Shay Given Questions Transfer Silence Surrounding Jordan Pickford

Shay Given has seen enough elite goalkeeping to know when something doesn’t add up. What puzzles him now isn’t a mistake or a dip in form. It’s the silence.

Jordan Pickford, England’s long-standing No.1 and Everton’s last line of resistance for the best part of a decade, remains curiously untouched by the kind of transfer frenzy that usually engulfs keepers of his profile. No saga. No tug-of-war. Barely a whisper.

Speaking courtesy of BOYLE Sports, Given didn’t hide his surprise.

Pickford has been at Everton for nearly 10 years, carrying the weight of a club often fighting at the wrong end of the table, while also holding down the England shirt and breaking the appearance record for England World Cup games. That kind of résumé usually attracts predators from the very top of the food chain. This time, nothing.

“It is strange that we haven't heard of other clubs moving in for him during that time,” Given said, voicing what many inside the game have quietly wondered.

There are explanations, of course. Stability. Comfort. Loyalty. Maybe all three.

“Maybe he's just really well-settled at Everton,” Given suggested. The former Republic of Ireland goalkeeper pointed out that the public silence doesn’t mean nothing has ever happened behind the scenes. “We obviously don't know if there have been bids for Jordan over the years but there's usually a sort of goalkeeper merry-go-round some summers, like how we talk about managers moving on.”

He’s right. Goalkeepers tend to move in chains. One big club blinks, and the dominoes fall. This summer, that carousel has barely creaked, and Pickford remains rooted at Goodison Park, a constant in a team that has changed managers, styles and expectations around him.

Part of the misconception around Pickford is his age. He feels like he has been around forever. The big tournaments, the penalty shootouts, the survival scraps with Everton – it all adds up in the mind.

“Jordan has been in the game for so long you think he must be 34 or 35 but he's only 32,” Given said. That line matters. For a goalkeeper, 32 is not the end of the road. It’s often the start of their best years. “I moved to Manchester City when I was 33 and goalkeepers in general get better with age as well. He's got many years left at the top level but maybe Jordan is happy where he is.”

And yet, Given can’t quite shake the sense that the market is missing a trick. He even namechecked one heavyweight who, on paper, looks like a perfect suitor.

“You'd think Chelsea would be on the phone tomorrow and jump at the chance to sign him if he gave them any encouragement,” he said.

The argument isn’t built on reputation alone. It’s built on moments. Those big, sharp, game-saving bursts of instinct that separate the good from the elite.

“It does surprise me that we don't see any rumours around him because some of the saves he produces for Everton are just phenomenal,” Given said. One in particular still lives vividly in his mind – a snapshot of what Pickford offers on a weekly basis. “I remember him tipping one over the crossbar from Sandro Tonali at St James' Park last season, it was unbelievable but he has that in his locker.”

This is where Given’s description cuts against some of the noise that has followed Pickford throughout his career. The wild eyes. The vocal presence. The occasional rash moment magnified by the spotlight of playing for England.

To Given, that image is misleading.

“He's a bit of a 'Steady Eddie', and if you think I'm playing him down by saying that, I'm not. I'm playing him up,” he insisted. In a position built on trust, being “steady” is one of the highest compliments you can pay. “When you've got a goalkeeper who is that steady, it's a real plus, and he's got a real personality.”

That personality has always divided opinion. The shouts, the gestures, the visible fury after a mistake in front of him. Some see volatility. Given sees something else.

“Some people say it can spill over at times, but it shows his passion and hunger and desire for the team to do well. It's his will to win, you can't coach that or teach it. It's just who he is, and I don't mind that at all.”

So the picture is clear. A 32-year-old England No.1. Proven in tournaments. Proven in crisis. Producing “phenomenal” saves, in Given’s words, for a club that has leaned on him season after season. A goalkeeper who, by the logic of modern football, should be at the centre of a bidding war.

Instead, there is quiet. Everton keep their man. Pickford keeps turning up. And Shay Given keeps wondering how long the rest of Europe can ignore a “Steady Eddie” who, by every measure that matters, still looks built for the very top.