Everton should be aiming to push for European football in the 2026/27 campaign after they fell to a 13th place finish under David Moyes this season.
Bournemouth, Sunderland, Brighton & Hove Albion, and Crystal Palace will all be playing either Conference League or Europa League football next term, and they are all similar sized or smaller clubs.
Moyes should use the upcoming summer transfer window to build a squad that can both compete to finish in the top half in the Premier League, as well as be competitive in cup competitions.
david-moyes-everton-premier-league
The Toffees need to raise the technical ceiling of the squad so that they can control the games that they should be expected to win, rather than having to rely on deep defending and counter-attacks.
One of the players who should be replaced as a starter is central midfielder Tim Iroegbunam, after he started 17 games in the Premier League this term.
Everton hold talks to sign LaLiga central midfielder
The 22-year-old, who joined from Aston Villa in the summer of 2022, is not comfortable on the ball in the top-flight, having completed just 81% of his attempted passes in the division this season.
Now, the club are reportedly looking at a player who would arrive at the Hill Dickinson as a much better option for Moyes in the middle of the park ahead of the 2026/27 campaign.
Amad-Diallo-Iroegbunam-Everton-Man-Utd
According to TEAMtalk, Everton are one of a number of teams interested in a deal to sign Barcelona central midfielder Marc Casado in the upcoming summer transfer window.
The report claims that Newcastle United, Aston Villa, Brighton, Nottingham Forest, Manchester United and Crystal Palace are also keen on a swoop for the Spanish youngster.
Club Brugge's Kyriani Sabbe in action with FC Barcelona's Marc Casado
It adds that the Toffees, along with those Premier League clubs, have already held talks over a possible deal for the 22-year-old starlet in the off-season.
However, TEAMtalk reveals that Monaco are currently the favourites to complete a £20m transfer for Casado and are hopeful that they can win the race for his signature, which means that Everton will need to act swiftly if they want to bring him to Merseyside.
How Marc Casado would be better than Tim Iroegbunam for Everton
If the Toffees want to aim higher up the league and add more control to their performances, replacing Iroegbunam with a midfielder like Casado would be the perfect transfer.
Dibling-Garner-Everton-Iroegbunam
The £20m-rated Barcelona talent, described as an "animal" by Spain teammate Bryan Zaragoza, came up through La Masia and excels at controlling and dictating matches, in the way the likes of Sergio Busquets, Andrés Iniesta, and Xavi did in their pomp after coming through that academy.
Casado only started ten of his 24 appearances in LaLiga for Barcelona, with the likes of Frenkie De Jong ahead of him, but he was still able to showcase his quality in possession for Hansi Flick's side.
25/26 season *per 90 Casado (LaLiga) Iroegbunam (PL)
Pass accuracy 91% 81%
xA* 0.07 0.04
Successful passes* 74.95 24.18
Long pass accuracy 55.3% 52.9%
Chances created* 1.28 0.48
Touches* 95.96 48.12
Dispossessed* 0.55 1.70
The 22-year-old talent is significantly better than Iroegbunam with the ball at his feet in the middle of the park, as evidenced by their respective statistics at league level in the 2025/26 campaign.
Perhaps, the most telling statistic is how often they were dispossessed per 90. Casado was dispossessed every 174 touches of the ball on average, whilst the Everton man had the ball taken off him every 28 touches.
marc-casado-barcelona
The Barcelona youngster is exceptional on the ball and rarely gives it away, which is a trait that Everton badly need in their midfielders if they want to aim for European football next season.
Casado came up through the ranks at Barcelona playing dominant football, honing his skills on the ball, and would arrive at Everton as a player who is ready-made to compete at the top end of the table.
Iroegbunam offers physicality and athleticism in the middle of the park, but the Toffees need more than that if they want to consistently compete for European places, which is why the club must press ahead with a bid for the Spaniard's services this summer.
They must take notice of Monaco's confidence and push to beat them to his signature because the Barcelona youngster would arrive in England as a big upgrade on Iroegbunam and improve Moyes' team ahead of a European push next term.
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