Deal hijacked as Newcastle miss out on behind-the-scenes signing to Everton - The Athletic

According to The Athletic, Everton have beaten Newcastle to highly-rated Southampton scout Dan Rice amid rumours that he was all set to sign on Tyneside.

Rice had worked for Southampton as their Head of Youth Recruitment since 2021, but is now set to leave the south coast in search for a new challenge.

It had previously been reported that Rice was all set to become the latest behind-the-scenes addition .However, it seems Everton have hijacked that deal, with the Blues set to appoint the former Arsenal and Fulham man as their new head of emerging talent.

Rice had been highly influential in bringing some of the hottest young prospects to the Saints and will now look to do a similar job at Goodison Park, where they will have limited funds to work with.

I wonder what happened here. Were Everton offering him a bigger role? Was he reluctant to move so far north after so many years in the south? If we really were expecting him to sign, it does seem like an odd change of heart considering our rise has coincided with turmoil for the Toffees.

Either way, it seems he's heading to Merseyside, meaning Dan Ashworth will be looking elsewhere as we continue to boost our academy ranks; both on and off the pitch.