Everton 2026-27 preview: Can Moyes secure his legacy by guiding them to Europe?

The 2026-27 season feels like a crucial one for Everton and their manager David Moyes.

They briefly harboured dreams of Champions League qualification last season, only to end up missing out on Europe entirely.

Big questions remain. Will Moyes, who has a year left on his contract, do enough to earn a new long-term deal?

And can the owner, the Friedkin Group (TFG), take Everton to the next level, injecting a sense of excitement and forward momentum into a club who have for a long time merely been treading water?

The Athletic previews the season to come at Hill Dickinson Stadium.

What are the expectations inside the club?

After successive 13th-place finishes, Everton will be looking to kick on.

Their immediate aim is to compete on and off the pitch with clubs such as Aston Villa and Newcastle United, but they will need European football for the first time since 2017 to do that.

Everton are looking to push on after missing out on European qualification last season (Jan Kruger/Getty Images)

Whether qualifying for one of those UEFA competitions is a realistic aim this season is debatable. The squad still lacks quality in key areas.

Much will depend on how they finish the transfer window, and whether a strong start can change the mood around the club after a difficult end to last season.

Who have they signed?

Everton have strengthened in midfield, bringing in the Championship player of the season, Hayden Hackney, from Middlesbrough for an initial £16.5million ($22m) and the experienced Christian Norgaard from Arsenal (£7m). The versatile German Merlin Rohl has also had his £17m purchase obligation from Freiburg triggered.

There is excitement around Tyrique George, 20, who has been signed on a permanent basis (for an initial £18.5million fee) from Chelsea, while Wales international Brennan Johnson was swapped for fellow wide man Dwight McNeil.

Everton feel they have got the better of that particular deal with Crystal Palace. But, importantly, a new right-back still eludes them.

What is their transfer priority before the window closes?

Right-back, right-back, right-back.

Just one would do, but you get the idea.

Everton have needed a long-term successor to Seamus Coleman for some time, but this was the summer the Republic of Ireland international finally brought his 17-year stint at the club to an end.

Seamus Coleman left Everton this summer (Jan Kruger/Getty Images)

There is uncertainty, too, around the future of the squad’s only other recognised right-back, Nathan Patterson, with central defender Jake O’Brien often preferred in a makeshift role last season.

Fresh blood is essential if Moyes’ side are to kick on.

What else is new?

Moyes has strengthened his backroom staff with the appointment of Dave Reddington from AFC Wimbledon.

Formerly of Crystal Palace and Denmark’s Aarhus, Reddington will be responsible for set-pieces, a role that has been vacant since Charlie Adam’s summer 2025 departure.

What’s the biggest lesson they learned last season?

That they need to use the squad more. Or at least that should be the message they took away from it.

Everton used the fewest players and made the fewest substitutions last season. That over-reliance on a small group of regulars seemed partly to blame for them running out of steam and the series of debilitating late goals conceded towards the end of the campaign that saw their European hopes fall by the wayside.

It remains to be seen whether promising youngsters such as Tyler Dibling, Harrison Armstrong and Adam Aznou can earn Moyes’ trust this time around.

Who’s been the best player in pre-season?

Rohl performed well in a variety of positions, including at right-back, and has surely advanced his claim for more regular minutes.

Hackney and Armstrong have both looked assured in midfield, the former adding an air of composure to Everton’s build-up play, while there have been promising moments from George, whose goal in the 3-1 win against Newcastle United highlighted his potential, and from Dibling on the wings.

Hayden Hackney has shown potential this summer (Christian Kaspar-Bartke/Getty Images)

Striker Thierno Barry, meanwhile, scored three times this summer and deserves to start against Palace.

What are they worried about?

The full-back positions, for starters, as well as the lack of consistency from Barry and Beto up front.

For all the Frenchman’s promise this summer, Everton need at least one of their strikers to perform consistently across the whole campaign.

James Garner, player of the season last time out, missed most of the summer after undergoing groin surgery, while Norgaard has also been carrying an unspecified issue and is behind in his preparation.

Everton will also need to ensure central defender Jarrad Branthwaite’s injury problems are a thing of the past.

The 24-year-old is key from a tactical perspective but made only 10 league appearances last season. He sought specialist advice in Germany this summer and his pre-season minutes have also been carefully managed.

How’s the manager feeling?

Until recently, we did not know. Moyes refrained from doing media this summer, including with the club’s own channel.

But speaking to Sky Sports ahead of Saturday’s opener, he called for more signings and questioned his side’s readiness for the campaign.

“We’re putting things together, but we certainly feel behind the scenes that we’ve got a long way to go and want to do an awful lot more,” he said.

An important couple of weeks await.

What’s the percentage chance of Moyes seeing out the season?

Sixty-five.

Moyes is in the final year of his deal, and talk of a new contract has quieted for now. There are parallels with his predecessor Sean Dyche’s situation, with TFG having originally planned to keep the former Burnley manager until the end of his deal, before he forced their hand.

A big decision awaits the club’s hierarchy. Moyes has been credited with helping to stabilise the team, but the disappointing end to last season meant an opportunity to progress went begging.

At 63, time is running out for the Scot to secure his Everton legacy. He needs a strong start and the fans on his side.

I wouldn’t be surprised if…

Everton finished in a similar position again.

They have some talented young players, but holes remain, and so far they appear to have done little to move the dial significantly in the short-term.

Much, though, will depend on Branthwaite’s fitness. They are a different team when he plays.

What is their strongest XI?

(4-2-3-1): Pickford; Rohl, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko; Garner, Norgaard; Ndiaye, Dewsbury-Hall, George; Barry