Reserve goalkeeper Joao Virginia is set to complete his 6th season with Everton — but it could well be his last — his latest contract extension is set to expire in June 2025.

Joao Virginia has now been at the club since Everton signed the Arsenal U18s goalkeeper for an undisclosed fee in August 2018.

That makes him one of the longest-serving players in the current squad, but he has only made 8 appearances in total after being second fiddle and understudy to Jordan Pickford.

However, his tenure could be coming to an end with Virginia ‘exploring options’ as his contract expires this summer.

In Janauary, Joao Virginia spoke to A Bola about his future with the Toffees.

“It’s not the ideal situation. Of course I want to play. And the more you play, the better,” he said.

“These are my last six months, but the club has an option to renew. He has already talked about renewing beyond this year, but nothing has come of it, nothing has been concrete. And I’m still alone with my last months.

“I can’t take anything definitively, there is an option for Everton to be activated until the end of the season. Until then I can’t decide anything. And I feel very comfortable at Everton, I like being here, I like being in the Premier League.”

While used only sparingly during his long spell at Everton, Virginia has had 3 loan spells, the more recent one at SC Cambuur of the Dutch Eredivisie in 2022-23 giving him the most consistent spell of 17 first-team appearances. 

But his record between the sticks for them was not great, with only 2 wins, 3 draws and 12 losses in that sequence (Goals For: 9; Goals Against: 28; Clean Sheets: 4), which was ended prematurely after he was dropped for the rest of the season in January 2023.

Speaking more recently to Estadio Deportivo, Virginia has talked about his role at Everton that involves a lot of sitting on the bench.

“As a player, my ambition isn’t to be a second choice for long, but that’s the reality I have at Everton. What I have to do is work every day and push Pickford to be better as well.”

Whether he remains at the club to do that next season is open to conjecture, with a significant number of the squad in similar positions of uncertainty, their contracts expiring or loan spells coming to an end in June 2025

“I think the most important thing now is playing time. With minutes comes experience. So, the most important thing now will be playing, and I think that’s the point that will take me to another level.”

Reader Comments (12)

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James Flynn
1 Posted 24/03/2025 at 17:13:47
25-year old professional with 38 games under his belt.

Disastrous loan spells to lower-league teams.

Good luck to him trying to catch on somewhere else.

Mike Gaynes
2 Posted 24/03/2025 at 17:37:35
Meanwhile, big Harry Tyrer is having a fine season at Blackpool.

He's 23, almost 6'-5", 11 clean sheets in 30 starts, 32 goals conceded (one a howler when a 70-yard free kick bounced over him).

Steve Bruce wants to keep him there permanently.

Seems like maybe he's our future, not Virginia.

David Bromwell
3 Posted 24/03/2025 at 20:07:26
Yes Mike, I have been following Harry Tyrer's progress over the last 3 seasons as he has completed a series of very successful loans. We should certainly bring him 'home', where he would be a fine deputy for Jordan. And if we need a third goalkeeper Billy Crellin also out on loan would be available.
Dupont Koo
4 Posted 25/03/2025 at 00:27:17
Mike@#2 & David@#3,

Harry has indeed climbed above Joao on the club's Goalkeeper pecking order. 30 starts with 11 clean sheets for a Blackpool team that is solidly at 10th place in a competitive League One this season: that is as good a loan as we would hope to be.

Quick tangent: Given Seamus' 6 months with Blackpool (arguably, the Promotion Races & Playoffs made his bones) and Harry's success so far this season, we should establish a firmer and more regular players-loan relationship with them. Although I understand the high turnover of managers at the lower leagues would tend to jeopardise those arrangements, Blackpool seems to be a club that would benefit, especially with their under-siege owner Simon Sadler having stopped spending and might look to sell the club.

Andrew James
5 Posted 25/03/2025 at 03:43:50
Jordan Pickford isn't liked by everyone but he's one of the best keepers in Europe. Getting past him will be nigh on impossible for Virginia unless Pickford is badly injured.

We appear to have stocked up on keepers very well which is irritating given the incompetence to strengthen the full-back or centre-forward positions. Nonetheless, the deputy goalkeeper with Pickford there might need to be a youngster unless we end up with a long Europe campaign which Moyes knows how to manage squad-wise.

Mike Gaynes
6 Posted 25/03/2025 at 04:06:55
David #3,

Tyrer doesn't have to actually be at Everton physically to be Jordan's heir apparent. One alternative might be another loan next season, maybe to the Championship, with a recall provision in case Pickford is injured.

I'm no expert, but I'd rather have him starting 35-40 games in a tough league than sitting on our bench.

Robert Tressell
7 Posted 25/03/2025 at 07:21:10
Harry Tyrer has done well but it's premature to talk of him as heir to a 75-cap England goalkeeper. Harry has no England recognition at any level. Jordan was capped at every level since the u16s.

If he were to return, it is most likely he would not play apart from a few dead rubbers here or there (like Virginia and Begovic).

Andrew #5, I don't think we're well stocked for GKs at all. It would be a real worry if Pickford got injured.

The real talent in our ranks is Doug Lukjanciks – but at 17 he probably needs a year or two more before first team appearances.

Sam Hoare
8 Posted 25/03/2025 at 07:24:13
Mike, agreed. Players need to be playing in order to develop or even maintain their skills. Especially players between 19-23.

Definitely better for Tyrer to have another loan rather than sit on the bench. Same with Harrison Armstrong, unless Moyes think he's likely to start 20+ games, he'd be better off staying at Derby or elsewhere.

Danny O'Neill
9 Posted 25/03/2025 at 07:55:26
I've always felt that being a backup keeper must be a frustrating position, knowing that they will rarely play as long as the Number 1 is fit. Especially at a club with a top keeper in place.

For his own career, he probably needs to move on, but we do need quality back-up, because you just never know what is around the corner.

I'll use the Neville Southall injury in 1986. No disrespect to Bobby Mimms, who done well, but the big man being out for the run-in contributed to us missing out on the 85-86 league title in my opinion.

Dave Abrahams
10 Posted 25/03/2025 at 10:15:39
I think Virginia should be more ambitious and look to move away and prove himself. If he's happy at Everton, I'd suggest a good wage is the main reason — how can he be happy being a permanent reserve? Move on, lad, as a free agent. I doubt you'll be short of some good offers.

Harry Tyrer has been at Everton for a long time and impressed in the Academy teams and since with his loan spells. I didn't know he was that tall, his sister used to post on ToffeeWeb when he was coming through the ranks.

I hope he keeps improving and getting further loan deals will help rather than stagnating in U21 games and fleeting minutes in the first team — if he gets any!

Phil Roberts
11 Posted 25/03/2025 at 12:21:53
Danny, I give you Scott Carson, back-up keeper at Man City.

40 years old in September. Earning around £1,200,000 per year. Champions League winner and runner-up medal (forget the 2005 final, we all try to) plus possibility of adding an FA Cup winners medal to his runners-up one.

Not sure he is that frustrated. Come to think of it. If it was me, I wouldn't be frustrated.

Danny O'Neill
12 Posted 25/03/2025 at 13:01:58
I think deep down, most players would prefer to play Phil. Maybe that's just the purist in me.

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