Royal Blue: Tom Davies' new deal, the race for Europe, and the next step in Everton's development

Adam Jones, Sam Carroll and Gavin Buckland are back with the latest Royal Blue podcast, which is hosted by Paul Wheelock given our Everton FC correspondent Phil Kirkbride is taking a well-deserved week off. And the panel start by discussing the new and improved contract handed to Tom Davies. The deal shows the faith Marco Silva and Marcel Brands have in the young midfielder, but Gav also argues it is a good way of protecting an asset. Davies has found first-opportunities limited of late, but the trio believe he has not been helped by different managers playing him in different positions. But what role suits Everton's youngest ever captain best? Holding midfielder? Box-to-box midfielder? No 10? Right-back?! All are discussed before talk turns to Saturday's 0-0 draw at Crystal Palace. It felt like two points dropped in the race for Europe, but were there positives to take? Adam, Sam and Gav believe there were, particularly defensively, but did it underline the need for the type of player who can make a difference in games against teams who are happy to sit back? We're not talking, however, about a new striker. There is still a chance, of course, that Silva's side could finish seventh. But while the panel would be disappointed to miss out on Europa League football, Paul wonders whether it could actually aid the club in closing the gap on the top six next season. Enjoy. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices