Why golden Everton opportunity has opened as approach made for potential Jordan Pickford successor

Everton goalkeeper Mark Travers could soon be returning to a place he knows very well.

The 27-year-old joined Everton last summer from Bournemouth, and has adopted the role as the number two shot-stopper.

Indeed, Jordan Pickford isn't showing any signs of slowing down yet, and is entering the 2026-27 season fresh off the back of a strong World Cup campaign with England.

Travers has only made two competitive senior appearances for the Toffees since joining, with those arriving in League Cup ties against Wolves and Mansfield Town respectively.

However, now in the prime years of his career as a goalkeeper, the Ireland international may well be keen to go and be the starting keeper somewhere else.

And Everton can use that to their advantage, as one of his former clubs appears keen on reuniting with him this summer.

Why Mark Travers is set for second-tier move

Goodison News has covered Wrexham's reported interest in signing Travers, and it is indeed the Championship where he could be heading.

However, it may not be with the Red Dragons, rather, the North East of England might just be his destination.

As detailed in a report from the Daily Mail, Middlesbrough are claimed to have made an enquiry over the possibility of signing Travers.

Coventry are also explicitly named as being a team who also reached out this summer, but they've just signed ex-loanee Carl Rushworth from Brighton in a deal worth £22.5million plus add-ons.

It's stated that Boro have also touched base with Man United over their highly-rated young keeper Radek Vitek, but that Travers may be the more easier signature for the Teessiders to acquire.

Travers spent the second half of the 2024-25 season with Middlesbrough, and if the opportunity is there for a Riverside return, he should absolutely jump at it.

Middlesbrough and Travers were a match made in heaven

As aforementioned, whilst it's true that Pickford is still playing at a high level for Everton, it's equally factual to say the 32-year-old isn't getting any younger either.

Because of that, the Toffees hierarchy will have to start thinking about a succession plan at some point, especially due to Pickford's standout attribute being his agility and athleticism, which could soon abandon him as time goes on.

If Travers is to be the one Pickford passes the baton to, then taking a year away from Hill Dickinson Stadium and re-joining Middlesbrough could be the best thing for him.

In just 17 Championship games for Boro in that 2024-25 campaign, he established himself as one of the very best keepers in the division that year by the end of his loan spell.

As per FotMob, he ranked in the top 9.3 percentile for all Championship goalkeepers that year for his 3.76 saves per game average.

Meanwhile, he also recorded a save percentage of 76.2 per cent and prevented 0.20 goals per game, which were both well above the league average that term.

In total, Travers made 64 saves in just 17 games, conceded 20 goals and made just the one error leading to a goal.

Upon his loan spell ending, the vast majority of Middlesbrough fans were clamouring to see him return in any kind of fashion for the following season, but he of course opted to sign for Everton.

So, perhaps a full season with the Smoggies could really do Travers' confidence and improvement a world of good, thus possibly leaving him in a far stronger place to return to Merseyside next summer ready to lay down the gauntlet to Pickford for the Everton starting gloves.