The ECHO's Everton writers consider where Christian Norgaard, once fit, would fit into their plans
David Moyes looks on as he inspects the pitch before the match between Everton and Ipswich Town at Hill Dickinson Stadium on September 19, 2026 in Liverpool, England. Photo by Lewis Storey/Getty Images
David Moyes looks on as he inspects the pitch before the match between Everton and Ipswich Town at Hill Dickinson Stadium on September 19, 2026 in Liverpool, England. Photo by Lewis Storey/Getty Images
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The sight of Christian Norgaard joining training at Finch Farm was welcome. The £7m summer signing promises to offer experience and steel to the Everton midfield, giving David Moyes a useful boost when he is fit enough to return.
He will be fighting for a position in the Blues’ most competitive area, though, with central midfield the one place in the squad Moyes has a wealth of options.
As Norgaard - and teammate and fellow midfielder Merlin Rohl - work towards fitness ahead of the trip to Hull City next month, the ECHO’s Blues reporters weighed up what Everton’s first-choice central midfield would look like.
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Joe Thomas
Christian Norgaard should not head straight into the starting XI once he is fit, but when he has caught up with his match fitness I do think he is in my first choice midfield.
I was pleased when, sat in the stands in Hamburg in pre-season, the interest in the 32-year-old emerged because he is an addition that just makes sense.
Everton have lacked a pure defensive midfielder for some time and I think that is one of the reasons they have struggled to defend in transition for so long. Idrissa Gueye was excellent as a combative, ball-winning, pressing attack dog but he went in search of the ball. Norgaard should provide a calm, disciplined shield in front of the defence and, in doing so, should allow those around him more freedom.
That is great news, because I think Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and James Garner both operate best as 8s. Dewsbury-Hall is so skilled at carrying the ball from deep, while Garner’s end product can be excellent. Those two, either side of Norgaard, would be my first choice if everyone is fit.
That is tough on Harrison Armstrong, who has been brilliant, and Hayden Hackney, who has looked good in his opportunities. But Norgaard should benefit them both, giving them an experienced figure to learn from and allowing a rotation that should mean Moyes can protect his engine room from being over-worked.
Rohl is another option in this area, and the players available to Moyes should allow him to make use of his versatility.
Christian Norgaard at Finch Farm after he signed for Everton on August 5, 2026
Christian Norgaard at Finch Farm after he signed for Everton on August 5, 2026(Image: Everton FC/SmartFrame)
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Chris Beesley
In America they use the phrase to be Wally Pipped when you lose your position to a replacement who performs so well, you never get it back. It originates over a century ago when on June 2, 1925, baseball player Wally Pipp of the New York Yankees took himself out of the line-up because he was suffering from a headache.
Rookie understudy Lou Gehrig took his place and started a streak of 2,130 consecutive games!
Things haven’t reached those proportions at Everton, especially when you consider that there’s typically only one Premier League fixture for each team most weeks rather than playing every day. However, new signing Christian Norgaard’s false start to his time at Hill Dickinson Stadium has presented Harrison Armstrong with a huge chance which the Blues’ home-grown hero has grabbed with both hands.
The former Denmark international is still yet to make his debut after his transfer from Arsenal almost two months ago. Even though he’s now on the comeback trail, with footage put out by Everton on social media showing the 32-year-old scoring an opportunistic finish in training – albeit one that seemed to beat the keeper in slow motion with a bounce off the turf – Norgaard has still got everything to prove.
When he quit the Premier League champions after a solitary season at the Emirates Stadium, looking for more minutes after a distinctly bit-part role under Mikel Arteta, the former Brentford captain appeared to be a natural fit as a replacement for Idrissa Gueye. However, in the meantime, the teenage Scouse starlet has fitted into the side seamlessly, featuring in all but three minutes of Premier League action this term and even that was when he was taken off towards the end of the 1-1 draw at Bournemouth when he’d put in another solid shift despite Nottingham Forest advancing a proposed £40million transfer for him at the time.
The shirt is Armstrong’s to lose and at present, it’s him, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and James Garner – with the Blues’ reigning Player of the Season still shaking off the rust after recovering from a hernia operation – who have to be considered the first-choice options for now in this correspondent’s eyes. Add Hayden Hackney, who has made a promising start to life in the top flight, into the mix and Norgaard has got a fight on his hands to work his way back in.