Everton have now waved goodbye to 18-year-old midfielder Demi Akarakiri.
David Moyes has witnessed one of the top talents from the academy on Merseyside depart for Serie A side Cagliari.
It has not been the electric start to the summer transfer market that Everton supporters would have been hoping for.
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Braiden Graham is one of Everton’s other top academy talents and his reaction to Akarakiri’s exit sums up how most fans will be feeling.
Braiden Graham’s reaction to Demi Akarakiri’s exit speaks volumes at Everton
Everton News understands that Akarakiri was offered first-team opportunities by Cagliari, which was not the case at Everton.
The gap between the academy and Moyes’ first-team has never felt greater than it is now.
Taking to Instagram, Akarakiri announced his Everton exit through a simple message: ‘Thank you Everton’.
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In response to the social media post, Graham replied: ‘🥹🥹❤️’.
The emotional emojis highlight the belief that Everton are losing a real talent from their ranks through Akarakiri’s exit.
After impressing under Keith Southern with the U18s, Akarakiri was called up to Paul Tait’s U21s during the 2025/26 campaign.
Akarakiri was called up to senior Everton training, but his likelihood of breaking into the squad on a regular basis was still unlikely.
The prospect of potentially playing first-team football in Serie A was described to Everton News as a ‘game-changer’ for the 18-year-old midfielder.
Whether Akarakiri was ready to impact Moyes’ side is out for debate, but the pathway into the first team is clearly proving problematic on Merseyside.
Graham is expected to leave Everton on loan, with Harrison Armstrong’s own future remaining up in the air after failing to impact Moyes’ plans since his loan recall.
Everton are losing one of their top talents and more could well follow in the coming years if positive change is not brought to Merseyside.
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