After a busy summer transfer window at Everton, transfer deadline day saw just one new player come through the doors, 23-year-old central midfielder Merlin Röhl, who joined the club from Bundesliga side SC Freiburg on loan with an obligation to buy.
Röhl came onto the Bundesliga scene in the Fall of 2023, after joining SC Freiburg from Ingolstadt, where he’d made 54 appearances in the second and third tiers of German football.
The 6’-3" German quickly became a regular in the side, starting 17 games and notching three goals and assists that season. He also earned himself a nomination for Bundesliga Rookie of the Month in November 2023.
He scored some beautiful goals that season, including a fantastic solo effort against RB Leipzig, where he held off multiple defenders while driving through midfield with the ball at his feet, and a brilliant outside-the-box volley against Borussia Mönchengladbach.
His three assists that season came mostly from wide areas, where he showcased his passing range with some well-weighted low-driven crosses, as opposed to the short link-up play he was more accustomed to in the centre of the park.
Unfortunately for Röhl, injury struggles curtailed some of his progress last season, appearing in only 19 matches with 11 starts after missing several months of action with both a high ankle sprain and a heel injury.
A midfielder who can occupy several different roles, some of his best games came when playing in a position slightly further up the pitch, occupying the space behind the striker. However, he’s also played games as part of a double pivot in central midfield, and occasionally appeared on the flanks as an inverted winger.
Over the summer, he played as a left-sided central midfielder in a 4-3-3 while captaining the Germany U21 side at the 2025 European Championships.
Versatility is probably Röhl’s greatest strength; he does a lot of things really well, but maybe nothing spectacularly well. He’s got great energy, links play well in midfield, can test the keeper from distance, and gets stuck into tackles. But he probably isn’t going to score loads or notch a ton of assists.
In 2023-24, he ranked sixth in the team with 1.5 shots per 90 and sixth in the team with 19 chances created. Five combined goals and assists placed him fifth at the club, and 1.3 successful dribbles per 90 placed him second.
His shooting statistics took a hit last year, dropping down to just 0.3 per 90, as did his chances created. But he still ranked third overall for successful dribbles per 90.
The area of his game that should lend itself best to the Premier League is his ability to win the ball high up the pitch. In both his seasons with Freiburg, he ranked first in the squad for possession won in the opposition's final third, and in the top three for possession won in midfield.
For Everton, this is where he should really help the team. In matches like the one against Wolves last weekend, when the team required additional legs and defensive solidity to see out the game, replacing one of the forward line with Röhl will provide that.
As David Moyes said himself, he brings something different to the midfield options currently at his disposal. In addition, signing young but experienced foreign players to bolster an already strong squad is a low-risk, high-reward strategy that’s proven highly successful for clubs like Brighton and Bournemouth.
It’s not the right-back most Everton supporters were hoping for, but it’s a signing to be hopeful about nonetheless.
Reader Comments (23)
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2 Posted 03/09/2025 at 18:19:41
Did you notice, against Wolves, players were switching positions, Grealish and Ndiaye? We now have a squad that can do this. But Moyes is a stickler for players doing a specific job. This team we have now doesn't seem to be his type. I wonder who is behind the switch of tactics.
With the injuries we have in defence, let's hope our attacking play can keep the defence protected. Exiting times.
3 Posted 03/09/2025 at 19:16:40
Touch of Fellaini about him…
4 Posted 03/09/2025 at 19:52:31
Here's hoping!
Willkommen Merlin me ol' sausage.
5 Posted 03/09/2025 at 21:17:44
There was little point in a manager asking inferior players to switch positions when they have their work cut out trying to be effective in one position.
6 Posted 03/09/2025 at 21:26:39
Perhaps just accept he's giving it a good go, in likely his last big club job.
7 Posted 03/09/2025 at 21:29:15
Probably the most understated but incisive post I've ever read on ToffeeWeb.
8 Posted 03/09/2025 at 21:36:47
9 Posted 03/09/2025 at 21:47:10
Very pleased we are able to include such creativity at last.
10 Posted 03/09/2025 at 23:22:49
Andrew, I wonder if they were told to switch? There is a video of Dibling scoring three identical goals running at the defence through the middle in the same match.
The lad we bought for left-back, Aznou, can play in different positions and also has excellent ball skills. We seem to now have a team of jugglers and a magician. Where are the clowns? Don't worry, they're gone.
11 Posted 03/09/2025 at 23:29:46
They run the league!
12 Posted 03/09/2025 at 23:43:31
No clowns, I hate clowns. I remember my dad took me to a circus, full of clowns. I ran out the place screaming, my dad was very worried about me, I was 21 at the time.
13 Posted 03/09/2025 at 23:51:28
14 Posted 03/09/2025 at 23:51:38
Are you sure that wasn't your first Everton match? Would explain a lot.
15 Posted 04/09/2025 at 01:20:51
Thanks for making me laugh.
16 Posted 04/09/2025 at 07:31:01
Against Mansfield, Jack had some freedom to roam, and by the Wolves game, this seemed to be developing further.
Add Dewsbury-Hall and Dibling into this mix and we have several players with enough talent to test opposition and entertain us.
It will be a test to get the balance right though, but the early signs are very promising.
Not the old school Davey Moyes, is it...?
17 Posted 04/09/2025 at 12:49:28
18 Posted 04/09/2025 at 14:44:18
19 Posted 04/09/2025 at 15:25:48
I have it on good authority that he's listening to the ball boy just outside the dugout.
20 Posted 04/09/2025 at 15:40:22
21 Posted 04/09/2025 at 17:14:42
Be interesting to see when he gets his chance, after yet ANOTHER International Break !
22 Posted 04/09/2025 at 21:05:29
I'd have no objection to that. Fellaini was a clumsy looking player but had really good close control, liked a tackle, brilliant in the air, and could play anywhere. He made a big mistake in going to Man Utd and becoming the latest in a long line of scapegoats but, that said, he didn't really suit how Roberto wanted to play.
I think we have missed that type of player and hope Merlin can be just that.
23 Posted 04/09/2025 at 22:15:42
Röhl looks a likely lad… let's hope he is.
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1 Posted 03/09/2025 at 18:01:38