With the announcement that club captain Seamus Coleman is calling it a career after his contract expires next month, there were plenty of responses from his teammates and supporters alike.
It's a bit strange, however, that very little of this comes down to how Everton will fill Coleman's role on the pitch. But the truth of the matter is that the right back has hardly been part of the squad from a matchday perspective for three seasons now.
Coleman has managed just 894 minutes in 21 appearances since 2023, mostly due to injuries that just don't seem to heal. In large part, this is why the Irish international is calling it a career (although he has been called up for one final hurrah with his national team).
The bigger concern around Merseyside surrounds Coleman's leadership, as he'll leave the club captainship after seven seasons, a position he took on when Phil Jagielka left after the 2018/2019 season.
It's likely that the next Everton club captain is already on the roster, so let's take a look at three options to take over once Coleman departs.
Option 1: James Tarkowski
The central defender has been the go-to as the on-field captain this season, since he's serving as the club's vice captain. In that regard, the move up makes a lot of sense.
Tarkowski is a long-time veteran of the Premier League and will be entering his fifth season on Merseyside next year.
The only question is whether this will end up being another Coleman situation, as the feeling is that Tark won't be a regular starter for the club if Everton find a suitable right back, allowing Jake O'Brien and Jarrad Branthwaite to be the regular centerback pairing.
If that's the case, it probably makes more sense to go with someone who'll see more of the pitch.
Option 2: Jordan Pickford
On the rare occasion where Tark has missed time, the Everton (and England) no.1 has been the next man up for captaincy.
The opportunity to see Pickford elevated to this level would have seemed unrealistic when he arrived, but given that he's always on the pitch and his growth as a leader, it almost feels like the most likely option.
This might come down to whether or not David Moyes considers the hierarchy unbreakable, but Pickford makes a lot of sense, since he'll be with the club longer than Tarkowski and will be a regular starter until he leaves in 2029 (at the earliest).
Option 3: Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, James Garner, or Jarrad Branthwaite
This is a cheat, but these three players represent the type of longer-term thinking the club could have in regards to the captaincy.
While Tarkowski isn't likely to be a regular starter moving forward, all three of these players will be, providing health stays on their side.
Garner and Branthwaite have been at the club for several years now, and so they probably make more sense than KDH, who is only finishing up his first season on Merseyside this year. All three are signed until 2030, making them players who can hold down the role for years to come.
You could also lump Iliman Ndiaye in this group, as that move could signal to the player that the club have no intentions of selling him.
The thinking here is whether you prefer an outfield player to the goalkeeper, and if Moyes and the club think there'd be power in promoting an up-and-coming leader as opposed to following the heirarchy.
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