Full investment in a major summer tournament — in this case, the World Cup in North America — can really make the summer close season feel a good deal shorter than it otherwise would. To these eyes, at least, it did; it feels like only yesterday that Everton’s once promising 2025/26 season petered out into a miserable 1–0 defeat at Tottenham.
Now the new season is upon us and, in very familiar fashion, the Blues don’t feel completely ready.
Pre-season has engendered the unusual optimism as a pleasingly full program has developed over the past month or so. The young players acquired a year ago, and who struggled for meaningful minutes throughout last season, have shown signs of blossoming into the talents we believed they were.
But in terms of breadth and depth with just a fortnight left of the transfer window, Everton still feel short of being able to mount the kind of European challenge that would have been expected on the back of The Friedkin Group’s self-stated two-window recruitment plan.
Uppermost in Everton minds at the start of the summer was the urgent need for a specialist right-back. On the eve of the new season that void remains frustratingly unfilled and, CEO Angus Kinnear’s comments in the interviews he did for BBC Radio Merseyside and fan media on Tuesday notwithstanding, it doesn’t appear close to being resolved at the time of writing.
It matters because, as was [argued on these pages recently](/articles/46128.html), the ceiling of Everton’s ambitions this season could be determined by whether or not the club can bring in a high-quality, specialist right-back. A left-back of equal standing would also go a long way to transforming the way that the Blues go forward in particular and having two full-backs capable of overlapping their wingers would do wonders for the likes of Iliman Ndiaye, Brennan Johnson, Tyler Dibling, Tyrique George and Jack Grealish if he rejoins before the transfer deadline.
This feels particularly true given some of the signings the Toffees have made this summer, most notably Hayden Hackney and Christian Nørgaard, both accomplished players on the ball who like to take care of it and move it forward. Everton have lacked in recent seasons for more players than just James Garner in the middle capable of driving into the opposition half and/or picking a forward pass and functioning attacking full-backs only improve the available options.
Garner, of course, has been missing following minor groin surgery and Nørgaard has been managing a soft-tissue complaint since his first week in training at Finch Farm but pre-season has been encouraging nonetheless.
Hackney has shown glimpses of the ability that earned him the reputation as the best player in the Championship last season and some of the younger players who were conspicuous by their omission by David Moyes last season looked hugely promising when called upon in the warm-up matches.
George looks ready to hit the ground running, Thierno Barry looks sharper, hungrier and more robust and, for the first time since his big-money move, Dibling has exhibited flashes of the talented player Everton thought they had bought from Southampton last year.
To varying degrees, they remain raw, though, and whether Moyes currently has enough at his disposal to improve on last season and mount a realistic push for Europe remains to be seen. Predicting how the Blues will fare this season is tricky without knowing how the rest of the transfer window plays out, particularly where right-back and, possibly, the forward line are concerned.
With doubts over Beto’s ability to consistently provide what is needed up front, an awful lot might be riding on Barry’s shoulders, particularly if, as expected, he is handed the starting role at the beginning of the Premier League campaign. The addition of Johnson could ease that burden however — if he can recapture the form he showed at Spurs and Nottingham Forest especially, the Welsh winger could be that long-sought source of regular goals from out wide.
Defensively, Jarrad Branthwaite’s fitness will be another key to the season. If he can be available for the majority of Everton’s games this season, that will almost certainly be reflected in results. Then the only consideration is to what degree Moyes begins the transition away from James Tarkowski as an automatic starter and introduces Jake O’Brien as Branthwaite’s regular partner in central defence.
Then, of course, there are the open questions of Ndiaye and Grealish — i.e. whether one goes, the other comes in or if both end up in the squad after the 1st September deadline. Grealish was an important component in the Blues’ side last season and was missed over the second half of the campaign with his foot injury. But there is a nagging concern that should he return from Manchester City, his presence might stunt the growth of George, in particular by restricting the latter’s minutes.
Ndiaye, is also a match-winner on his day and his ability to fashion a goal out of nowhere has been so important since he was signed from Marseille. He would be a huge miss should an offer come I’m for him that the hierarchy couldn’t refuse and there are doubts over whether he could be adequately replaced before the window closes.
As things stand, and if the assumption holds that Tottenham Hotspur will be battling in the right half of the table this season and that Chelsea will be a much stronger side this time around, it is tough to make a case for Everton finishing in the European places in 2026/27. It would need Branthwaite to remain fit, Johnson to recapture his best form, the young stars to really play their part, a couple of significant acquisitions before the deadline, Moyes to be more dynamic and open-minded than he was last term, and, possibly, keeping hold of Ndiaye.
The manager came in for sharp criticism for the way his side fell away at the end of last season but he, of course, has vast experience and a track record of taking teams into Europe. Heading into the last year of his contract, can he recapture some of the magic from his first spell in charge?
#### Predictions:
**Final League Placing:** 9th
**Carabao Cup:** 4th Round
**FA Cup:** Quarter-Finals
**Top Scorer:** Thierno Barry (11)
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