Braiden Graham provides ultimate impact after what he did away from Everton
Braiden Graham came off the bench to score a late winner for Northern Ireland Under-19s as his stock continues to rise at Everton.
The Belfast Telegraph shared on 20 November that Graham was “the toast of Northern Ireland” after his 88th-minute strike secured a 1-0 win against Albania in their Under-19s EURO 2025 qualifier.
Graham, who signed for the Toffees this summer having made 10 league appearances for Linfield in his homeland, has already scored eight goals in just nine matches for the Under-18s this season.
Still, just 17 and yet to feature in the Premier League 2 for the Blues’ Under-21s, Graham’s progress through the ranks for both club and country could see a first-team debut beckon in the coming months.
Everton need Braiden Graham threat at Goodison Park
The Toffees struggling to score goals is nothing new in recent seasons, with strikers Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Beto netting just four between them in all competitions so far this term.
Calvert-Lewin only needed seven strikes to be the Blues’ top scorer last season, and despite Youssef Chermiti and Armando Broja being on the mend from injuries, it’s clear that more goals are needed.
Graham bursting into the first team fold any time soon looks unlikely given his age and the pecking order of attackers ahead of him, but his output for the youth side can’t be ignored much longer.
The 17-year-old is surely set to make the step up to Under-21s level – testing himself against some of the country’s best young players – before the end of the current campaign.
Contract disputes with Calvert-Lewin and an earmarked departure for Beto could open up space in the striking ranks at Goodison, and Graham’s upward trajectory could see him fill it sooner rather than later.
In other Everton news, a legal impasse involving 777 Partners is proving a sticking point in Dan Friedkin’s takeover at Goodison.
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