Everton boast one of the most revered academies in English football, but in recent years it has not quite produced a realistic pathway from youth to senior football.
Instead, it has acted as a brief source of relief from their PSR woes, with Tom Cannon, Ellis Simms and Anthony Gordon three examples of necessary sales to ease their financial worries.
However, with those restrictions potentially set to slowly disappear in the coming months, as Everton look to sell Ben Godfrey among others, perhaps now is the time to give full focus on developing youth to actually nurture them into the first-team setup.
Roman Dixon signs new Everton contract
It is Everton’s official website who have actually posted this latest update, confirming that a new contract has been offered to one of their more promising youngsters.
The player in question is Roman Dixon, and the club really left it to the last minute, given his previous deal expired in just three days’ time.
It reads: ‘England youth international Roman Dixon has signed a new three-year contract to keep him at Everton until the end of June 2027.
‘The 19-year-old right-back, who joined the Club at Under-12 level, became a key part of Paul Tait’s Under-21s side last season, having broken into the side towards the end of the 2022/23 term.
‘A quick and powerful defender, Dixon has been capped for the Three Lions at Under-20 level, making him an international colleague of the Blues’ summer recruit Tim Iroegbunam, who joined from Aston Villa for an undisclosed fee last week.’
Kevin Thelwell also had the following to say on the new deal: ‘We’re pleased to recognise Roman’s development at Everton with this new contract. He is a player who has shown consistent progress through his time in the Academy so far, highlighted by the recognition he has received by the national team.
‘We’re looking forward to continuing to work with him on his journey towards senior football.’
Who is Roman Dixon?
Having been at the club since U12s, Dixon has been a mainstay of the U21s ever since breaking into Paul Tait’s side during the 2022/23 season.
A physically imposing full-back who loves to run with the ball, it is hard not to see academy prospects as a mere opportunity for the Toffees to eventually cash in on their talent for pure profit one day soon.
However, with their PSR woes slowly easing, so it seems, so too will their necessity to sell.
This could finally forge a much-needed pathway between the youth setup and the first team, of which Dixon will be eyeing up.
Last season, the 19-year-old featured 17 times in the Premier League 2, seldom relinquishing his spot at right-back.
Should he maintain his upward trajectory, perhaps some competition alongside Nathan Patterson could beckon in the near future.
