Everton have joined the race to sign Hamilton Academical striker Ryan One this summer, according to reports.
Who is Ryan One?
One is an academy graduate at the Fountain of Youth Stadium having worked his way up through the various youth ranks to get promoted to the first-team last summer, where he’s made a total of 28 appearances to date.
However, the 16-year-old was out of contract at the end of last month and he’s not yet been offered the chance to extend his stay with John Rankin’s side, meaning that as it stands, he’s set to depart as a free agent and will be available on the market for absolutely nothing.
The Scottish Championship outfit have also recently been relegated to the third-tier north of the border so the teenager could be hoping to find a new club at a higher level to test himself and progress his career, and it’s fair to say that he’s got plenty of admirers queuing up to secure his services.
Are Everton signing One?
According to TEAMtalk, Everton, Manchester United, Liverpool, Newcastle United, Brighton and Hove Albion, Brentford and Bournemouth are all keen to bring One to the Premier League. The Toffees and Sean Dyche are “checking” on the forward and have been “watching” him for “most of the season”.
Scottish Premiership rivals Celtic and Glasgow Rangers were also “keeping tabs” on the talented prospect, but it’s believed that a move to the top-flight in England would be “hard for him to turn down”.
Could One be a good addition for Dyche?
Everton will know that One – having only ever made 28 appearances (855 minutes) throughout his career – is certainly not a player ready to be considered for the first-team, but with the promising signs that he’s showing, he would be an exciting recruit for the long-term future of the club.
The Scotland U17 international, who earns £100-per-week, has scored two goals since being introduced to the senior fold and has already had a taste of success having won the Scottish Challenge Cup during his debut professional campaign in 2022/23, so he will continue to have an eye on securing silverware as he moves into the next stage of his development.
One also has the versatility to operate everywhere across the frontline, including in his natural position as a centre-forward but also out wide on both the left and right flanks, which will no doubt be an attractive attribute to the hierarchy and is a quality that is useful to have in the building if he ever did become a regular under Dyche.