Everton Eyes Kyle Walker as Solution for Right-Back Dilemma

Everton’s search for a reliable right-back has led them firmly to Kyle Walker, with the club eyeing the Burnley defender as the answer to a problem that has dragged on far too long.

Nathan Patterson’s struggle for consistent minutes and the uncertainty around his contract have left a clear gap down Everton’s right. David Moyes has been patching it up by shunting centre-back Jake O’Brien out wide, a short-term fix that underlines just how badly the position needs a specialist.

Walker fits that brief – and more.

Walker’s versatility turns heads

On paper, he’s the ideal solution. On the pitch, he’s still proving it.

New Burnley boss Nicky Hayen has already experimented with Walker as the right-sided centre-back in a back three, a role the defender knows inside out from his time under Gareth Southgate with England. It’s a position that leans on his experience, reading of the game and ability to marshal a back line rather than simply rely on raw pace.

That flexibility is exactly what appeals to Everton. They want someone who can lock down the right flank, but also slide seamlessly into a back three if Moyes tweaks the system. The club are not putting all their eggs in one basket either, with Celtic’s Alistair Johnston and Crystal Palace’s Daniel Muñoz also on their radar to stiffen competition on that side.

Still, the pull of Walker is obvious. A Premier League return, another crack at the top level, a chance to prove he still belongs there. That kind of opportunity is hard to ignore.

Leader at Burnley, target for Everton

For now, though, Walker is not behaving like a man with one eye on the exit.

He has been a central figure in Burnley’s pre-season, setting standards and leading from the front. He wore the armband in their recent Carabao Cup win over Notts County, then stepped up in the shootout to bury the decisive penalty with the calm of someone who has seen everything the game can throw at him.

His words match his actions. Speaking at the EFL media day, Walker underlined his commitment to the Turf Moor project and the club’s push to return to the top flight.

"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 phase of his career as unfinished business rather than a gentle wind-down.

“I’m not becoming anyone’s meme”

Questions about his age, his legs, his ability to handle younger, quicker forwards are never far away. Walker has heard them all. He is not amused.

Talking about facing sharp, pacey attackers in the Championship, he fired back with a pointed response.

"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 is not the language of a player easing towards retirement. It’s the stance of a defender who still relishes the duel, still wants the challenge, still believes he belongs at the sharp end of the sport.

Everton see that edge. Burnley rely on it. The question now is simple: whose right flank will Kyle Walker be snarling down when the real battles of this season begin?