Merlin Rohl is releasing a photography book Life with Everton which documents his first season in England
The Everton team bus arrives as fans set off smoke flares prior to the match against Chelsea at Hill Dickinson Stadium on March 21, 2026
The Everton team bus arrives as fans set off smoke flares prior to the match against Chelsea at Hill Dickinson Stadium on March 21, 2026(Image: Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
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Merlin Rohl is giving supporters a unique and deeply personal view of his first season in England with the release of his new photography book, Life with Everton.
Written, photographed and curated by Rohl, the book brings together images taken throughout his first year with the Blues, capturing the people, places and moments that have shaped his introduction to Everton, the city of Liverpool and Premier League football during the 2025/26 season.
Far more than a traditional football photography book, Life with Everton is a visual diary charting a season of change, adaptation and discovery for the 24-year-old German. Rohl’s camera takes supporters inside Finch Farm and the dressing room, through recovery sessions and quiet moments around training, on journeys with teammates and into the build-up to matchdays home and away.
Away from football, his photographs explore the Merseyside he has come to know through walks around the region’s parks, beaches, and the streets and spaces that have helped make it feel increasingly like home.
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Rohl describes Liverpool in the book as a city with something “raw, full of character, and loving,” while the collection also captures the everyday moments behind life as a Premier League footballer – team-mates relaxing after training, hours spent travelling, recovery work and friendships formed along the way. Photography has become an increasingly important creative outlet for Rohl, having first developed during a period when injury kept him away from football.
He said: “Photography started for me when I was injured for quite a while and was looking for something to do, but it became much more than that. It became an art where I could express myself.
“This photobook is my first attempt to convey things that are important to me and to give Everton fans a special perspective through pictures and words.
“It is about my first year here, the people I have met, living in Liverpool, my team-mates, the supporters and the experiences that have helped shape that year.”
That developing relationship with Evertonians also provided the inspiration for the photograph Röhl selected for the book’s front cover.
Taken from inside the team coach as it approached Hill Dickinson Stadium for Everton’s fixture with Chelsea on March 21 this year, the image captures thousands of supporters lining the route to welcome the team, with passionate and expressive fans as far as the eye can see down Regent Road and blue smoke filling the air.
Explaining his choice, Rohl said: “When we were approaching the stadium and I looked out of the coach, the scene was incredible.
“There were thousands of people there, the flags, the smoke, the noise and so much emotion. As somebody who loves photography, immediately you see an amazing opportunity for a photograph, but what made that image special was everything it represented.
“You could feel the passion of the supporters from inside the coach. It wasn’t just something that looked impressive – you could feel what Everton meant to the people outside and how that inspired the players and staff inside.
“When I started looking through all the photographs for the book, that picture kept standing out. There are lots of personal moments from training, travelling, life in Liverpool and matchdays, but I wanted the cover to represent something bigger.
“For me, it captures the connection between the team and the supporters. I can look at it now and remember exactly what it felt like sitting on that coach. That is why it had to be the cover.”
The cover of Merlin Rohl's book Life with Everton
The cover of Merlin Rohl's book Life with Everton
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That connection grew during a season in which injury also gave Rohl the opportunity to experience Everton from a different perspective. Writing in the book about watching from the stands at Hill Dickinson Stadium, he reflects on feeling the energy and emotion around him and gaining a greater understanding of why supporters fall in love with the club.
The book charts Rohl’s wider journey through his first season in England, from adapting to a new country and overcoming injuries and setbacks to establishing himself on the pitch and sharing memorable moments with his teammates and Everton supporters. It also includes photographs from the club’s end-of-season awards, Everton in the Community activity, the away-kit shoot and a personal section reflecting on Seamus Coleman.
Rohl added: “When I signed for Everton, playing in the Premier League was a dream I had worked towards for a long time.
“My first season had different moments – excitement, setbacks, injuries and learning, and then the feeling of being able to contribute more and experience some amazing moments with the team and the supporters.
“Photography allowed me to record that journey in my own way and I hope supporters feel they have been able to come on part of that journey with me.”
Life with Everton is available to pre-order now for £15 plus postage and packaging, before going on sale in Everton One and Everton Two stores from October 15 and on matchdays around Hill Dickinson Stadium. You can click here to pre-order your copy.