Everton have completed the signing of Manchester United midfielder James Garner, in a deal which could rise to £15 million overall.
The 21-year-old spent the previous campaign on loan at Nottingham Forest where he was outstanding as Steve Cooper’s side gained promotion to the Premier League, but was allowed to leave Old Trafford following the signing of Casemiro from Real Madrid.
Everton Complete the Signing of James Garner
✍️ | James Garner has signed for the Blues on a four-year deal from Manchester United for an undisclosed fee.@jgarnerr96 🔵 #EFC
— Everton (@Everton) September 1, 2022
No Buyback Clause for Manchester United
Although Manchester United included a 15 per cent sell-on clause in the deal which took James Garner to Goodison Park, there is no buyback clause should they want to re-sign Garner in the future.
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The midfielder joined Manchester United at the age of eight and came up through the ranks in their academy, leading to some disappointment that he has now been sold without being given a chance in the first team.
The fee of an initial £9 million could rise to £15 million based on add-ons, and should the midfielder perform well, this could be seen as a bargain for Frank Lampard’s side, who have had their fair share of poor transfer deals in recent years.
Output From Midfield
Garner provided four goals and eight assists for Nottingham Forest in the second season of his Championship loan spell – an impressive total from his position as a deeper central midfielder.
The Englishman could provide output from midfield which has been sorely lacking at Everton in recent years, and the recent departure of Andre Gomes to Lille and Dele Alli to Besiktas has opened up space for him.
Expected to line up alongside fellow new signings Amadou Onana and Idrissa Gana Gueye in the Everton midfield, Garner will provide technical quality and goal or assist contributions from deep.
Official, confirmed. James Garner is new Everton player on permanent deal from Manchester United. 🚨🔵 #EFC #DeadlineDay pic.twitter.com/MIHOk5dY0U
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 1, 2022
Out of Ten Hag’s Plans
New Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag sanctioned the sale of Garner rather than giving him a run in the first team despite his good form on loan and the questionable form of Scott McTominay.
The acquisitions of Casemiro and Christian Eriksen meant that there was limited scope for Garner to gain many first-team minutes, and as he did not seem to fit into Ten Hag’s vision for the squad the club were happy to sell the player whilst his stock was high.
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There is some unhappiness amongst the Manchester United fans that such a promising talent from their academy has been discarded so easily and for such a low fee, but there is also an acceptance that the new signings will take any minutes away from the 21-year-old.
Following a Familiar Path
The deal between Everton and Manchester United for Garner is by no means the first between the two clubs, with 14 players having appeared for both clubs in the past.
Current Manchester United midfielder Donny van de Beek spent the second half of last season on loan at Everton, whilst the likes of Morgan Schneiderlin, Phil Neville, Louis Saha and Michael Keane all traded Manchester for Merseyside in the past.
With Schneiderlin and van de Beek proving to be failures in the past, Everton will hope that whilst Garner is following the same transfer path, his transfer proves to be a greater success than his midfield predecessors.
