When James Garner joined Everton in 2022 from Manchester United, it wasn't with much fanfare or even expectations of what the midfielder could offer.
The Englishman had only amassed 10 total minutes as a teenager with United, although he'd been a good player in the Championship while on loan at Watford and Nottingham Forest, where he played over 3000 minutes the season before coming to Merseyside.
He wasn't a major part of the Everton side upon his arrival, but started 34 times in year 2 with the club, even as his best position was in question. But it was David Moyes' arrival in the middle of last season that began to unlock something in Garner.
And this year that has carried over, to the point where United were calling to see they could work out a way for Garner to return to their club, with many hoping he'd play out his contract this season and return to his original club.
But now, all of that seems likely to be put to bed, as The Bobble is reporting that Garner is set to sign a new contract extension that will keep him with Everton for the foreseeable future.
Garner has been a revelation this season under Moyes' continued tutelage, although some of it has to be the encouragement that the Scottish manager provides. Moyes hasn't been shy about his positive reinforcement of the midfielder's play, going so far as to note that Thomas Tuchel should be paying attention to Garner for the upcoming World Cup.
Given the recent run of bad news centered on injuries to Jack Grealish, this contract news could not be coming at a better time for Evertonians. Garner is still young (he'll turn 25 in March) and he's finally been given a chance to lock into a specific role in the midfield that accenuates his ability to pick out a pass and ping the ball around.
Slotting next to the likes of Tim Iroegbunam, Idrissa Gana Gueye, and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall has taken some of the pressure off of Garner, and he's responded in kind with his best season at the Premier League level of his career.
We'll know more soon about how long the new deal will keep Garner on Merseyside, but the general sense of good news is excellent to hear. James Garner has more than earned this extension, and it's good to see he wants to continue to be part of the project at Everton moving forward.