David Moyes, Everton manager, instructs his players in the Premier League.placeholder image
David Moyes, Everton manager, instructs his players in the Premier League. | Getty Images
Everton have a major rebuild on their hands this summer
The necessary Everton rebuild has gone slightly under the radar this summer, but their need to bring in new faces is as great as any side in the Premier League and the Toffees’ summer business is only just getting started.
A mammoth 11 players, including loanees, departed the club at the end of their contracts last season and have not been renewed, leaving David Moyes with a threadbare squad of just 17 senior players, not even enough for a matchday squad.
Amidst the club’s arrival at their new Hill Dickinson Stadium, the club evidently decided it was time for a rebuild and a new start on the pitch in addition to off it, but the club must now follow through with bringing in the new faces needed to avoid a challenging 2025/26 campaign. We decided to have a look at how Everton’s first-choice starting XI could line up next season, if the latest rumours prove true.
Defensive continuity for the Toffees
Everton are already relatively settled in defensive positions, with back-up options needed as cover for last season’s solid defensive options. England No.1 Jordan Pickford will continue in goal, while Mark Travers is being targeted as his No.2.
Jarrad Branthwaite has recently signed a new five-year deal and will hope to take his game to a new level next season alongside vice-captain James Tarkowski, who will likely return to Moyes’ starting XI once he returns from a hamstring injury. In the meantime, versatile young defender Jake O'Brien can start at centre-back in his absence, the position he hopes to play in the long-term. At left-back, Vitaliy Mykolenko should continue to start, though the club are linked with 32-year-old free agent Nicolas Tagliafico.
At right-back, we may see a first new acquisition in the Toffees’ XI. Doubts remain over Nathan Patterson and O’Brien as regular starters, meaning a new face could be brought in to compete. Former Southampton full-back Kyle Walker-Peters is on the market having departed St. Mary’s at the end of his contract and it is believed he would like to return to the Premier League. Everton have been linked in what would be a smart deal in both a sporting and a financial sense.
Key acquisitions in Everton midfield and attack
Everton could complete an ideal starting XI with two big-name signings in the attacking midfield and forward positions. But before that, Idrissa Gueye has signed a contract extension with the club to solve a key midfield issue, the 35-year-old remaining a key part of Moyes’ midfield. He will likely be partnered by 24-year-old James Garner in defensive midfield, but the Toffees could bring in exciting new faces to play in front of the midfield pair.
Charly Alcaraz has recently signed on a permanent £13m deal from Flamengo after a successful loan spell last season, but he could yet be challenged by another new face in Manchester City’s James McAtee in attacking midfield. The 22-year-old shone in England U21’s Euros success and could take his game to the next level with regular first-team football at Everton. It could reportedly cost between £20m - £25m for City to part ways with youth product McAtee.
In what could be an even more shocking move, Everton could make a sensational raid of their arch-rivals Liverpool for 19-year-old winger Ben Doak. The Reds value the Scottish international at £30m and could be tempted by the right offer, even from Everton. Doak impressed on loan at Middlesborough last season and may be thrust right into the starting line-up at the Hill Dickinson Stadium as Everton currently have no senior right-wingers on the books.
Playing on the opposite side down the left, Iliman Ndiaye shone in his first season for the Toffees and was often their main creative force. Dwight McNeil will challenge the Senegalese for a starting role, while marquee signing Thierno Barry, who arrived for £27m from Villarreal, will start in the No.9 position with big expectations. Could he become the club’s first 20-goal-a-season striker since Romelu Lukaku?
Full starting XI (4-2-3-1): Pickford; Walker-Peters, Branthwaite, Tarkowski, Mykolenko; Gueye, Garner; Doak, McAtee, Ndiaye; Barry.
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