Read our 2026/27 season preview for Everton as they look to redeem themselves following the bitter disappointment of missing out on Europe last season.
The Toffees are going into a second season at the Hill Dickinson, where they struggled at times last term, and with David Moyes at the helm 24 years on from the Scotsman beginning his first stint at the club.
After a collapse stopped them from finishing in the top seven of the Premier League, there is cautious optimism on the blue half of Merseyside that European football could be on the cards.
Key question
Will David Moyes last the season?
David Moyes is in the unusual position of heading into a Premier League season already under pressure from a large portion of the fan base.
The Toffees were well in the mix for UEFA Champions League qualification when they beat Chelsea 3-0 at the Hill Dickinson in March last season, putting them three points behind rivals Liverpool in the race for a top-five finish.
Seven winless games (three draws and four losses) left the blue half of Merseyside wondering what might've been as they limped home to finish 13th.
Given the club's dire form and fading hopes, Moyes' refusal to utilise players like Tyler Dibling, Adam Aznou and Tyrique George from the beginning of games saw the fans' frustration start to build, as he persisted with others who weren't performing.
Add to this a refusal to make proactive substitutions and an apparent love with playing players out of position -- a right hand side of central midfielder Merlin Rohl and central defender Jake O'Brien being the final straw -- come the final day defeat to Spurs, tensions were as high as they've been since the Scotsman's return.
Moyes therefore needs to get off to a strong start in the opening games of 2026/27 to brighten the mood around the Hill Dickinson and ease the pressure on himself, as well as showing that he has learned from last year's failures.
Don't be surprised to see Eddie Howe's name thrown into the mix should Everton hit a rocky patch of form.
Key transfer
Christian Norgaard
Everton are entering the second term of a two-season rebuild, according to CEO Angus Kinnear.
The club's transfer business has certainly shifted, as seen by the signings of young players with potential like the aforementioned Dibling, Aznou and George.
However as Alan Hansen famously said, you can't win anything with kids, and the loss of senior figures Seamus Coleman and Idrissa Gueye has seen the Toffees let go of 628 Premier League games' worth of experience.
Christian Norgaard comes in to provide support to a core leadership group of Jordan Pickford, James Tarkowski, Michael Keane and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, as well as fulfilling the much needed role of holding midfielder.
The Dane is a Premier League winner with Arsenal and a former Brentford captain, who helped the club achieve their Premier League dream in the 2020/21 season.
He is an imposing figure in the centre of the park that will sit and hold his position, providing defensive cover while Garner, Dewsbury-Hall, Hackney and Rohl shuttle around the pitch putting out fires and looking to push the team forwards.
While he is undoubtedly a solid player, the smartest part of this piece of business may well be that it brings the best out of those four players.
Everton fans have also raised the idea that it has echoes of Gareth Barry's move to the club from Manchester City in 2013, a player fondly remembered for his contributions at Goodison Park.
Breakout star
Tyler Dibling
It may be slightly controversial to label a player once valued by Southampton at £100m as a breakout star, but it's easy to forget that Tyler Dibling only turned 20 this year.
Following a £42m move to Everton last summer, the Exeter-born man was limited to just 513 minutes in all competitions by David Moyes.
If the Toffees' pre-season is anything to go by, that is not going to be the story this season.
Dibling was a regular starter throughout the summer, including a shining display against Stuttgart that fans labelled his best performance for the club.
Often compared to Jack Grealish, the former Southampton man had the opportunity to play alongside him in training and in fleeting spells on the pitch at the Hill Dickinson last season, and is likely to have learned plenty from his like-minded low sock, small shinpad wearing teammate.
A player who loves to take opponents on one-on-one, drawing fouls and creating chances, it is time for Dibling to step up and fill the void left by the end of Grealish's loan at Everton.
Expect to see plenty of chances created for Everton's forwards Beto and Thierno Barry as the winger looks to nail down a starting spot ahead of some talented players in Iliman Ndiaye, Tyrique George and Brennan Johnson.
What is a good season?
European qualification
It may seem a big ask to go from an underwhelming 13th-placed finish to European football in one season, but realistically Everton should've been competing on the continent this season.
The seven-game collapse already referenced above dashed the chances of that, but David Moyes' men ought to be right back in the mix again in 2026/27.
A large portion of the teams that are expected to compete for the seven spots the Premier League receive will be competing in the UEFA Champions League, Europa League and Conference League and are predicted to go deep.
This may distract said clubs from their Premier League campaigns and offer an opportunity to the Toffees.
Should they keep hold of key players and continue to strengthen, there is no reason that the club can't be right back in contention this season as the Premier League remains as open as ever.
There is also the potential for an EFL Cup or FA Cup run.
With a bigger squad than last season, Moyes may see the cups as a chance to get fans back on board, especially with more rotation available to him.
The fairly recent exploits of Crystal Palace and Leicester City in the FA Cup and Newcastle in the EFL Cup have proved that clubs outside the perceived 'Big Six' can lift either of the trophies and secure European qualification via that route.
Bold prediction
Thierno Barry to score 15 league goals
Thierno Barry has seen his fair share of criticism for Everton's goalscoring issues since he signed for the club at the start of the 2025/26 season.
However, what people fail to remember is that the Frenchman was signed as a player Everton knew would need a couple of seasons to get up to speed, and only ended up starting 21 games and featuring in all 38 because of Beto's struggles in front of goal.
The 23-year-old showed flashes of potential through the season, but was a victim of Moyes' chopping and changing between him and his Bissau-Guinean strike partner.
When he managed a stretch of matches with more than 70 minutes on the pitch come the turn of the year, Barry notched four in five, including a winner at Villa Park and an equaliser at home to Leeds.
There was also the brace against Manchester City late in the season, in a game that the Toffees should've gone on to win at 3-1 up with 10 to play.
Eight league goals in a maiden season for someone at that age is not an unreasonable return in a team that notoriously struggle to create chances.
With a full campaign under his belt, it is time for Barry to kick on, but it isn't just the striker that the club will be looking to for improvement.
There is hope that the young core of the squad will all have seen development over last term and pre-season, with Tyler Dibling appearing increasingly influential over the summer, Tyrique George coming off the back of some encouraging end of season displays, and the hope that Everton will retain both the in-demand Iliman Ndiaye and Jack Grealish following the expiration of his loan deal.
Hayden Hackney has also been brought in to provide competition to Dewsbury-Hall and assist the attacking patterns with line-breaking runs and passes.
It is certainly cautious optimism, but there are some encouraging signs that chances may not be as hard to come by in 2026/27, and with Beto's future uncertain as he enters the last year of his contract, Thierno Barry is likely to see more action as Everton attempt to get him up to speed to take the reigns up top eventually.
Will they be better than last season?
Yes.
It is hard to call how Everton's season may unfold.
On one hand they were tough to beat and very good on the road for 80% of last term, but on the other they struggled at their new home and fell off a cliff when it really mattered.
Now they have a season at the Hill Dickinson under their belt they should feel more settled, so it would be unsurprising for their home form to improve significantly in 2026/27.
Though their away form at times seemed unsustainable due to the amount of late winners and equalisers scored and they were fortunate to get away with their opponents not being prolific on multiple occasions.
Should the transfer window end with no major outgoings and a couple more signings -- a right-back is a must and a left-back would do no harm either -- there is no doubt they will be stronger than last season on paper.
Their lack of European football means they can focus purely on the domestic season too, giving them a chance to leapfrog teams like Brighton and Sunderland who will be fighting on all fronts.
There is definitely the potential there to finish higher than 13th and even reach the top seven, but a lot of it will hinge on David Moyes.
Will he trust Everton's promising youth more? Will he play players in their best positions? Will his style of play allow for the positive football a squad of this quality should be playing?
More importantly, will he last the season?
If he can bring sections of the fan base back on board and get the fans and the club moving in one direction, the Toffees are likely to see improved home form that may just take them back to their position in the late 2000s and early 2010s as European contenders.
