James Garner's crunching tackles, relentless running and ability to dictate play have become familiar sights for Everton supporters. Now, the rest of the Premier League is taking notice.
The midfielder delivered another commanding performance in Everton's goalless draw at Tottenham on Saturday, helping his side compete against a midfield featuring the near-£200m pairing of Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes.
Garner produced crucial challenges on both players to stop promising attacks, an even more impressive display considering he missed a significant part of pre-season following hernia surgery.
Match of the Day pundit Thomas Frank was full of praise for the Everton midfielder.
"Garner today was extremely good," Frank said. "He is aware; he's talking; he's organising.
"In a high-press situation, he does the recovery, and that's just so exceptional and so important when you are playing against a team who are dominating you.
"He was running so hard, so that's one side of his game, but also so important is his touches. He is a lot on the ball. It's through him that a lot of things are happening."
Former Everton defender Ashley Williams was equally impressed.
"He's really impressive," Williams said. "If you're a centre-back behind him, he's the type of midfielder you want."
Everton signed Garner from Manchester United in 2022 for an initial £9m after he had spent the previous season on loan helping Nottingham Forest secure promotion to the Premier League.
Despite coming through United's academy, Garner never started a Premier League match for the club.
His first two seasons at Everton were spent establishing himself under Frank Lampard and then Sean Dyche, during a turbulent period marked by financial problems and points deductions.
The 2025-26 campaign proved to be his breakthrough.
Garner played all but six minutes of Everton's Premier League season and became a central figure in a push for European qualification that lasted for much of the campaign.
One of his standout performances came against former club Nottingham Forest in December. Everton travelled with a depleted squad but secured a 2-0 victory that moved them within four points of the top four.
Garner scored the opening goal and produced a performance that highlighted how far he had developed.
"When I came in, I still saw a bit of a boy and I think I now see someone who's turning into a really good leader as well," manager David Moyes said after the victory.
"Beginning to take a bit more responsibility and grow up and begin to start to act like a real midfield player."
The statistics support Moyes' assessment.
Garner led Everton across several creativity and defensive metrics last season. He completed the most successful passes, made the most tackles and interceptions, registered the most assists and created the most chances for the club.
He also stepped up following Jack Grealish's season-ending injury in January, with four of Garner's seven assists coming after the winger was sidelined.
"He's been fantastic since I came in," Moyes said. "I didn't realise probably how good he was. He's been so good."
Garner's consistency earned him his first senior England cap against Uruguay in March.
He marked the occasion with a man-of-the-match performance, finishing the game with the most tackles and chances created.
England manager Thomas Tuchel subsequently compared Garner with Real Madrid and Uruguay midfielder Federico Valverde.
"He's our mini Valverde," Tuchel said. "He played very, very good. I was quite sure that he will play good because he has this natural confidence and he's just very physical. He won a lot of balls."
Although Garner missed out on England's World Cup squad, his physical output and versatility could strengthen his chances of earning further international opportunities.
He covered more ground than any other Premier League player last season, including six kilometres more than England midfielder Elliot Anderson. Garner also led the league rankings for tackles and interceptions.
Garner committed his future to Everton by signing a new contract in January that runs until 2030.
That did not prevent Chelsea from testing Everton's resolve.
The London club submitted a £65m bid for Garner on deadline day this summer, but Everton rejected the offer.
Keeping him could prove particularly important given the limited depth available to Moyes this season.
Everton currently have only 17 fit senior outfield players, with Christian Norgaard and Merlin Rohl sidelined through injury.
Garner's versatility gives Moyes several options. Although primarily a central midfielder, he has played at both right-back and left-back for Everton.
He also featured at right-back when England Under-21s won the European Championship three years ago, while Moyes believes he can operate as either a number six or number eight.
That flexibility has become even more valuable following the summer departure of Idrissa Gueye, who took 254 Premier League appearances worth of experience with him.
Garner has developed from a £9m Manchester United prospect into one of Everton's most influential players, an England international and the subject of a £65m approach from Chelsea.
If Everton are to challenge for European football again this season, the midfielder could have a major role to play.
