Everton have secured the future of Vitalii Mykolenko, with the defender agreeing a new three-year contract that runs until the end of June 2029, as the club aim to close the gap to European places after finishing 13th in the 2025-26 Premier League season.
The 27-year-old left-back, who arrived from Dynamo Kyiv in 2022, is now one of the most used players at Hill Dickinson Stadium, having made 158 appearances in all competitions, a tally exceeded only by James Tarkowski with 159 and Jordan Pickford with 180 over the same period.
Mykolenko started every one of the 33 Premier League matches played in 2025-26, yet Everton finished four points short of European qualification, extending a difficult spell in which the club have not ended a league campaign in the top half since 2021-22 under Carlo Ancelotti and have not reached European competition since 2017-18.
Speaking after signing the extended Everton contract, the Ukraine international described the importance of feeling settled at the club and recalled the welcome received from captain Seamus Coleman, highlighting how that early support helped build long-term confidence in the new surroundings.
“I feel excited about signing this new contractvery excited and proud,Mykolenko said. I remember the first message I received from Seamus [Coleman] when I signed in 2022. I remember reading it and thanking him for welcoming me. He gave me that confidence immediately that I’m in a proper family here.”
Vitalii Mykolenko has signed a new three-year Everton contract to commit his future to the Club until the end of June 2029.Everton (@Everton) June 8, 2026">
Mykolenko acknowledged that the early stages of time at Everton were difficult, with the team fighting through challenging seasons near the bottom end of the table, but feels the squad and staff have grown together and developed a stronger base under current manager David Moyes.
"In the first few years of my time here we were struggling, but our team, as a familyevery person in the building gave everything to get through it. What we have now is stronger and we are getting better every season. For me, it's most important to feel confident and feel comfortable in the environment and I have that here, so I'm really happy."
Moyes is expected to reshape parts of the squad during the summer window as Everton attempt another push towards European qualification, with Arsenal forward Gabriel Jesus and Middlesbrough midfielder Hayden Hackney among the players linked with possible moves to Merseyside as the club look to add greater depth and quality.
The extension of Mykolenko's Everton contract underlines the defender's role in those plans, with consistent availability, high appearance numbers and trust from Moyes giving Everton a stable option at left-back as the club work to turn recent incremental progress into a return to the top half and European competition.
Story first published: Monday, June 8, 2026, 22:07 [IST]
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