Kyle Walker: Everton's Target for Right-Sided Defender
Everton’s search for a reliable right-sided defender has led them firmly to Kyle Walker, with the vacancy on that flank becoming increasingly hard to ignore.
Nathan Patterson’s struggle for regular minutes, coupled with his contract edging towards its conclusion, has left Everton short of natural options on the right. The situation has been stark enough that David Moyes has turned to centre-back Jake O'Brien to plug the gap out of position, a stopgap solution rather than a long-term plan.
Walker, though, offers something very different.
At Burnley, new boss Nicky Hayen has already tapped into the veteran’s versatility. He has experimented with Walker as a right-sided centre-back in a back three, a position the defender knows inside out from his time under Gareth Southgate with England. That tactical flexibility is exactly the sort of quality that appeals to a club trying to rebuild its defensive structure.
And there’s the pull of the Premier League. Walker is back in the EFL with Burnley, but the lure of returning to the top flight at this stage of his career could be difficult to resist. Everton are not limiting their options either; they are also monitoring Celtic’s Alistair Johnson and Crystal Palace’s Daniel Munoz as they look to add genuine competition on that side of the pitch.
For now, though, Walker is not behaving like a man with one foot out of the door.
He has taken on a leading role in Burnley’s pre-season, setting standards on and off the pitch. He captained the Clarets in their recent Carabao Cup win over Notts County, then stepped up in the shootout to bury the decisive penalty with the composure of a player who has seen almost everything the game can throw at him.
His words off the pitch have matched that authority. Speaking at the EFL media day, Walker underlined his commitment to the Burnley project and the club’s mission to bounce straight back to the Premier League.
"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 this stage of his career as a test of mindset rather than mileage.
Questions about his age and pace have followed him into the Championship, but Walker has not shied away from them. If anything, he has leaned into the debate, issuing a pointed response to those waiting for clips of him being exposed by younger, quicker forwards.
"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.
"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."
That defiance sums up where Walker stands right now: a veteran who refuses to be eased quietly towards the exit, still desperate to prove he belongs at the highest level.
Everton see a solution to a long-running problem. Burnley see a leader for their promotion charge. Walker, fiercely competitive and unapologetically driven, looks ready to decide which vision matches his own.
