Everton snubbed by George Hall as Birmingham City contract decision made

George Hall will sign a new deal with Birmingham City after turning down interest from Everton, according to Alan Nixon.

The journalist wrote on his Patreon account on Thursday [31 August] that Everton were one of a quartet of Premier League sides interested in Hall.

Everton’s Merseyside rivals Liverpool were also said to be keen, as were Tottenham and West Ham, but the 19-year-old is staying with his hometown club.

Nixon said: “Hall has been watched by the likes of Everton, Liverpool, Tottenham and West Ham but will sign an extension on his contract which was due to expire at the end of this season.

“The midfielder has caught the eye but the Blues turned down bids and stayed firm in their belief that Hall is best served staying.”

Despite his young age, Hall has already played 33 times for Birmingham in the Championship, 30 of those appearances coming last season when making the breakthrough as a first-team regular.

The teenage attacking midfielder scored two goals and assisted another, with his all-round performances clearly doing enough to attract interest from some of the country’s biggest clubs.

Despite some injury setbacks, Hall was voted Birmingham’s Young Player of the Season for 2022-23 and will now look to push on at St Andrew’s once he pens fresh terms.

This is the exact type of signing Everton should have targeted this summer, though ultimately a mixture of City being unwilling to sell and the player being happy to stay put paid to those hopes.

The fact the Toffees were in the mix for his signature is promising, however, and it may well be that they are at the front of the queue to sign him should he ultimately outgrow Birmingham in a year or two.

In other Everton news, Sean Dyche has given an update on Alex Iwobi’s future at Goodison Park.