David Moyes has been given the chance to bring back former Everton star who left on Carlo Ancelotti’s demand

It’s always a risk to welcome back former players with open arms, but Everton have done this quite well.

A strong example of this can be shown through Idrissa Gana Gueye, who has arguably been Everton’s player of the season.

This comes after the midfielder returned following his £30m departure to join PSG in 2019.

Another strong example is Wayne Rooney, who came back and played excellently under Sam Allardyce.

David Moyes will be looking at Championship players, but also stars that Everton might know well, and the perfect return could be ready and waiting.

Former Everton star Ben Godfrey set to leave Atalanta

One name that could definitely be considered is a return this summer for Ben Godfrey.

The 27-year-old left Goodison Park for a fee of £10m to join Atalanta in Serie A after a solid spell on Merseyside.

AC Milan and Dortmund wanted Godfrey at one stage, but the defender opted for a move to Italy, and it hasn’t exactly panned out.

After just five appearances for Atalanta, the Print Edition of La Gazzetta dello Sport (16/06/25) suggests that Godfrey could already leave the club.

The former Everton star did spend the remainder of last season on loan at Ipswich Town, but Moyes should look to secure a return.

Godfrey left on Carlo Ancelotti’s demand as Everton should forgive him

It’s a return that will have plenty of debate, with fans having mixed opinions on Godfrey.

However, fans would welcome a return, as big Toffees fan Tony Bellew suggested he ‘missed’ the centre-back.

He said this after Godfrey applauded Goodison one last time, with the centre-back potentially keen on a reunion himself.

It wasn’t actually the defender himself alone who forced the exit, as Carlo Ancelotti encouraged Godfrey to leave, and the centre-back now might think the exit was a big mistake.