Everton announce sweeping squad changes

With the deadline for squads to announce whose contracts they will be extending and which players will be released as the delayed Premier League season stretches on, Everton have updated the status of a number of players in the senior and youth squads.

First Team

Leighton Baines - the veteran leftback is the longest-tenured player at the club now, and has signed an extension that will keep him here until the end of the 2019-20 season. Baines has been offered a new one-year deal for next season as well, but is yet to confirm that he will be accepting it, despite Carlo Ancelotti’s urging.

Djibril Sidibe - the on-loan rightback from Monaco has extended his loan through till the end of this season. The deadline for Everton to exercise the buyout clause on the player has expired however, so it remains to see what the Blues will do for next season.

Maarten Stekelenburg - the Dutchman will continue to be the back up to Jordan Pickford, but will then return to his homeland to play for Ajax Amsterdam next season, where he will likely see out the remainder of his playing career.

Oumar Niasse - the striker has been released, with his contract expiring at the end of the month.

Cuco Martina - similarly, the Curacao international defender will also leave the club in a week, though he has been in the last two matchday squads as an emergency backline back up.

Luke Garbutt - once expected to be the heir to Baines, Garbutt leaves the club at the end of the month as a free agent after having been sent out on a number of loan spells in recent years.

Kieran Dowell - another player who has failed to live up to expectations, the attacking midfielder will stay on loan with Wigan Athletic until the end of the current season with another year still left on his Everton contract.

Under-23s & Under-21s

Captain Morgan Feeney, Alex Denny, Matty Foulds, Manasse Mampala and Korede Adedoyin will all leave the club at the end of the season.

Kieran Phillips is currently on loan at Huddersfield Town through to the end of the 2019-20 campaign, and will leave the club after that.

Nathangelo Markelo and Con Ouzounidis have both been offered new contracts upon the expiry of their current deals, but have not signed them yet.