Everton brought in Hayden Hackney recently but could yet sign another midfielder this summer – and Sander Berge may well have impressed with his showing against Brazil.
Everton pleased supporters last week by landing Hackney from Middlesbrough, in a deal worth up to £25 million.
Now Hackney is confirmed, who should Everton be bringing in next? 💰
Time to take our foot off the brake pedal in the market…
The Toffees will initially pay £16.5 million, with the rest to come through add-ons relating to European qualification and England involvement.
But Everton may go in for another midfielder after Hackney, amid uncertainty over the futures of Tim Iroegbunam, who is wanted by Hull City, and Charly Alcaraz.
Mandela Keita is on Everton’s radar, but last night Sander Berge may have shown he should be somewhere near the top of Everton’s list.
Everton target Sander Berge’s impressive stats vs Brazil
A couple of weeks ago, it was claimed Everton were interested in Berge as a possible midfield option.
It was claimed there had been ‘tentative talks’ with Berge, but perhaps Everton now ought to ramp up their efforts to sign him following his fine showing against Brazil.
Norway defeated the five-time winners last night, with Erling Haaland scoring both goals in the 2-0 victory.
The striker obviously grabbed the headlines, but it was a quietly brilliant performance from Berge in the midfield.
As per Sofascore data, Berge completed an absolutely staggering 117/119 (98%) passes in the game, underlining his status as Norway’s midfield metronome.
Of course, a lot of these passes were short and sideways. But regardless, he kept things ticking for his side and showed real composure during a high-pressure match.
He also had 130 touches, which was the most of any player in the game.
Berge also won 3/4 duels and made three defensive contributions.
It was by no means ‘flashy’, but that is not what Berge is about. He is a controller and a dictator, and someone who is extremely reliable at the base of the midfield.
Everton have brought in Hackney, but he has qualities that should see him play higher up the pitch in 2026/27.
Berge is a pure defensive midfielder, and someone who could help Everton have more control in games next season, while providing some steel.
He is absolutely a David Moyes player in that he’s tall, physically very strong and hugely experienced in English football.
Even though Brazil aren’t the force they used to be, to really dominate them in a World Cup last-16 match just further underlines Berge’s quality, and he’s definitely someone Everton ought to look into signing now.
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