants out. The “goalkeeper merry-go-round”, as Given calls it, begins. Agents circle, sporting directors shuffle names, and before long three or four No 1s have changed shirts.
Pickford, though, has stayed rooted at Goodison Park.
“Maybe he's just really well-settled at Everton,” Given suggested. “We obviously don't know if there have been bids for Jordan over the years but there's usually a sort of goalkeeper merry-go-round some summers, like how we talk about managers moving on.”
The idea that nobody has asked the question feels unlikely. The idea that Pickford and Everton have repeatedly answered it with a firm “no” feels far more plausible.
Prime years, not twilight
Part of the misconception, Given believes, is how long Pickford has been around. He has been in the spotlight since his early Sunderland days, then thrust into the glare of World Cups and European Championships with England. It tricks the mind.
“Jordan has been in the game for so long you think he must be 34 or 35 but he's only 32,” Given said.
That line matters. At 32, most outfielders are edging towards the downslope. Goalkeepers are different. The top ones often peak late, when positioning, composure and decision-making finally catch up with their reflexes.
“I moved to Manchester City when I was 33 and goalkeepers in general get better with age as well,” Given added. “He's got many years left at the top level but maybe Jordan is happy where he is.”
Happy, but hardly lacking in options in theory. Given namechecked one heavyweight who, on paper, would make sense.
“You'd think Chelsea would be on the phone tomorrow and jump at the chance to sign him if he gave them any encouragement.”
Phenomenal saves, minimal rumours
If anyone doubts the level Pickford still operates at, Given goes straight to the tape. One moment in particular sticks with him: a flashing, instinctive stop from Sandro Tonali at St James’ Park last season, when the Everton keeper flew to tip a rising effort over the bar.
“It was unbelievable but he has that in his locker,” Given said. That sort of save — explosive, athletic, decisive — has become a familiar sight for Everton supporters who have watched their side spend long stretches under pressure.
“It does surprise me that we don't see any rumours around him because some of the saves he produces for Everton are just phenomenal,” Given admitted.
The irony is clear. In an era when scouting data is microscopic and every marginal gain is hunted down, one of the most consistent, battle-tested goalkeepers in the Premier League sits almost untouched by speculation.
‘Steady Eddie’ with an edge
Given reaches for a phrase that might sound like faint praise to some, but from a goalkeeper’s mouth is about as high as it gets.
“He's a bit of a 'Steady Eddie', and if you think I'm playing him down by saying that, I'm not. I'm playing him up.”
Reliability is currency in goal. Managers will accept the odd spectacular error if the baseline is security. With Pickford, Given sees a keeper who offers both: the spectacular and the steady.
“When you've got a goalkeeper who is that steady, it's a real plus, and he's got a real personality,” he said.
That personality has always divided opinion. Pickford’s intensity, the shouting, the chest-beating, the constant fizz of energy — some critics say it spills over, that it blurs the line between passion and recklessness.
Given doesn’t buy that.
“Some people say it can spill over at times, but it shows his passion and hunger and desire for the team to do well. It's his will to win, you can't coach that or teach it. It's just who he is, and I don't mind that at all.”
The will to win, the big-tournament pedigree, the Premier League mileage, the age profile: all the ingredients are there for a major move. Yet the market stays quiet, and Pickford stays Everton’s anchor.
At some point, a club will blink and decide that “Steady Eddie” is exactly what they need. The real question is whether, when that call finally comes, Jordan Pickford will even want to pick up the phone.
