Luke Butterfield agrees new three-year deal at Everton
Everton Under-21s midfielder Luke Butterfield has agreed a new three-year deal at Goodison Park until the summer of 2025.
Butterfield, 19, has represented Scotland at youth level and is currently returning from a knee injury that he suffered at the start of the Premier League 2 season.
The young midfielder has captained Everton’s under-21s already in the 2022/23 campaign and director of football Kevin Thelwell is delighted that he has committed his future to the club.
“Luke is a very talented young player and we are delighted he has signed this new contract,” said Thelwell [Everton’s official website, 5 October].
“As well as having a lot of strong technical attributes, he has an excellent attitude and a real desire to learn. I’m confident Luke will continue to improve over the coming years and I’m looking forward to seeing him progress.”
Promising signs
Butterfield isn’t the first youngster to commit his future to Everton this summer with 17-year-old sensation Coby Ebere also penning a new contract at the club last month [15 September]. The focus on the academy is something that was always going to be a priority for Thelwell as a long-term project.
Anthony Gordon’s success after coming through the ranks at Goodison Park is an excellent example of how an affluent academy can prove to be an important source of income. Gordon’s move to Chelsea didn’t materialise but had he made the move the Stamford Bridge he would’ve earned the Toffees a substantial fee.
Evertonians must be patient and trust the process when it comes to the academy, with short-term success unlikely to happen. In two or three years’ time, there is every chance that we will start to see some academy players making an impact on first-team proceedings.
Frank Lampard is a manager who also has a track record of giving younger players a chance to make an impact and certainly has a lot of trust in youth prospects.