Everton secured a 1-0 win over Newcastle United at St James’ Park on Sunday to finish the Premier League 2024/25 season. The Blues finished 13th in the league and picked up 48 points this campaign - their highest since the 59 they racked up during Carlo Ancelotti’s final season in charge four years ago.
Carlos Alcaraz scored the only goal in a game where the visitors had little to play for while the hosts were fighting for a Champions League spot. Jordan Pickford was at his best and made some glorious saves to deny Newcastle a chance to come back into the game.
David Moyes’ return was the defining point of the season for the Blues, who were struggling dangerously close to the relegation zone in the final weeks of Sean Dyche’s tenure. Under Moyes, they have picked up eight wins and seven draws in 20 games to collect 31 points out of a possible 57. The previously goal-shy Toffees also scored 29 goals under the Scot while conceding 22.
It may not have been spectacular, but it has been solid. The progress Everton have made under Moyes is undeniable. While the squad previously seemed to be stuck in a rut under Dyche, the Scot managed to squeeze a lot more out of his players in the second half of the season.
Moyes also had to deal with a host of injury problems as Everton missed key players like Iliman Ndiaye, James Tarkowski, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Jake O’Brien and Seamus Coleman on several occasions.
A nine-game unbeaten streak between January and April in the league was at the heart of the Blues ensuring safety, once under threat, ahead of their much-anticipated move to the Hill Dickinson Stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock next season.
Led by new owners and set to play at a new stadium, a new era awaits the club. It’s been reported and rehashed a lot recently, but the upcoming summer transfer window is going to be pivotal for the Blues.
Several departures have already been announced, and many more are on the cards. The squad is essentially in need of an overhaul and with PSR issues behind them now, Everton can probably afford to add major firepower going forward.
At the administrative level, too, there has been a massive shakeup. Director of Football Kevin Thelwell has been replaced by Angus Kinnear as the chief executive and Moyes is also likely to play a major role in identifying and bringing in transfer targets.
It is too soon to say how the squad will look like when a new season of the Premier League gets underway in a few months. What can be said with certainty is that Moyes and his staff have given the fans and the players reason to believe in the project and hope for more progress.
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