Everton must get it right with Harrison Armstrong

Harrison Armstrong’s return to Everton in January divided opinion.

I had written before Christmas that it would be better to leave Armstrong where he was, thriving out on loan at Preston North End. 

However, injuries and the Africa Cup of Nations-enforced absence of Idrissa Gueye meant that when January did roll around, Everton really had little choice but to recall Armstrong.

And it worked. Armstrong, after a substitute appearance in the 4-2 home loss to Brentford, came straight into the team, and retained his place in it heading into February.

His best performance probably came in the 1-0 win at Aston Villa on January 18. After that, he struggled slightly against Leeds United, when playing as an advanced midfielder, then he was shoehorned out wide as David Moyes clearly trusted him, but not enough to start him centrally over other options such as the then fit-again Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and the back-available Gueye.

He was then eventually faded out of the team and was limited mainly to brief substitute cameos.

Between his return to the club and the end of the 2025-26 season, Armstrong featured in 13 matches. Of those, 12 came in the Premier League, in which the 19-year-old made 6 starts.

While there is a strong case to be made that Armstrong should have perhaps returned to Preston after his month back at Everton, Moyes was seemingly keen to keep the teenager around the first team, not only as an option to use, but also to keep a closer eye on his development day in, day out.

This is the crux with Moyes, too. He views everyday training as a huge part of a young player’s development. That can be frustrating, for fans and especially those players, who should be getting minutes, but Moyes has his methods and ways. I’m not here to say those are right or wrong; it’s doubtful, though, he will suddenly shift gears completely, but one thing with Moyes is that if a player is trusted, they will feature. The issue has always been how long it takes to earn Moyes’ trust.

But, Armstrong did end up featuring for 527 minutes in the top flight between January and the end of May. While it could and perhaps should have been more, it’s worth noting that the only player younger than Armstrong to play more Premier League minutes in that same timeframe was Wolves’ Mateus Mané.

However, Everton are now approaching something of a crossroads with Armstrong.

The midfielder penned a three-and-a-half-year deal in January 2025, and then immediately joined Derby County on loan.

Now, Everton have to consider whether they do similar with Armstrong for 2026-27, or retain him as part of the first-team squad.

But whatever method Everton choose, they need to ensure the communication with Armstrong is clear.

If he is to go out on loan again, then this move needs to be his final, temporary switch away from the club. It needs to be at a level that is an improvement on the Championship, and where he will play — think Jarrad Branthwaite’s move to PSV, who were competing in Europe at the time.

This needs to be a finishing school, and the plan must then be for Armstrong to be a first teamer at Everton in 2027-28. He is ambitious, driven and a big talent — one that plenty of other Premier League clubs have an eye on.

And if Everton are to go down the loan route, then Armstrong must be handed a new contract, or at the very least an extension. They cannot allow a situation where he enters the final 18 months of his current deal while being out on loan.

But, if Everton see Armstrong as being ready to make an impact now, then they must be willing to ensure Moyes holds up his end of the bargain.

If Armstrong stays, he simply has to get minutes. Not 500 minutes, but well over 1,000, ideally 1,500. He needs to be in the position where he is one of the trusted substitutes, at the very least.

This is a worry for Everton, because they are well stocked in central midfield, at least numerically. However, they still lack the out and out number 6 profile of player that this team badly lacks.

Sure, Tim Iroegbunam could leave and Idrissa Gueye is not an Everton player as it stands, but the Toffees need to address the requirement to bring in a number 6, which would in turn potentially knock Armstrong down the pecking order.

As exciting an addition as Hayden Hackney is, it’s why some — myself included — have question marks as to whether he was really the profile of midfielder Everton should have been prioritising.

Everton can’t afford to get it wrong with Armstrong. They are not in a bad place with it, by any means, but they need to make sure that one way or another, his path to becoming a regular first teamer is clearly mapped out.

Then, it’s up to him to deliver.

 

 

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