Everton have had a promising start to the Premier League season under David Moyes and in their new stadium. With the optimism flowing around the Hill Dickinson Stadium, we weigh up whether Everton are European contenders.
Moyes returned to Everton in January this year, 11-and-a-half years after leaving the club for Manchester United. He rejoined with the club 16th in the Premier League, one point above the drop zone.
After he took over, Everton won eight, drew six, and crucially, lost just four games. This helped them finish in a comfortable 13th in the league.
To start this season, Moyes’ team have won two and lost one of their opening three games. Their impressive start has caught the attention of many, not just because they won, but because of the manner in which those victories were achieved.
It’s still early days and there are lots of matches left to play, but there is a hope that Moyes can lead Everton to a top 10 finish for the first time since the 2020/21 season — but can they finish even higher?
Everton’s summer overhaul
It was clear to many that Everton needed an overhaul, a refresh of players to go along with their brand-new stadium.
In total, eight players were moved on from Everton. Ashley Young, Abdoulaye Doucouré, and Dominic Calvert-Lewin were some big names to leave the club. This left fans questioning who would come in to replace them.
Nine players joined Everton this summer. This includes Thierno Barry, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, and Tyler Dibling. Their most eye-catching signing, though, was Jack Grealish on loan from Manchester City.
Who are the key players for Everton this season?
Everton have a strong core to their side. Jordan Pickford, James Tarkowski, and Jarrod Branthwaite (when fit) form a solid triangle at the back. They are all arguably the first players on the team sheet when available.
Whereas that trio have been together for some time, their attack is relatively new but very exciting.
One key thing this summer was keeping winger Iliman Ndiaye. Everton rejected an offer for the Senegal international this summer from Inter Milan and ultimately kept their top scorer from last season.
Ndiaye scored nine Premier League goals last season and received an average Sofascore rating of 7.04. He’s started well this season, scoring two in three and starting to form a great connection with Dewsbury-Hall and Grealish.
Speaking of their two new signings, they’ve both impressed as well. Neither played lots of football last season, playing 33 games combined and starting just nine times. However, you wouldn’t have thought that was the case.
The pair are currently their top two performing players according to Sofascore. Grealish leads the way with a 7.87 average rating, and Dewsbury-Hall is just on his tail with a 7.67.
Grealish appears to have found his love for the game again after a difficult couple of years. He’s picked up four assists already – more than the past two seasons combined. As he slowly builds up match fitness, he will likely be the key player for Moyes and will hopefully help fire Everton towards the top half of the table.
The deal for Dewsbury-Hall seems like a shrewd piece of business. He joined from Chelsea for a fee of around £28 million, and if he can keep fit, he could be one of the bargains of the summer.
A quick word on Beto as well. The 27-year-old has scored just 11 goals in two seasons, but with DCL now gone and a playmaker like Grealish behind him, he could easily find his form this season.
Players to watch out for
Along with their star players, Everton have a couple of youngsters who are worth keeping an eye on this season.
Dibling is the obvious place to start. The 19-year-old impressed last season at Southampton and ultimately joined Everton for around £42 million. He played 33 times for the Saints, scoring twice and receiving an average rating of 6.71. Dibling’s yet to feature in the league, but he’s certainly one to watch.
Barry joined Everton from Villarreal for around £27 million. The French striker scored 11 goals in 25 games last season for the Spanish side and will likely fancy his chances against Beto for the starting spot.
So, are Everton European contenders?
In the past few seasons, we’ve seen several teams break in and disrupt the so-called “big six”. Newcastle United, Aston Villa, and Brighton have all managed to claim top six finishes in recent years to qualify for Europe. This season, it could be Everton who find themselves on a European adventure next season.
The improvement to their squad is clear for all to see. They’ve now got a two-wing threat. Defences will need to be balanced to try and stop both Grealish and Ndiaye, but they can’t do it all game. There will be times when one of them is free, and players of their ability will, nine times out of ten, make defences pay for any space given to them.
Having Moyes back is another win for Everton. When Moyes originally took over in 2001/02, Everton hadn’t finished in the top 10 since the 1995/96 season.
Other than the 2003/04 and 2005/06 seasons, Moyes guided Everton to a top eight finish every season, including fourth in the 2004/05 season. Although this counts for nothing now, he’ll likely have the confidence he can work his magic.
The introduction of the Conference League is big as well. It’s opened up opportunities for other teams to experience European competitions again.
West Ham United benefited from the competition, managed by Moyes for good measure. They won the Conference League and entered the Europa League for doing so.
The opportunity is there for Everton this season, and even though we’re just three games in, Everton seem likely to be European contenders this season.