Everton's Pursuit of Walker: A Solution for Defensive Woes

Everton’s search for a solution on the right side of their defence has led them to a familiar name – and a very modern dilemma.

With Nathan Patterson struggling for regular minutes and edging towards the end of his contract, the position has become a running sore at Goodison Park. David Moyes has already been pushed into makeshift territory, shunting centre-back Jake O’Brien out to an uncomfortable role on the flank. It’s a stopgap, not a plan.

That’s where Walker comes in.

Walker’s appeal to Everton

For Everton, the attraction is obvious. Walker brings versatility, experience and a tactical profile that fits several systems at once. At Burnley, new boss Nicky Hayen has experimented with him as a right-sided centre-back in a back three, a position the defender knows inside out from his time under Gareth Southgate with England.

He can still operate as a traditional right-back, but that ability to slide inside and marshal a back line gives any manager options. For a squad short on reliable depth in that area, it’s a powerful selling point.

The pull of a Premier League return hangs over all of this. Walker has operated at the top level for years, and the chance to step back into that arena would test the resolve of most players, no matter how settled they seem.

Everton are not limiting themselves to one target either. The club are also tracking Celtic’s Alistair Johnson and Crystal Palace’s Daniel Munoz as they look to inject competition and stability into that side of the pitch. The message is clear: that right flank will not be allowed to drift for another season.

Leader at Burnley, not a player with one foot out

For now, though, Walker is not behaving like a man halfway out of the door.

Across pre-season he has been a visible leader for Burnley, setting standards rather than slipping into the background. He captained the Clarets in their recent Carabao Cup win over Notts County, then stepped up in the shootout to bury the decisive penalty. No fuss, no drama. Just authority from the spot.

His words have matched his actions. Speaking at the EFL media day, Walker underlined his commitment to the Turf Moor project and the 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 chapter not as a winding down, but as a reset.

“I am not becoming anyone’s meme”

Questions about age and pace follow any veteran defender, and Walker has heard them all. He has no intention of fading quietly or being reduced to a punchline.

Addressing the scrutiny that comes with facing younger, quicker forwards in the Championship, he delivered 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 defiance speaks directly to the question Everton must answer. Are they looking at a fading name, or a defender still burning to prove people wrong at the highest level?

Burnley see a captain and a standard-bearer for their promotion push. Everton see a solution to a problem that has lingered too long. Which vision wins out may shape not just Walker’s final years at the top, but the balance of a right flank that has quietly become one of Goodison Park’s biggest headaches.