For now, the Merlin Röhl experiment at right-back appears to be postponed, with the deadline-day signing of Ainsley Maitland-Niles finally giving Everton an actual right-back to fill their problem position.
But with Everton’s threadbare squad sure to be tested across the course of the campaign, Röhl and Jake O’Brien remain the next cabs off the right-back rank.
While the latter has clearly become frustrated with his auxiliary use, Röhl has, publicly at least, appeared willing to embrace a utility role to maximise his minutes. With Christian Norgaard due to return after the international break and further strengthen competition in midfield, Röhl is well aware of the challenge ahead.
“I can see myself as a right-back,” he told evertonfc.com this week.
“In the future, I can see so much potential for myself in the position. It was going really well. Unfortunately, I got a small injury that’s hopefully only a small setback and nothing more.
“[I’m happy to play] Wherever I can. I can see myself as a right-back, see myself there playing, try to learn as much as possible to get used to the position. Watch my games back, and watch other right-backs. I don’t see any reason why I don’t play there.”
So, could Röhl become a genuine long-term option at full-back?
The small sample size of games has shown, quite clearly, the pros and cons of a potential positional change. Röhl is tall, mobile and a willing runner, offering an energetic outlet at full-back.
A brilliant cross for Thierno Barry against Manchester United also offered a glimpse of the service he can provide. That clash against Michael Carrick’s side was perhaps a microcosm of the Röhl experiment so far: he offered plenty going forward, but struggled badly against Marcus Rashford’s directness from a defensive standpoint.
The data backs up the eye-test.
Among full-backs, Röhl ranks above the Premier League median for both key passes and progressive carries per 90 minutes. He’s fifth for progressive carries per 90, eighth for accelerations and fouls drawn, and third for percentage of offensive duels won.
An offensive duel is described by DataMB as a situation where a player in possession successfully bypasses an opposing defender in a 1-on-1 challenge.
All positive.
Now, before we move on to Röhl’s defensive game, it should be noted that few would expect a midfielder by trade to be natural defensively. Nonetheless, the data offers some red flags for his long-term suitability.
Though willing, Röhl’s success in defensive duels is an area for concern. He has won just 20% of his defensive duels in 2026/27, a success rate that ranks him 46th among Premier League full-backs.
His height has allowed him to post a better aerial-duel success rate of 45.45%, enough to rank him 27th among his positional peers. Both metrics, however, see him rank below the median.
The contrast with Vitalii Mykolenko is particularly interesting.
Mykolenko ranks fourth among Premier League full-backs for percentage of duels won, eighth for aerial duels won and eighth for defensive duels won.
Put simply, and to no surprise, Röhl looks more like a midfielder playing full-back. That does not necessarily mean Röhl cannot develop into the position.
At his age, there is plenty of time for him to improve his defensive positioning, one-on-one defending and understanding of the demands of playing on the outside of a back four.
But if Maitland-Niles establishes himself as Everton’s first-choice right-back, Röhl may not get the consistent run of games required to make that development.
Sometimes there is a contrast between what our eyes see and what the numbers tell us. For Röhl, and Mykolenko, it appears there’s an obvious alignment.
Röhl has plenty of qualities Everton would want from a full-back, particularly when it comes to progressing the ball and contributing in the final third.
But there are clear areas of improvement required if he is to challenge Ainsley Maitland-Niles for a regular role — and the defensive side of his game will be the biggest question mark.
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