Several Everton first team players are attracting interest this month. Clubs in England and across Europe are monitoring those on the periphery of the senior squad to see whether they become available.

The likelihood is the club will seek to keep hold of most. Even while some are struggling for first team minutes there is an acceptance the squad is small and, with the new stadium and prospect of a new future on the horizon after the takeover, there is no complacency towards ensuring the club is in a position to take advantage come the summer. With a long month and plenty of speculation ahead, here is the latest on some of those likely to be talked about.

Jake O’Brien

Jake O’Brien’s status within the Everton squad has long been a source of speculation. Signed for a deal worth around £17m - though, as with a lot of recent business, not all of that was upfront - there was an expectation he would become third choice at centre back this season.

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Instead, Sean Dyche has opted for Michael Keane - who fared well across his nine appearances as he covered for the injured Jarrad Branthwaite. At Leicester City he played with a dead leg at a time when partner James Tarkowski was having his workload carefully managed between games, meaning Dyche selected two defenders with fitness concerns ahead of the summer arrival from Lyon.

Dyche has been positive about the Republic of Ireland international when asked but the 23-year-old has been limited to the early rounds of the Carabao Cup and two substitute appearances in the Premier League, the most recent off the bench with the game lost at Manchester United last month. O’Brien has attracted attention but is likely to stay on Merseyside.

Nathan Patterson

Nathan Patterson started the season dealing with the remnants of a hamstring injury suffered in the final moments of the 6-0 defeat at Chelsea last April.

Since his return he has seen Ashley Young and Seamus Coleman start ahead of him but has looked good as a substitute at Old Trafford and against Nottingham Forest. The Scotland international has struggled for minutes when available for Dyche but the Blues boss suggested he has never been out of his thinking as he discussed the defender ahead of the trip to Bournemouth.

Patterson was not allowed to leave last January when Bayern Munich expressed an interest. With Coleman injured again and Ashley Young first choice on the right and the only back up to Vitali Mykolenko on the left, it is tough to see the club sanctioning his departure.

Youssef Chermiti

Like Patterson, Youssef Chermiti was the subject of loan interest 12 months ago but was also kept at Finch Farm due to the limited squad size. Dyche spoke at length about how, in an ideal world, the young striker would have experienced a developmental loan at the time but the club did not feel he could be allowed to leave. He was rewarded with minutes from the bench, and a first start at home to Brentford.

How Dyche views Chermiti this time around will be interesting. The Portugal youth international was excellent in the early stages of pre-season before a foot injury that required surgery. Dyche spoke up Chermiti in his absence and now he is fit again he has made it onto the bench. But for all that Everton are struggling in front of goal it’s unclear how much opportunity he will get.

Beto

Chermiti’s short-term future may be influenced by that of Beto. The striker has persevered since joining from Udinese 18 months ago and scored the important stoppage time leveller against Fulham. He finished superbly at Southampton only to see the goal ruled out for a tight offside.

Since then, he has had to watch as Armando Broja’s recovery from an ankle injury has led to the Chelsea loanee supplanting him as the main challenger to Dominic Calvert-Lewin. Everton now have four fit strikers and tend to only play one, meaning one of Beto and Chermiti could potentially be given a chance to gain minutes elsewhere.

Harrison Armstrong

Harrison Armstrong has enjoyed a sensational rise from the Under-18s to the first team and youth international setup. This season he has made his first senior start and Premier League debut and is a regular on the first team bench. Dyche has spoken about his pathway and that of Roman Dixon, the young right back who also made his top flight debut this season, and acknowledged a loan might be the best for their development.

There is interest in Armstrong, who was on the bench against Nottingham Forest but might fall out of contention when fellow central midfielders James Garner and Tim Iroegbunam return to fitness.