Everton have found themselves struggling to comfortably compete in the Premier League again this season and Sean Dyche is tasked with the challenge of preventing the club from suffering relegation to the Championship over their remaining fixtures.
The Toffees are currently teetering on the edge of the relegation zone just one point clear of the bottom three ahead of their important clash with Tottenham Hotspur tomorrow night and taking all three points will be absolutely crucial to their chances of survival.
No matter their fate, the club have a lot of issues to face when the season is over as they are currently being investigated for Financial Fair Play breaches and could find themselves in an even more troubling position depending on the deciding punishment from the Premier League over the coming weeks.
Dyche will need to not only offload a number of squad players who aren't contributing to the first team, but he will also likely only have a modest budget to work with when the transfer window opens this summer.
As a result, the former Burnley boss can repeat his Ellis Simms masterclass by unearthing more academy talents who deserve their opportunity to take the step into the senior team, with Reece Welch surely a great option to bolster defensive personnel.
Who is Reece Welch?
The 19-year-old centre-back has been rising through the ranks of the Everton academy since he was seven years old and, in October 2022, was rewarded with a brand new four-year deal to secure his future on the blue side of Merseyside after impressing over his development so far.
Upon putting his pen to paper on a new contract, sporting director Kevin Thelwell lavished praise on Welch:
"This four-year contract is reward for Reece’s hard work and progress at the club.
"Reece now has the opportunity to continue to learn from the talented defenders we have in the squad, and to keep pushing for more first-team football, ahead of what we all hope is a long and successful career with Everton."
The Goodison Park faithful should be familiar with the £1.7k-per-week youngster as former manager Frank Lampard gave him an opportunity to impress in the first team earlier this season against Fleetwood Town in a 1-0 League Cup victory back in August.
Over his 64-minute performance, the rising star showed he had no trouble getting stuck in, completing four clearances, winning two tackles and 100% of his aerial duels.
Comfortable with the ball at his feet, the teenager also tallied up a 92% pass completion rate.
His aerial ability, combined with his elegance in possession, would mark him out as a fine replacement for one of the club's more experienced professionals.
Indeed, despite making just 18 appearances in all competitions over the last two seasons, Yerry Mina remains one of the highest earners at Goodison Park collecting £120k-per-week. However, he is also one of the players who will be out of contract this summer, which will free up the wage bill considerably.
With that being said, Mina's prospective exit could provide a clear path for the "composed" Welch -as dubbed by Paddy Boyland – to become a first-team regular in the future as Dyche searches for defensive depth.