James Vaughan promoted to new Everton role in change to academy transfer plan

James Vaughan has been appointed as Everton’s new head of academy recruitment and player pathways.

The move will see Vaughan tasked with finding the best young talent across the UK to help boost the club’s academy - and with it the production line of players capable of making an impression with the first team.

It comes after an 18 month stint at Finch Farm as the club’s loans pathway manager - a role that saw him oversee and manage first team players and youngsters who were earning experience elsewhere.

It is the latest step up for a former player who rose through Everton’s academy to become the youngest scorer in the Premier League when he netted against Crystal Palace in 2005, aged just 16. That record still stands.

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Vaughan's experience in the game, and his experiences in rising through Everton's academy, have given him a strong foundation for his post-playing career in football. His first role high profile role off the pitch had been as sporting director at Tranmere Rovers before he returned to his former club in September 2022.

As loan pathways manager, it was his job to assess potential placements for some of the clubs brightest starlets and then monitor their success, feed back reports to those above him at Finch Farm, including director of football Kevin Thelwell, and liaise with those players and the clubs about their progress. Successes last season included the move to Preston North End by young striker Tom Cannon in January. Cannon settled well in the Championship and scored plenty of goals in what was his first experience in senior football. The striker was then sold