Everton’s slow summer is putting that all-important new season optimism at risk
Everton have a new stadium, new owners and new hope, but have they done enough in the summer transfer window?
The sound of the Z Cars anthem as Everton walked out for Saturday’s friendly against Roma was familiar even if the surroundings certainly weren’t. Playing in their new stadium for the first time, the excitement among the Toffees support was palpable. This was a moment they’d waited years (decades, even) for.
Of course, a stadium is only bricks and mortar. The real excitement around the construction of Hill Dickinson Stadium relates to how its opening marks the start of a new era. Everton have a new stadium, new owners and new hope, yet there is concern over how little the club has done in the transfer market this summer.
Everton lost six squad members at the end of last season. This might have been necessary to clear the decks ahead of a summer rebuild, but that reconstruction process has stalled with just three notable additions made. The 2025/26 Premier League season will kick off this weekend with the Toffees decidedly short-handed.
David Moyes knows this. The 62-year-old has publicly called for new signings, expressing his belief that Everton need “nine or 10” additions to be ready for the Premier League campaign. The Toffees have captured two more since Moyes made those comments, but their squad is still a long way from where it needs to be.
Jack Grealish’s impending arrival will help. The 29-year-old is set to join Everton on a season-long loan from Manchester City in a move that reflects the ambition of new owner Dan Friedkin. However, Grealish is an award fit for a team that already has a top-level left winger in the shape of Iliman Ndiaye who scored nine Premier League goals last term. Grealish only scored once.
It’s possible Moyes could deploy Grealish as a number 10. However, this is where Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall operates best with the 26-year-old only just in the door from Chelsea. What is the plan to get Grealish, Ndiaye and Dewsbury-Hall into the same lineup without making the team too top-heavy?
Liam Delap had been a target earlier in the window. The 22-year-old was identified as the perfect centre forward to lead a new-look frontline with the £30m release clause in Delap’s Ipswich Town contract making a deal realistic. When Delap decided to join Chelsea instead, Everton turned to Thierno Barry.
Barry has potential. The 22-year-old scored 11 goals for Villarreal in LaLiga last season and has the physicality to succeed in the Premier League. Beto has enjoyed an unexpected resurgence since Moyes’ appointment, but now faces stiff competition from Barry for his place as Everton’s starting striker. The two could even play as a pair.
Carlos Alcaraz has been signed permanently after an encouraging spell on loan from Flamengo last season. The Argentine is another attacking midfielder who would prefer to play through the centre. However, it’s likely Alcaraz will play on the right side to give Everton at least some sense of balance in the final third.
There are bigger gaps in midfield where Everton lack a natural pace-setter. James Garner and Idrissa Gueye will likely start Monday’s season-opener against Leeds United as a double pivot, but neither are particularly comfortable at progressing the ball. This is something that will hold Everton back when it comes to imposing their own game on opponents.
Defensively, there are also concerns. Everton still haven’t added a new right back to their squad despite Ashley Young leaving and Nathan Patterson still chronically injury-prone. Jake O’Brien can play there, and has played there through pre-season, but the Republic of Irishman doesn’t offer much in an attacking sense.
If everyone can stay fit, Everton have the players to be solid this season. They still boast England’s starting goalkeeper in Jordan Pickford and a reliable centre back pairing in Jarrad Branthwaite and James Tarkowski. However, the long-suffering Toffees support had hoped this season would be more than just solid.
What is the point of building a new £800m stadium as a symbol of Everton’s new ambition if it’s the same old story on the pitch? Everton have a duty to forge a team worthy of playing in one of the most impressive venues in the Premier League. The supporters expect Friedkin to put his money where his mouth is. They – and Moyes – expect more new signings before the end of the summer.
After years of fighting relegation, it won’t be easy for Everton to immediately change direction. As Moyes said, the club must “rebuild trust in people who should come to Everton.” That process could be a slow one, as demonstrated by the struggles of the summer transfer window, but it has at least started.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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