Everton are in the market for a new midfielder – and one new link could have an interesting impact on James Garner.
At the moment, Everton are still very interested in Hayden Hackney.
But the club have not yet reached any agreement with Middlesbrough for his transfer, and other clubs are in the mix.
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Fans are hoping to see the club get a deal over the line, especially with Hackney reportedly favouring a move to the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
But it would make sense for Everton to have other targets on their list – and Sander Berge is thought to be a player of interest.
It was claimed by Sports Boom earlier this week that Everton are keen, and his signing would be quite intriguing, especially since Garner predominantly played as the deepest-lying midfielder for the Toffees in 2025/26.
Sander Berge transfer could push James Garner further forward for Everton
Berge is supposedly considering his future at Fulham after the exit of Marco Silva.
And it would be very interesting to see if Everton went and landed him if they could sign Hackney.
Berge pretty much plays exclusively as a defensive midfielder, and has tended to play in a double pivot at Craven Cottage.
But he also has experience of playing in a single pivot, which might prompt a slight system tweak if he signed.
Garner enjoyed the best season of his career to date in 2025/26, and he deservedly won Everton’s Player of the Season award.
While he mostly played as the deepest-lying midfielder for Everton, many have praised his creativity – and perhaps that creativity could be better used by playing further forward.
Garner got seven assists last season in the Premier League, and as per Stat Muse, he created 56 chances.
If he has been showing this much creativity from generally deeper positions, then it is exciting to think about what kind of damage he could do by playing slightly further forward.
A number eight role could be perfect for him, so then he could support both Berge and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.
We know that as well as being brilliant on the ball, he’s also very tenacious and has a great engine. So a box-to-box role could work really well for him.
You’ve then got Berge to act as the shield in front of the defence, doing what he does best which is to recycle the ball and put out fires.
The Norwegian – who cost Fulham £25 million in 2024 (via BBC Sport) – doesn’t really have a glamorous game, but he is very good at receiving the ball under pressure and also has impressive physical strength and a handy 6ft 5in frame.
So if the Hackney deal doesn’t come to fruition, a move for Berge really could be quite smart.
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