Christopher Beesley provides analysis from Everton's 2-1 win away to Hamburg
A goal and another all-action display from Merlin Rohl, it’s been an impressive summer so far for the 24-year-old who can hopefully go from strength to strength now he’s currently back on home turf.
Snapped up from Freiburg on transfer deadline day last summer, Rohl was left playing catch-up at Everton after making his season-long loan move with an obligation to buy, provided they avoided relegation. After making his debut in a home stalemate against Aston Villa on September 13, he didn’t feature again for over a month due to a hip injury.
A hernia then kept him sidelined for six weeks between the 2-0 win over Fulham on November 8 and the 1-0 defeat to Arsenal on December 20. Then, after producing arguably his most promising display for the Blues to date when they triumphed 1-0 on January 18 at an Aston Villa side who had won their previous 11 home games, he wasn’t picked until the trip to the Emirates Stadium on March 14 and wouldn't be handed another start until the final month of the campaign.
Benefitting from his first Everton pre-season, Rohl, who demonstrated his hard running when deployed as a right winger in the final weeks of 2025/26, reprised the role in Hamburg. Having become the first German to score for the Blues against Sunderland on May 17, a day that proved a tipping point for many frustrated home fans, he found the net again here with an assured finish while also covering plenty of ground.
Intelligent off the pitch, it’s to be hoped that this articulate young man who has a passion for photography can start creating some memorable images for Evertonians with his displays. Rohl’s engaging nature was demonstrated in a series of short videos produced by the club as mini travel guides ahead of their pair of fixtures in his homeland.
He does his best not to blush when mentioning Hamburg’s notorious Reeperbahn and remarks: “It’s quite famous – I don’t know so much about it.” When also presenting another section on food and drink he wisely declares: “German beer is quite good – I’ve been told!”
Merlin Rohl scores for Everton against Hamburg
Merlin Rohl scores for Everton against Hamburg
View 2 Images
New combinations in the middle
With Idrissa Gueye having departed after seven years of service to Everton over two separate spells and reigning Player of the Season James Garner – who missed just six minutes in all competitions during 2025/26 at the end of the 2-0 defeat at Chelsea on December 13 as David Moyes looked to protect him from a potential suspension – currently injured, it’s all change for the Blues in the centre of the park.
Going into this fixture, former Everton stalwart Tony Hibbert had spoken about looking forward to watching Hayden Hackney again, as the Championship Player of the Year linked up well with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall on his debut at Stoke City last time out. Watching the action at the Volksparkstadion, ex-Blues captain Alan Stubbs was encouraged by how Hackney is always on the front foot, wanting to drive forward, make something happen and test opposition defences.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall in action for Everton against Hamburg
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall in action for Everton against Hamburg
View 2 Images
While there have already been lots of encouraging bits and pieces from the 24-year-old new boy, who told the ECHO that he wants to hit double figures in his debut Premier League season for combined goals and assists in an exclusive interview with this correspondent at the bet365 Stadium, it’s fair to say that he’s still very much finding his feet among his new surroundings as he gets used to being in a squad at the highest level and building up his minutes.
With eight goals and six assists in his maiden campaign at Hill Dickinson Stadium, those are the kind of figures that Dewsbury-Hall brought to the table last time out and he’ll be wanting more of the same in the months ahead. Like Rohl, the £25million recruit from Chelsea almost a year ago is another deep thinker away from football but it’s his smartness in an Everton shirt that was on display again here with Stubbs adding that he ran the show.
Barry puts in a shift
While Dewsbury-Hall can be satisfied with his contribution in his first Everton season, even if he was candid enough to admit it was an “awful end” for the team in which they were “miles off it,” and Rohl was something of a mixed bag, Thierno Barry knows that the jury is still very much out on himself despite being the only player other than Garner to feature in all 41 matches.
Having taken 17 matches, 737 minutes and 19 shots to break his scoring duck, Barry enjoyed a mid-season purple patch that saw him score five times in nine matches – including four in five games in January – before tailing off again, losing his place and getting himself in something of an online spat with supporters that resulted in him being booed by some sections of the fanbase when turning out for the team. Hopefully he will have learned from all of that and while he has still got a long way to go, at least here the Frenchman appeared to be applying himself.
Described by Joe Thomas as “an enigma” when nevertheless being handed a score of 8 in his player ratings against Hamburg, Barry’s natural style which can often appear somewhat languid was at least replaced with the kind of hustle and bustle that makes his rival striker Beto a favourite with Blues supporters despite his technical limitations. He displayed admirable composure to set up Rohl for the first goal and was always a willing runner.
Late impact from Graham
Hamburg’s youngest ever player Louis Lemke started for the hosts even though he was born on October 8, 2009, over four months after Everton last played in an FA Cup final under David Moyes against Chelsea. The 16-year-old might not exactly be the new Wayne Rooney – he plays left-back and was up against compatriot Rohl – but anyone turning out in one of Europe’s big five leagues at such a tender age obviously has enormous potential and he will be one to watch in the future.
However, it was late Everton substitute Braiden Graham, Lemke’s senior by almost two years, who proved to be the teenager with the biggest impact on this contest. Only introduced on the 90-minute mark as he replaced Dewsbury-Hall, the Northern Ireland prospect was positive and purposeful, putting in an intended cross for Beto which Hamburg’s Jordan Torunarigha stuck into his own net for the winner.
Unlike the freakishly well-developed former ‘man-child’ Rooney who combined football genius with a body that could physically bully senior pros almost twice is age at a point in his career when many players would still be in the youth team, Graham, for all his talent and promise, is of a slighter stature. When first coming through, like Rooney, the boy from Ballygowan was always a prolific finisher and his Linfield manager David Healy – himself Northern Ireland’s record scorer, declared: “He’s goals, goals, goals.”
But such is the nature of the modern Premier League where most teams now play with just one striker and Everton’s are 6ft 4in (Beto) and 6ft 5in (Barry), the diminutive Graham has had to find a place for himself cutting inside from wide attacking areas. He might make his big breakthrough in the Blues first team this season but while a loan to the lower divisions to gain more senior experience seems a more likely option at this stage, his assist here can only boost his confidence.
Content Image
Content Image