Peter Crouch hits back at Everton fan question live on air

Peter Crouch has joked it is unacceptable for an older Everton fan to have his name on his shirt.

Speaking on TNT Sports (1 February), Crouch and Joe Cole responded to a question concerning an Evertonian, who at the age of 28, still wears his Toffees shirt with his name on the back in public.

Joe Cole was open to the idea at Goodison Park, but Crouch immediately disagreed.

“There’s a simple explanation for this”, Crouch said, “Past 10 years old, it’s not acceptable.”

Cole said: “Listen… is he still playing, the kid? 28 – keep the dream alive. If he feels he wants to turn up at Goodison Park with his name on it, go ahead.”

Crouch replied: “I have to disagree with that, not acceptable.”

Peter Crouch wrong to criticise custom Everton shirts

Few Premier League fanbases are as passionate as Evertonians, and while the Toffees are certainly in a fallow period of their storied history, blue shirts are still dotted all around Liverpool.

Supporters, particularly adults, adding their surnames on the back of Blues shirts in recent years is hardly surprising, given there have been very few players who have earned the admiration.

For example, of the players brought into Goodison Park in the summer 2024 transfer window, you’d be hard-pressed to find many replica shirts donning the words Iroegbunam, O’Brien, Begovic or Broja.

Iliman Ndiaye, who has proven a revelation since signing from Marseille, is the exception to the rule when it comes to the Toffees’ signings in recent years, and plenty of fans will want his name on their shirts.

Dan Friedkin’s takeover and the relocation to Bramley-Moore Dock will make the Toffees more commercially savvy, and fans will hope that results in more players worth parting their hard-earned money for to show their appreciation.

In other Everton news, a permanent clause has emerged as the Toffees close in on the confirmation of a brand-new loan switch.

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