An aerial view of the Hill Dickinson Stadium before the friendly between Everton U18s and Wigan U18s on February 17. Everton will learn their first Premier League opponent at the new stadium on June 18. Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images
An aerial view of the Hill Dickinson Stadium before the friendly between Everton U18s and Wigan U18s on February 17. Everton will learn their first Premier League opponent at the new stadium on June 18. Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images
It will be a busy summer at Everton and the fun and games are already underway. On Saturday, the day before the summer transfer window had even opened, the Blues kickstarted their business by sealing the deal to make Carlos Alcaraz’s loan move a permanent one.
It was an early foray in a busy summer pockmarked by key dates for club officials and supporters to be aware of. This is how the calendar looks for the months ahead.
An extraordinary transfer window
A flurry of deals were confirmed fewer than seven days before the completion of the season in what is set to be a peculiar summer of activity. As well as the Blues announcing Alcaraz, Liverpool have signed Jeremie Frimpong and Manchester United have secured a move for Matheus Cunha, a one-time target of Frank Lampard’s Blues.
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One of the reasons for the early business is the earlier-than-usual opening of the transfer window. Rather than wait until mid-June, as standard, this year the dates have been brought forward to help clubs prepare for the Club World Cup that will take place in the USA later this month. It is preparations for that tournament that led Real Madrid to strike a deal with Liverpool to take Trent Alexander-Arnold early, while it is the looming start of that tournament that may be fuelling speculation of an Al-Hilal bid for former Blue Amadou Onana. Such a deal would net Everton 10% of any Villa profit - a potentially useful boost.
This summer, the window will open in two phases - the current opening will last until Tuesday, June 10. It will then reopen on Monday, June 16 until Monday, September 1.
Everton have needed deal sheets to conclude business in the final minutes of each of the past two windows - will they need additional time again?
The PSR deadline
The ‘exceptional registration’ period of early June also gives clubs with concerns about their proximity to the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Regulations additional time to do business.
Last year, the window was essentially split into two halves, with the fiscal year-end of June 30 essentially creating an early deadline day. Everton were active before then, selling Ben Godfrey and Lewis Dobbin, in order to bring in some last minute leeway and ensure compliance for the first time in three years.
Everton recorded losses of just over £50m for the year ending in June 2024 and will have little room for manoeuvre before the end of the month because of the hangover of recent problematic years. Moyes has repeatedly suggested the need to operate with caution before the end of the football financial year and Everton will be close to the rolling three-year, £105m PSR limit. New owners The Friedkin Group expressed confidence in their position after their December takeover but any opportunity for business this month may provide a useful opportunity to remove any threat of future trouble.
Other clubs will certainly be active as they seek to improve their positions and the knock-on effect could yet be an intriguing end to this month.
Everton’s first opponent at the Hill Dickinson Stadium
Before the month is out, Everton will know who they will face in their historic first Premier League game at the club’s stunning new waterfront stadium.
The fixture release date for the upcoming 2025/26 season is scheduled for 9am on Wednesday, June 18.
A high-profile summer across the Atlantic
Everton will embark on a long-haul pre-season trip for the first time in three years this summer, with the club taking part in the Premier League Summer Series event in the USA.
A trip to the States had been proposed 12 months ago but former manager Sean Dyche preferred to avoid clocking up the air miles amid preparations for the season ahead.
As a result, it was an excursion to the Republic of Ireland last summer, with Dyche having taken the squad to the border of France and Switzerland the year before.
This year, it is the USA that beckons and a mini-tournament that will see Everton face Bournemouth in New Jersey on July 26, West Ham United in Chicago on July 30 and Manchester United in Atlanta on August 3.
The pre-season will in fact kick-off before then, however, with plans for two behind-closed-doors friendlies as Moyes attempts to start the build-up to the new campaign early.