Everton 2026/27 Season Preview: The Push for Europe
Everton enter the 2026/27 season with something they have lacked for much of the past decade: stability.
The first Premier League campaign at Hill Dickinson Stadium ended with David Moyes’ side in 13th place on 49 points. Everton were rarely dragged into serious relegation trouble, competed well against stronger opponents and began establishing their new waterfront home as a difficult place to visit.
That represented progress.
But expectations are changing.
Everton scored only 47 league goals last season and finished four points behind ninth-placed Brentford. The distance between the lower half and a European challenge was therefore smaller than the final table might suggest.
Hayden Hackney has arrived after being named the Championship Player of the Season. Tyrique George has returned permanently after his loan spell, while Merlin Röhl’s move has also become permanent.
Moyes has a stronger midfield and a more settled squad.
The next step is turning stability into ambition.
Quick Answer
Everton begin the 2026/27 season after finishing 13th with 49 points, scoring 47 goals and conceding 50.
Moyes has added one of the Championship’s best midfielders in Hackney and retained young attacking talent through the permanent deals for George and Röhl.
The defensive foundation remains reliable through Jordan Pickford, Jarrad Branthwaite and James Tarkowski, while Iliman Ndiaye gives Everton their most unpredictable attacking threat.
The biggest question is goals.
If Everton can increase their attacking output without losing Moyes’ defensive structure, a top-half finish is realistic.
Thirteenth Place Was a Foundation
Everton finished last season with 13 wins, 10 draws and 15 defeats.
Their goal difference was only minus three.
That matters because it shows how competitive Everton had become. They were not surviving through a handful of isolated results or simply defending their penalty area every week.
Moyes built a team capable of making matches uncomfortable.
Everton beat Chelsea 3-0 at Hill Dickinson Stadium, won away at Manchester United despite playing most of the match with 10 men and stayed within touching distance of the top half deep into the campaign.
The weakness was attacking consistency.
Forty-seven league goals was an improvement on some recent Everton seasons, but still not enough for a side with ambitions beyond mid-table.
Too many matches remained tight because Everton lacked the additional goal required to turn draws into wins.
That is the margin Moyes must now find.
Moyes Does Not Need a Tactical Revolution
Everton already understand how David Moyes wants them to play.
That is an advantage.
A 4-2-3-1 should remain the basic shape, although Everton can become more compact without the ball and more direct when recovering possession.
Moyes values defensive distances, aerial strength and midfield discipline. His teams rarely want matches to become completely uncontrolled.
But this Everton side also contains technical quality.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall can receive between the lines. Ndiaye can carry the ball through pressure. James Garner can progress possession from deeper positions.
Hackney adds another player capable of controlling the centre.
The challenge is not making Everton dramatically more adventurous.
It is allowing the attacking players greater freedom without weakening the structure that made the team competitive last season.
Hayden Hackney Changes the Midfield
Hayden Hackney may be Everton’s most important summer signing.
The 24-year-old arrives from Middlesbrough after being named the Championship Player of the Season.
Hackney gives Moyes another midfielder capable of receiving under pressure and progressing possession from deeper areas.
He can move the ball quickly through midfield and reduce Everton’s dependence on direct passes when opponents block the first route forward.
That could be particularly important at Hill Dickinson Stadium, where some opponents may defend deeper and ask Everton to control possession.
With Garner, Dewsbury-Hall and Röhl also available, Moyes now has genuine midfield variety.
Ndiaye Remains the Difference-Maker
Iliman Ndiaye remains Everton’s most important attacking player.
His ability to dribble, change direction and create something from an apparently harmless situation gives Everton a quality that is difficult to reproduce elsewhere in the squad.
Ndiaye can operate from either wing or move into more central areas, allowing Moyes to alter the attack depending on the opponent.
The next challenge is production.
Everton need their most gifted attackers to turn promising possession into more goals and assists.
Ndiaye does not need to carry the entire attack, but if Everton are going to move towards the top half, he must remain one of the players deciding close matches.
Tyrique George Has a Bigger Opportunity
Tyrique George returns permanently after spending the second half of last season on loan from Chelsea.
His first spell offered flashes rather than a complete breakthrough.
Now Everton have invested in him as part of their future.
George offers acceleration, one-versus-one ability and direct running, all useful qualities for a team that can quickly move from a compact defensive shape into transition.
George gives Everton another direct threat, but the next step is obvious: turning promising one-versus-one moments into goals and assists.
Everton Still Need More From the Strikers
Everton’s centre-forward position remains one of the biggest variables.
Beto and Thierno Barry give Moyes physical options and can occupy centre-backs, but Everton need more consistent finishing from their central striker.
The supporting structure should help.
Dewsbury-Hall can arrive from midfield, Ndiaye can attack from wide areas and George provides another runner capable of stretching the defensive line.
Moyes does not necessarily need an elite 20-goal striker.
But he does need reliable double-digit Premier League production from someone.
Everton cannot realistically talk about Europe while regularly struggling to score more than once.
Pickford and Branthwaite Give Everton Security
Everton’s ambition begins with a strong defensive foundation.
Jordan Pickford remains one of the Premier League’s most reliable goalkeepers, while Branthwaite provides pace, aerial strength and the ability to defend larger spaces.
Tarkowski adds experience and aggression alongside him.
That core gives Moyes confidence to push other areas higher without completely exposing the team.
If Everton keep their strongest defenders available, another solid defensive season should be achievable.
The bigger improvement must come at the opposite end.
Hill Dickinson Stadium Must Become an Advantage
Everton have completed the emotional first season at their new home.
The novelty is over.
Now Hill Dickinson Stadium must become a genuine competitive advantage.
Major victories last season showed how quickly the crowd responds to aggressive pressing, tackles, direct attacks and sustained pressure.
Moyes understands that relationship.
If Everton want to challenge the top half, home form must become one of their defining strengths.
The Opening Fixtures Offer an Opportunity
Everton begin at home against Crystal Palace on August 22.
A trip to Bournemouth follows before Manchester United visit Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Opening five league opponents: Crystal Palace (H), Bournemouth (A), Manchester United (H), Tottenham Hotspur (A), Ipswich Town (H).
It is a balanced opening with enough difficult tests to measure Everton’s progress and enough opportunities to build early momentum.
A strong start could quickly strengthen belief that Moyes’ side are ready to aim higher.
What Would Represent Success?
The immediate target should be the top half.
Everton finished only four points behind ninth place last season, so moving from 13th into the top 10 does not require a complete transformation.
It requires improvement in the right areas.
Hackney should make the midfield more secure in possession. George adds another attacking option. Ndiaye, Dewsbury-Hall and Garner already provide established Premier League quality.
A genuine European challenge would require another jump.
Everton probably need to move beyond 55 points and significantly improve their scoring record to stay in that conversation.
But the direction is clear.
The days when survival represented success should be over.
Soccer Herald Prediction
Predicted finish: 10th
Best-case scenario: Everton stay close to the European places and finish inside the top eight
Worst-case scenario: The attack remains inconsistent and another solid defensive season produces only a lower-mid-table finish
Key player: Iliman Ndiaye
Player to watch: Tyrique George
Most important signing: Hayden Hackney
Tactical key: James Garner
Biggest challenge: Turning midfield control into more goals
Season verdict: Everton have reached the stage where stability alone is no longer enough. Moyes has established a reliable structure, Hill Dickinson Stadium already feels like home and the squad now contains greater midfield depth and attacking potential. Hackney should improve possession, while Ndiaye remains capable of deciding close matches. The remaining question is whether Everton can produce enough goals to turn competitive performances into a significantly higher points total.
Last season proved Everton are stable again.
Now they have to show they can look upward.
Sources
Premier League 2025/26 final table
