The acquisition of Tyler Dibling from Southampton on Monday solved one of Everton’s most blatant requirements heading into this transfer window – a dedicated right-winger.
In the opening outings this season, Carlos Alcaraz, Iliman Ndiaye and Dwight McNeil have been deployed there in an unfavoured position, with varying levels of success. But the right side of midfield was not Everton’s only area of concern for this summer and only some of the gaps have been plugged thus far.
Several faces departed the club upon the expiry of their contracts, including Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Abdoulaye Doucoure. Others were signed up to new short-term contracts, such as club captain Seamus Coleman and veteran midfielder Idrissa Gana Gueye.
While retention of numbers and leadership in the dressing room was vital, Everton were still desperately threadbare in a few key areas. We generally lacked the quality across the squad to offer the best chance of a push for a top-half finish, with the threat of relegation hopefully firmly behind us.
We achieved early momentum in the transfer window, securing Carlos Alcaraz on a permanent deal following a semi-successful loan deal in the second half of last season. Everton boss David Moyes will have been hoping he can realise his potential and prove to be a clever replacement for the departing Doucoure.
However, Alcaraz’s influence may now be seen from the bench and as a backup following the marquee loan signing of Jack Grealish. Left wing was not exactly an area of shortage or concern for the Toffees, but Grealish’s acquisition will allow last season’s top goalscorer Iliman Ndiaye to play in perhaps a more natural and involved position just behind the striker. We may see the best of Ndiaye and Grealish together in that configuration.
Everton’s Number 10 actually started off on the right in Sunday’s victory against Brighton, in the first Premier League matchday at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, and scored the historic first goal for good measure, assisted by Grealish. But, following the arrival of Tyler Dibling, it’d be wise to assume we won’t see much more of Ndiaye on that side.
The beauty of the lineup that Everton now have in their attacking midfield, though, is that you could interchange all three of the starting players freely to fulfil a different tactic. Add McNeil and Alcaraz into the equation and we now have strength in depth and adaptability in abundance.
Five players with obvious similarities but also possessing unique individual qualities, who will each be vying to knock each other out of the starting XI. The transfer window has gone very well in that area of the pitch and the possibilities are tantalising for Evertonians.
In front of them, the striker situation is quite divisive. Thierno Barry was brought in for around £27M – a relatively modest fee for a promising young striker and around the going rate for any player these days – but most will have appreciated the need for patience with him.
Earning minutes in the Premier League and settling into such a demanding environment was a critical step for Barry, who has been a nomad for the first few years of his professional career. We perhaps could’ve expected to have seen Beto deployed more frequently to allow Barry to establish himself under less pressure, but the Frenchman seems to have earned his starting place in training despite an obvious rawness being present in his game.
In an ideal world, we’d have liked at least one more recognised striker to provide competition and cover – going into a season with one established striker and another two unproven (once Youssef Chermiti is added to the mix) is less than optimal. Most Blues would probably like one more front man incoming to allow Chermiti to seek minutes on loan elsewhere.
Beto’s qualities are as obvious as his weaknesses and, while his mildly impressive goalscoring record in his 18 months at Everton suggests promise, a large section of supporters remain unconvinced of his long-term suitability to lead our line.
A loan of our own for an out-of-favour striker in the mould of Rasmus Højlund, Goncalo Ramos, or Folarin Balogun would be perfect for Everton, who could provide much-needed support and an opportunity for development for our permanent recruits. How likely that is, however, is another matter…
Deeper in midfield, the extension of Idrissa Gana Gueye’s contract was a big win for Everton. The 35-year-old won the club’s Player of the Season award last campaign and shows no signs of slowing down despite being one of the older players in the Premier League this season.
The versatile and technically gifted Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall joined from Club World Cup champions Chelsea this summer, but it has actually been the youngster Tim Iroegbunam who has started the season alongside Gueye with James Garner filling in at left-back and Dewsbury-Hall nudged into the number 10 role.
Although Iroegbunam played very well at the weekend, I think it is clear to most of us that a loan would be his best option. He needs sustained appearances and I don’t think he is likely to get that at Everton this season once the full squad is available.
Harrison Armstrong is in a very similar boat – both need temporary moves to other Premier League teams or one of the better Championship outfits who can guarantee them minutes. However, that would leave our midfield short of numbers, especially once Gueye heads off to Afcon with Senegal in December.
A move for Manchester United’s out-of-favour Kobbie Mainoo has been mooted and I for one would jump at that opportunity. It’s quite baffling how few opportunities the promising Englishman has had under Ruben Amorim and Everton should be looking to benefit from that, even just for one season. Josh Brownhill could also be a less ambitious option who Everton could acquire permanently as a free agent.
Everton’s back four, in particularly the centre-back area, have been one of our greater strengths for the last few seasons. Extending the contract of Jarrad Branthwaite was arguably Everton’s most important moment of the summer – along with James Tarkowski and Jordan Pickford, he is a key member of the Everton spine that must be retained at all costs.
The full back positions, however, are ones of concern. With Vitalii Mykolenko’s injury in pre-season leaving Adam Aznou as our only recognised first-team left-back, James Garner had to fill in when the young Moroccan picked up an injury of his own. Fortunately, ever the versatile professional that Garner is, he has fared very well and Aznou’s appearance on the bench should hopefully give Moyes some peace of mind in that position.
Right-back now becomes Everton’s main area of concern. While Jake O’Brien has deputised there since Moyes’s return as manager in January, the 6ft-6in Irishman is clearly limited in that position. Lacking the attacking threat and the agility that comes in handy as a full-back in today’s game, O’Brien was always going to be moved aside if a replacement could be found.
Attacking prowess and the ability to overlap is now important, given that the left-footed Dibling will prefer to cut in from the right. But as is often the case with Everton’s recruitment strategy, this obvious problem within the squad has been neglected for far too long.
Having missed out on Kenny Tete early in the window, our options are limited. 36-year-old Seamus Coleman extended his contract for 1 year in the summer, likely to be his last for Everton and in a bit-part role at that.
The injury-prone Nathan Patterson has never reached his potential and has attracted attention from Sevilla for a season-long loan. I believe that’s the best option for both parties once Everton source an alternative.
Nobody really knows how much money is left in the pot, but I’d personally love to see Matty Cash on Merseyside. Alternatively, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Mattia De Sciglio are available on free transfers, but with injuries and age respectively working against them, Everton may prefer to steer clear. This will be the issue with the most intrigue for Everton to solve before the end of the transfer window.
It's undeniable that Everton’s individual transfers have been excellent so far this summer, but the work is not yet done. The decisions they make over the course of the next week will determine the outlook of the fans and associated experts, as to whether this transfer window has been successful on the whole or further work needs to be done.
Reader Comments (71)
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2 Posted 28/08/2025 at 09:03:19
Draws become wins and losses become draws with a finisher. We all know that. And on the flip side if you don’t finish your chances a win can become a draw and a draw a loss.
We will create a lot of chances this season but will regret not having someone to tuck them away.
However, no top quality forward will want to drop out of Europe and into a team that has been surrounded by on and off the field chaos for the last few seasons.
Thats the puzzle that the recruitment team need to solve.
For me striker, right back and DM are the obvious holes but with garner and Tim both a year older and wiser I think we could make do with just RB and striker.
Who is anyone’s guess
3 Posted 28/08/2025 at 09:26:19
My guess would be a right back and maybe another midfield player and that'll be it, tops.
4 Posted 28/08/2025 at 09:52:29
not convinced that we have quality for todays PL.
I think we have a better chance of more goals from midfield.
Fullback is also a concern, especially if players pick up injuries.
5 Posted 28/08/2025 at 10:20:56
With Chermiti allegedly going on loan though two strikers is just not enough. For any premier league team. You need four. Most teams have more than that.
I wouldn’t put money on either Beto or Barry getting double figures this season.
You say the traditional number 9 role is less used but any half decent one is worth 50m +. Most of the big signings of the window have been strikers?
delap, Jao pedro, Isak (when not if…) Gyokores, Etikite, Sesko, Cunha (even Mbuemo to a lesser extent…) strand Larson
Even Barry himself!
Every team needs a striker who can finish and ours look terrified one on one.
6 Posted 28/08/2025 at 10:25:41
7 Posted 28/08/2025 at 10:31:57
I'd stick with Beto as the No.9 for the time being with Barry given plenty of minutes from the bench/rotation/cups.
We all know Beto was awful against Leeds but the team was completely imbalanced. With the aforementioned 3 playing behind him and Myko offering L sided crossing, then Beto should have much better service to work with.
He's proven he can score goals given decent supply, we just can't lump the ball up to him with his back to goal. That's not his game.
With our much improved midfield options, we shouldn't be constantly lumping the ball regardless of who's playing.
8 Posted 28/08/2025 at 11:14:14
If we keep Beto and Barry then why not Vardy as an experienced backup? They could both learn tons from a player like him.
9 Posted 28/08/2025 at 11:31:16
Sky Sports News has already reported that Juventus’s Nicolo Savona and Sevilla’s Juan Angel Carmona are two options before the deadline for Nottingham Forest, alongside Lutsharel Geertruida.
Savona made 28 appearances in Serie A during his breakthrough season at Juve last year - but he is likely to cost upwards of £15m.
Which one do we want Robert?
10 Posted 28/08/2025 at 11:32:36
11 Posted 28/08/2025 at 12:40:55
Brownhill on a free is a good call. Another Ashley Young on loan to replace Patterson, and a goal poacher on loan to replace Chermiti.
Currently, we're the 3rd highest net spend in the Premier League behind Arsenal and Man Utd, so it would be a surprise if we spend any more unless we sell someone.
12 Posted 28/08/2025 at 15:15:06
13 Posted 28/08/2025 at 15:48:26
14 Posted 28/08/2025 at 16:04:51
I was opposed to Vardy but the more I think about it, he'd make sense on a one-year deal while Chermiti is on loan.
Fred #13, there's a reason you never hear about Bowen. Hammers have enough problems without selling their best player, and we couldn't fit him under our PSR limits anyway.
15 Posted 28/08/2025 at 16:09:01
16 Posted 28/08/2025 at 16:31:53
A holding midfielder: only if they’re very clearly better than what we have, otherwise park that until next summer.
After that, it’s a case of can we loan/afford someone who definitely makes us better (so no Brownhill or Soucek). If not, hold fire. Of those recently linked, Aké and the Benfica midfielder look like they’d improve us, otherwise I don’t want to buy or sign for the sake of it. Save the money/PSR wiggle room for when we can extract value from the market.
Also, stop worrying about who’s in the ‘starting XI’ - it’s generally the ‘finishing XI’ who decide a result. We need 15/16 top quality players on the field every match, with different options in the forward positions.
17 Posted 28/08/2025 at 16:45:48
Once Branthwaite is fit O,Brien will be moved over to play right back.
For me a striker is a must, cannot go into the season with just Barry and Beto.
Be nice if we got Mainoo, still owe them for Rooney.
18 Posted 28/08/2025 at 16:59:07
19 Posted 28/08/2025 at 17:12:34
We have lots of players to play in the 10 or 8 position, but only really Garner for the 6. Gana for me is better as an eight where he can win the ball and if he gives it away, it isn't catastrophic.
I think we can get by with Obrien and Coleman at right back, but the down side is its harder to break teams down. I would like a specialist in, as I think it would elevate our play, but decent ones seem in short supply.
Strikers. The three we have can't hold the ball up, and the link play is pretty poor. None of the 3 can play well in a two, which is a worry. That said I think both beto and Barry are better than the comments suggest. They've been around goals scored. They might be less pleasing on the eye than dcl, but do you want goals or nice hold up play?
Id like a striker in the Juminez style at Fulham. He always seems to score, link up the play and have a bit of class. He could play in a two. That type of player would take the team forward if you could get someone hitting their 30s on loan or a free. There must be someone in Europe that can do that.
Lets see where Moyes goes. I could equally see a front 4 of Grealish, Ndiaye, Dibbling Alcaraz - with Ndiaye playing as a false 9. Bowen played many games through the middle, but he did have pace.
20 Posted 28/08/2025 at 17:19:26
21 Posted 28/08/2025 at 17:33:41
Barry and Beto both know where it is too, but have extreme difficulty putting the ball there. However I believe we have also made enquiries for Ivanovic of Millwall. Kobbie Mainoo would be a coup too if we could pull that off.
Midfielder Florentino Luis (Benfica) looks like a decent punt if we could pull that off too. Not too many links to RB's though !
22 Posted 28/08/2025 at 17:40:55
Things are a bit quiet at the moment regarding transfers with only a few days left hopefully it’s all happening behind the scenes as we speak.
I’m sure Barry will come good once he settles in. Beto will get goals too.
23 Posted 28/08/2025 at 17:44:25
Even if we don't get one more, this has been a huge step forward.
Win league?
Nah.
Top 10.
V good chance
I want it NOW!
24 Posted 28/08/2025 at 17:47:48
One thing I don't 100% understand is now that there is a definite competition for places - Evertonians are talking about loaning players out!?!?!?!?
Maybe the lack of competition in recent years has become ingrained in our mentality and we do not know what a good competitive squad looks like anymore!
25 Posted 28/08/2025 at 17:53:41
1. A guy we've heard nothing about previously;
2. A final-day loan; and
3. Nobody to get excited about, just a depth piece.
The fact that we were in strongly for comparative mediocrities like Tete and Justin tells me there's just not much out there in the way of exciting, attacking right backs. Seems like that's one item that will simply have to wait for a future window.
DK, Mainoo would be a coup indeed, but it would only be possible as a loan, and United would only do that if they planned to bring him back -- but Amorim apparently doesn't rate the kid at all. So by all press accounts Mainoo is reluctantly looking at permanent transfers or loan-to-buys to the likes of Real Madrid, Atletico, Bayern, Juve, Inter. Ah, well.
26 Posted 28/08/2025 at 17:57:40
27 Posted 28/08/2025 at 18:56:40
28 Posted 28/08/2025 at 18:57:03
Our problem is we have no service from the flanks and that is partly because we have no real full backs. Much as I like Myko, he has been hopeless going forward and you can't expect O'Brien, a CH to do that and he doesn't.
My priorities are therefore Ake (in an ideal world, also covering for Jarrod and for that matter DM)) and a good dynamic right back. Almost anything would be an improvement. The rest can wait, unless the view is Chermiti won't make it, in which case, we will need a third body there.
Why we would want to loan out Armstrong when he is on the cusp of breaking through perplexes me. I also believe he is more versatile than people think. He might end up being someone we can't keep in a few years so let's enjoy him while we can.
29 Posted 28/08/2025 at 19:10:06
I’m 100% more enthusiastic than I was 3 weeks ago.
And last Sunday was one, if not THE, best days as an Evertonian, for me. (I was abroad in the 80’s)
30 Posted 28/08/2025 at 19:25:10
31 Posted 28/08/2025 at 19:30:15
32 Posted 28/08/2025 at 19:53:50
Im not sure our BBC can see us through the season.
33 Posted 28/08/2025 at 20:22:17
I also don't understand why Moyes would send Armstrong out on loan, he was our best player last night, and well capable of coming off the bench and make a difference in the Premier League this season; for a young player he's skilful and physically strong.
34 Posted 28/08/2025 at 20:32:09
35 Posted 28/08/2025 at 20:38:20
no service from the flanks - I think that is what Grealish and Dibbling were brought in for - I think there is more to their game than cutting in - Grealish already has 2 assists! I think overlapping full backs is an issue, but I also think that Mykolenko is better at overlapping these days - though right back is an issue. That said, I see a lot of interchangeability in this team - and that is a massive upgrade.
36 Posted 28/08/2025 at 21:08:52
I suspect it will be loans or possibly freebies but would love a move for Juanlu Sanchez. Florentino Luis is off to Burnley.
37 Posted 28/08/2025 at 22:38:53
38 Posted 28/08/2025 at 23:26:58
39 Posted 28/08/2025 at 00:03:55
40 Posted 29/08/2025 at 00:15:49
Given we can't realistically buy a striker of the highest quality, the cheapest option is to buy/loan the players who can feed the ones we've got. Even our strikers will score goals if we do.
Myko, bless him, really isn't going to cut it when we play a team we need to be more offensive against. He'll do when we play the better teams and have a more defensive shape.
41 Posted 29/08/2025 at 01:50:11
I’m not convinced there is a necessity for specifically a defensive midfielder as we have enough decent enough midfielders to give a serviceable spine to the team even in the absence of Gana. Someone like Nathan Ake on loan would be fine.
Sorting out a better option at right-back has to be the key concern.
I doubt there is any striker who would be guaranteed goals either still available at a price we can afford or desperate enough to try somewhere on loan. At his age Jamie Vardy would be a strange one to stake the mortgage on.
Kobbie Mainoo won’t be looking for a permanent transfer to the likes of us even if we could afford him (extremely unlikely), and I’d also be surprised if he’d come on loan. I don’t think he would be making that decision in the same frame of mind as Jack Grealish.
42 Posted 29/08/2025 at 02:20:33
Btw, Si, I agree that Ake would be a useful signing but its unlikely as we'd have to buy him. You can't have 2 loans from the same club. We already have Grealish.
43 Posted 29/08/2025 at 02:33:41
I liked the links to Luis from Benfica today but it looks like Burnley have beaten us to that deal.
44 Posted 29/08/2025 at 03:27:08
Any other’s of his ‘type’ potentially available?
45 Posted 29/08/2025 at 05:24:50
46 Posted 29/08/2025 at 05:24:50
47 Posted 29/08/2025 at 07:43:53
That makes the signing fee for Thierno Barry look like a good deal.
48 Posted 29/08/2025 at 09:19:21
49 Posted 29/08/2025 at 10:30:42
50 Posted 29/08/2025 at 10:34:59
Piss poor management from Utd and an unhappy player is not a good thing. Would they let him come to us though? I doubt it.
Mind you, we're unlikely to be fighting it out for relegation like Utd so why not!
51 Posted 29/08/2025 at 10:42:18
52 Posted 29/08/2025 at 11:12:31
53 Posted 29/08/2025 at 11:20:31
54 Posted 29/08/2025 at 11:24:24
55 Posted 29/08/2025 at 11:26:44
56 Posted 29/08/2025 at 11:26:59
He did sort of allude to us still trying to bring players in, but as someone said above I'd guess at loans rather than high value permanent deals. We've likely spent the lions share of our kitty already
57 Posted 29/08/2025 at 11:30:07
58 Posted 29/08/2025 at 11:42:45
But...Hayden Hackney from Boro? £10m the baby journo suggests.
Your opinions? I suspect more informed than mine.
59 Posted 29/08/2025 at 11:54:01
City loaned Grealish to us because they don't see us as a danger to them but we very well might take points off Chelsea, Arsenal, the Reds, Spurs.
I doubt Utd will lend us Mainoo because we might finish above them with him in the side.
60 Posted 29/08/2025 at 12:16:29
John McFarlene Snr has been in touch with Bill and still keeping well.
What we want to try and do is set up a group WhatsApp for those that meet up, so that if we sort any future meet-ups on here, we can also message in a group app for any last minute changes, or some who might be in town to grab a drink before or after the game.
It also gives us a chance to keep up with John McFarlene Snr
I’ve set a brief one up but just to get people in the group, if someone knows how to set one up and can do this can transfer the numbers across to a group they can set up.
Be nice to have a WhatsApp group to keep in touch with the regulars now that we have moved stadiums and lost our usual Harlech meet up.
61 Posted 29/08/2025 at 12:47:10
He's more of a baby Kovacic - good at wriggling forward with the ball and not losing it - not anything like Gana or Garner defensively.
If we're looking for Gana cover / replacement, he's not what we need.
Worth noting that, although people may be right to say Amorim's opinion counts for nothing, FBref says Mainoo's most similar high profile player is Connor Gallagher - great player, but not a 6.
62 Posted 29/08/2025 at 12:52:31
And exactly the reason he isn't getting a game at Utd because he plays similarly to Fernandes.
I did wonder the same thing reading people on here thinking he's a defensive player - I think this is because people mistake box-to-box midfielders as defensive players, which technically they're not.
He's also played as a number 10 for Utd but being a box-to-box player primarily makes him an attacking midfielder not a defensive one.
63 Posted 29/08/2025 at 12:57:17
https://www.capology.com/club/everton/salaries/2020-2021/
https://www.capology.com/club/everton/salaries/
Needs some adjustment of 9m maybe for KDH, Dib and Barry but
Surely some wiggle room for a couple more signings?
64 Posted 29/08/2025 at 12:59:08
65 Posted 29/08/2025 at 13:02:17
Everton wage bill is more like 170m
66 Posted 29/08/2025 at 13:07:45
67 Posted 29/08/2025 at 13:09:35
68 Posted 29/08/2025 at 13:20:04
Way over 60m
https://images.gc.evertonfcservices.co.uk/cbc58dc0-0e11-11f0-9e6e-1963689d7c36.pdf
69 Posted 29/08/2025 at 13:29:41
I am only thinking of first team playing squad wages.
70 Posted 29/08/2025 at 13:33:36
71 Posted 29/08/2025 at 13:48:49
Going forward it will probably be some figure between the two that will be important as it is some variant of the UEFA squad cost rule that is likely to replace PSR. That rule limits the percentage of revenue (70% for UEFA) that clubs can spend on player and coach wages, transfer fees and agents fees.
No idea where Everton’s number would be but given the transfer expenditure this year I doubt we have a lot of room left
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1 Posted 28/08/2025 at 08:54:00
A couple of contracts to sort out, in Tarkowski, Garner & Mykolenko. I think all are out of contract in the summer if options aren't in place.