French striker Neal Maupay completed a move to Everton from Brighton & Hove Albion in August 2022, signing a three-year contract with the option for a fourth year.
The 26-year-old joined the Blues after three years at Brighton, where he scored 27 goals in 109 appearances.
A mobile, hard-working attacker who links play well and boasts sharp, intelligent movement, Maupay forged his reputation in English football at Brentford.
He moved to the then-Championship club in 2017 from St Etienne and finished as the club’s top scorer in his first season with 13 goals.
Maupay took his performances to new heights the following campaign, when he was on target 28 times for a Brentford side which finished 11th in the Championship. He was named as the club’s player of the year.
The move to Premier League Brighton followed and Maupay made an instant impact at his new team, netting on his Premier League debut in a 3-0 win at Watford.
Maupay would hit double figures in the Premier League in 2019/20 – scoring 10 times in 37 games – before adding eight goals apiece in each of his following campaigns with the Seagulls.
The Versailles-born player has developed a reputation for making crucial, match-defining contributions and scored three last-minute equalisers for Brighton in 2021/22 alone.
Those dramatic strikes included a sensational overhead kick at West Ham United and a 98th-minute derby leveller against Southampton.
Maupay came through the ranks at Nice’s Academy and made his debut for the Ligue 1 club aged just 16 years and 32 days in September 2012. He remains Ligue 1’s third youngest player.
Three months later, Maupay became the division’s second youngest goalscorer when he scored a last-gasp winner in a 3-2 home win over Evian.
By this stage, Maupay’s development saw him selected for France’s Under-16 side. The striker – who has an Argentinian mother and is eligible to play for the South American side – has also represented France at Under-17, Under-19 and Under-21 level.
Maupay remained with boyhood club Nice until 2015, bagging nine goals in 53 appearances, before moving to Ligue 1 rivals St Etienne.
He scored three times for the club in 2015/16 and then enjoyed a productive spell at Ligue 2 Brest the following campaign, where he registered 11 goals in 30 games.
Maupay’s eye-catching form convinced Brentford to secure his signature and his work-ethic, bravery and predatory striking instincts saw him quickly become a fans’ favourite.
He scored regularly for the Bees and subsequent club Brighton before leaving the south coast side to become Everton’s sixth signing of the 2022 summer transfer window.
Contracted until: June 2025
