Everton’s 19-year-old striker Martin Sherif has sparked a wave of interest from clubs in League One and League Two. With his contract expiring in summer 2026, Championship sides are also circling, prepared to pay a transfer fee if Everton decide to cash in this summer rather than risk losing him for free next year.
Clubs in League One and League Two see Sherif as a goal-getter capable of leading their line, while Championship outfits weigh up an up-front payment to secure his services permanently.
About Martin Sherif
Sherif arrived at Everton’s academy in 2019, after turning heads at Dutch outfit Almere City FC. Since then, he has climbed through the youth ranks and represented the Netherlands at under-17 level in 2023. His tally of 28 goals in 69 appearances for Everton’s under-18s and under-21s has cemented his reputation as a natural finisher and an imposing presence in the final third.
In February 2025, Everton News reported that manager David Moyes has monitored Sherif’s progress closely. When striker options dried up in the January transfer window, Moyes placed Sherif on the bench for first-team fixtures, suggesting the teenager might earn his senior debut sooner rather than later. With only Beto fully fit among the senior forwards, Moyes has also explored redeploying midfield talents Kostas Ndiaye and James Alcaraz before Sherif emerged as the most straightforward understudy.
Sherif has drawn praise from Everton’s coaching staff. He revealed how former first-team full-back Leighton Baines urged him to model his hold-up play on Dominic Calvert-Lewin. He also credited under-18 assistant head coach Kieran Driscoll for sharpening his composure inside the box. Both mentors remain in his corner as he trains alongside the senior squad.
Dutch news site Voetbalzone hailed Sherif in early 2025, labelling him “one of Liverpool’s greatest attacking talents” after he maintained a rich vein of form for Everton’s youth sides. That acclaim has boosted Sherif’s profile across the English Football League, where mid-season loan deals loom as a practical route to senior experience.
Everton must balance the player’s development with the risk of letting a prized academy prospect slip away on a free transfer in 2026. For Sherif, the coming weeks could define whether he embarks on a loan spell to sharpen his edge or seizes his shot in the Premier League under Moyes’ stewardship.
