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Pre-season is done and dusted, and soon, it’s time for the real thing.
This coming Saturday, Everton will welcome Crystal Palace to Hill Dickinson Stadium, and the whole rigmarole gets going once again.
It’s been a generally positive pre-season for the Toffees. While there is still understandable, and fair, frustration over the lack of movement on a right-back (and other positions), Everton’s squad is stronger — on paper — than the one that ended last season.
But before we switch fully into preview mode ahead of the Palace game, let’s take a look back at some of the players who really impressed over pre-season.
THIERNO BARRY
Three goals across pre-season for Barry, who netted against Dundee, Stuttgart and Newcastle United, but what was most pleasing was his general level of performance.
Against Newcastle, in particular, the Frenchman was excellent, dragging defenders all over the pitch, making positive off-the-ball runs and even driving forward in possession.
He showed brilliant poise with a neat pass into Harrison Armstrong against Lille, with the youngster failing to capitalise on a brilliant opportunity.
With Beto struggling to hit his best level, Barry seems set to be the undisputed number one forward heading into the early part of the campaign. We just need to see that consistency from him, now.
HARRISON ARMSTRONG
Bad miss against Lille aside, what a summer it has been for Armstrong.
Should there be really any consideration if he goes out on loan? As long as he gets plenty of minutes this season, whether starting or from the bench, he has proven he is already good enough to be part of a Premier League squad.
Everton are stacked in central midfield, but Armstrong’s development means they can afford not to rush James Garner back as he recovers from groin surgery, and perhaps they can be a little more cautious with Christian Nørgaard, too.
Armstrong will have his ups and downs. He is 19 and far from the finished product, but he looks the part.
ADAM AZNOU
Aznou’s first season at Everton was not handled well. He should have either been given more opportunities or he should have been sent out on loan in January.
However, he has taken his chance to impress this pre-season.
In an attacking sense, Aznou is levels above Vitaliy Mykolenko. Defensively, the Moroccan still has work to do, but that’s to be expected of a younger player.
The crux is whether David Moyes will use him enough as a back-up, because if not, Everton need to get him sent out on loan so he can play plenty of games, and they need to strengthen their left-back options.
TYLER DIBLING
It was a slow start to pre-season for Dibling, but as the summer has worn on, we’ve started to see more of the confident, direct player Everton seemingly thought they were signing.
Dibling is adept at keeping possession, but too often last season, albeit he did not play much at all from the start of February onwards, the youngster seemed afraid to take risks.
That has certainly not been the case over the past few games, and it seems he has really started to find his feet.
Hopefully, he has built up some trust from Moyes, who now needs to repay that work rate and start rewarding Dibling with some game time.
JARRAD BRANTHWAITE
Getting through pre-season was vital for Branthwaite as he aims to get back to full fitness after his horrifically disrupted 2025-26 campaign.
There’s still got to be caution, after all, it was on the eve of last season that the centre-back went down injured, but that he has made it through his planned programme without any setbacks is a huge plus point.
Everton have handled him well, and do not be surprised to see that careful management of his minutes continue into the season.
It would be highly unlikely, for example, that Branthwaite plays against Palace and then goes again against Preston North End in the League Cup a few days later.
But let’s just all keep our fingers crossed, because we know just how vital Branthwaite is to transforming this team.
Read more - What we learned: Everton 1-1 Lille
Reader Comments (35)
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2 Posted 16/08/2026 at 14:48:39
3 Posted 16/08/2026 at 15:07:04
My view was that, given we can't offer Europe, then our top top targets are waiting to see if they can get their top move.
So we should go for a young 21- to 23-year-old, plus someone like a Kyle Walker as support, back-up etc.
4 Posted 16/08/2026 at 15:11:40
Aznou has improved a lot since last pre-season and I can see the progressive Moyesiah and Baines working on his defending. He should get the League Cup role -- and Premier League starts if Mykolenko is injured -- not another defender, especially if Branthwaite is there to talk him through the game and cover him if given licence to bomb forward.
I predict Aznou will be our Number 3 this time next year and Mykolenko shipped out.
5 Posted 16/08/2026 at 15:30:37
The reason why they were used sparingly last season in the Premier League was because they were not ready. Moyes works with them everyday in training to improve them; this is showing reward now, as does something else -- it's called patience!
6 Posted 16/08/2026 at 15:57:48
Aznou last season played in the cup and got a penalty in minutes.
Never played again after or before. Sure it's the youngsters' fault? Come on!
7 Posted 16/08/2026 at 16:56:12
I thought Dibling looked a lot more confident and upset that his curler into the top corner was tipped over. He looked frustrated at that point. A goal would have taken his confidence up another notch.
Armstrong I think will not go out on loan. I checked and against
Dundee - 60 minutes
Bolton - 45 minutes
Stoke - 86 minutes
Hamburg - only time he did not start but came with 20 mins left
Stuttgart - 89 minutes
Newcastle - all 90 minutes
Lille - 64 minutes
So started 6 of the 7 and that is not the minutes of a fringe player. He has probably played more minutes than anyone else. Why would Moyes do that if he was going out on loan and if he seen enough to not keep him here this season, he would not have started the last 3 games.
8 Posted 16/08/2026 at 17:09:18
Did he have an “mistake in him” Phil? Top of my head, I can also think of other games such as Brentford away and Man City at home where his failure to track a runner led to goals.
Basis your “one mistake and you're out” approach to Aznou, I am amazed Tarkowski somehow managed to stay in the team for 37 Premier League games. One rule for the youngsters and another for the old pros it seems.
The young players weren't ready but experienced pros like Tarkowski, Keane, Mykolenko, McNeil and Beto were allowed to stink the gaff out and still get selected every week by the manager.
9 Posted 16/08/2026 at 17:15:32
10 Posted 16/08/2026 at 17:15:52
11 Posted 16/08/2026 at 17:22:44
12 Posted 16/08/2026 at 18:14:17
We genuinely could have a real player here, if he plays as much as Iroegbunam did last season, he could be knocking on the England squad. If he went on loan to a Championship side, it wouldn't bring him on as much.
He's better now than Alcaraz and Iroegbunam, I don't see him being any lower level than Hackney.
13 Posted 16/08/2026 at 19:42:41
He has combined well with Dewsbury-Hall, George and Dibling and has produced some killer passes.
He has to be part of the first team this season, especially with Tim and Jimmy out.
14 Posted 16/08/2026 at 20:40:42
Aznou is not in Mykolenko's league at the moment. He likes to bomb on and looks a very good prospect but, if he plays from the start, he will never last the game. Experience wins against prospect all the time.
We have one class player in Pickford and a lot of very good prospects. Moyes will juggle all day so don't be surprised if he pulls in Kyle Walker. Walker even now is miles better than O'Brien, Rohl, or Garner at right-back. Ashley Young proved class is better than prospect.
15 Posted 16/08/2026 at 22:18:59
Anymore and Moyes will make you sit in the naughty corner!
16 Posted 16/08/2026 at 23:55:26
Please Moyes... don't do it!
17 Posted 16/08/2026 at 00:25:14
Why the negativity? Do you really want thing 1 and thing 2 up front again all season?
18 Posted 17/08/2026 at 02:13:35
So much mediocrity here.
19 Posted 17/08/2026 at 02:53:17
Buying Delap would just give us 3 strikers who don't score enough. At least Barry has shown some signs of life in the friendlies.
20 Posted 17/08/2026 at 06:04:16
His talent on the ball is undeniable, but you can certainly see why a defensive-oriented manager like Moyes doesn't trust him.
And by the way, Mykolenko's lob to Dewsbury-Hall to set up our only goal against Lille was absolutely lovely.
I hope Aznou gets plenty more minutes this season in games where we're trailing, but I don't see him taking Mykolenko's job unless there's an injury involved.
21 Posted 17/08/2026 at 06:07:51
I'd be delighted to add a quality striker (and you need 3 rotating strikers to make Cup runs), but I've never seen even a glimpse of quality from Delap.
And at those prices? No, thank you.
22 Posted 17/08/2026 at 06:51:48
Did someone come in and pay £100M for 1-in-2 Beto when I wasn't looking?
24 Posted 17/08/2026 at 08:07:45
Sorry but Ross Barkley was the best young player we've had since Rooney. I'm not saying Armstrong won't be as good but some fans don't seem to acknowledge how good Ross was, especially the first season under Roberto Martinez.
And I'm also in the "Please don't buy Delap" camp. As someone pointed out, he got more bookings than goals... plus the money Chelsea want for this non-scoring battering ram is taking the piss.
25 Posted 17/08/2026 at 08:55:52
There's life in the old dog.
26 Posted 17/08/2026 at 12:12:31
27 Posted 17/08/2026 at 12:27:30
Dibling did well and can only improve with more game time like the rest.
Fingers crossed for finishing in the top 10 but can’t see it with Moyes
28 Posted 17/08/2026 at 12:38:51
29 Posted 17/08/2026 at 13:12:49
He is a player that youd only take on loan to find out. And why chelsea haven't shifted him yet.
Plenty on these pages, including me, questioned whether Jiimmy Garner would be good enough. In 12 months he has gone from being championship at best, to a key player. So I am opened minded on young players. They can prove you wrong.
Is he an upgrade on beto? Yes. I think he is. Lots of ifs, but if you can sell beto who is out if contract in 12 months time, and take Delap on loan at an agreed price, and he drlivers, it'll be pretty cute business.
30 Posted 17/08/2026 at 13:21:34
31 Posted 17/08/2026 at 13:46:21
His spacing with his centre-half was exactly as it should be. He was also about as close to the winger as Mykolenko has been during his entire Everton career.
No mention of Keane's lamentable defending against the winger for Lille's equaliser on Saturday though? Senior pro, so different rules apply in the Moyesophere.
The bright spot of the 7 pre-season games has been the form and energy of the youngsters: Dibling, George, Armstrong, Aznou, and Rohl have shone. Their form this summer has not surprised me one bit -- they look ready, as they were last season, if they had been picked for 4-5 games.
32 Posted 17/08/2026 at 14:01:12
Armstrong may have a chance as Garner definitely -- and it sounds like Norgaard also -- won't be available yet.
33 Posted 17/08/2026 at 14:22:52
34 Posted 17/08/2026 at 16:27:54
Im sure Armstrong will start on saturday
Rohl too
35 Posted 17/08/2026 at 16:46:46
But I will be amazed if Moyes can't get this squad top half minimum; just one really good player might move us on big time. Sorry but Delap is a no-no.
Johnson could be a real game changer. Remember a couple of seasons ago he got 19 for Spurs and scored the winner in the Europa League Final.
Come on, TFG, give us a quality buy and no sales. UTFT.
36 Posted 17/08/2026 at 17:03:42
Delap is not one of them.
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1 Posted 16/08/2026 at 14:45:05
Kyle Walker? The only reason I can think of for signing him is that he fits into Moyes's age group.