Hearts player close to Everton transfer

Everton are closing in on a deal to sign teenage Hearts defender John Dodds ahead of next season. The 16-year-old Riccarton youth academy pupil has been watched by a number of clubs in Scotland and England as his reputation grows. He is poised to continue his career on Merseyside with Hearts and Everton close to agreeing his transfer.

Everton manager David Moyes is keen to tap into his native Scotland for talent and Dodds is a promising centre-back who caught the eye of scouts at the English Premier League club. They pursued him and are now in advanced talks with Hearts, who helped develop the player within their youth system.

Provided paperwork is finalised, Dodds will travel south to complete the move in time for season 2025/26 and would be expected to join Everton’s Under-18 squad initially. He has not made a first-team appearance at Tynecastle Park to date but is regarded as a player with plenty potential for the future.

Hearts’ youth programme has produced a clutch of players who progressed to first-team level in recent seasons, including Finlay Pollock, Macaulay Tait, Aidan Denholm, Adam Forrester and James Wilson. Forrester earned his first international call-up for Scotland Under-21s last month, while Wilson became the youngest senior international footballer in Scottish history when he played against Greece in the UEFA Nations League play-off.

The Edinburgh club are keen to hone more home-grown talent for their first team in the years ahead, coupled with the signings of more experienced names to help guide younger colleagues. It is a policy which previously helped develop academy graduates like Callum Paterson, Sam Nicholson, Jamie Walker and Ryan McGowan into sellable assets.

Youth pathway at Hearts with loan players set for a big-pre-season ahead of 2025/26

Hearts head coach Neil Critchley spoke last month about the current youngsters following international call-ups for Forrester and Wilson. He stated that this summer’s pre-season programme will be vital for all concerned. “The biggest step of all, I would say, in youth development is always the jump to senior football,” said the Englishman.

“Sometimes you don't know how they're going to respond to those opportunities. That's the beauty of working with young players. Sometimes you never quite know until they get the opportunity. I have to say with James and Adam in particular, who are the ones that I work with every day, they've thrived in this environment. They've thrived with the opportunity.

“I've got no doubt that James and Adam, if called upon, they'll take it in their stride because of the personalities that they've got. Obviously, I've been out and I've been watching Macaulay, I've been watching Finlay. We've got Callum Sandilands out on loan at Montrose the moment as well, Liam McFarlane at East Fife and Harry Stone at Ayr United.

So we've got young players out on loan and we're monitoring their progress all the time. I'm sure pre-season will be important for them when they come back and I get to see them close up every day. We'll always make the best decisions for them and for the football club.”

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