“It was my time to really step up”: James Garner targets Everton leadership role after award-winning season

James Garner is eyeing a leadership role at Everton and says he wants to lead his teammates by example.

Garner was recognised as Everton's Player of the Season and Players’ Player of the Season at the club's end-of-season awards after a standout campaign.

The midfielder was an everpresent during the Premier League campaign, with his performances recognised with a new Everton contract and an England debut in March. Though the 25-year-old missed out on a place in Thomas Tuchel's final squad for the 2026 World Cup, Garner has reflected on a campaign of individual progress.

David Moyes recently highlighted that Garner has stepped up to take greater responsibility on the pitch, something the midfielder is keen to do more of next season.

"I think at the start of the season, I knew I had to have a good campaign. I’d been here for three years, had a few injuries, and I just felt it was my time to really step up," Garner told evertonfc.com.

"Last summer, I told myself I needed to come back in shape and hungry and that's exactly what I did. I hit the ground running and I'm glad the form continued.

"It was nice for me to hear the manager recognise me as a potential leader in the squad. Although I’m not a man of many words, when it comes to needing to say something, I’ll definitely say it. I’m not shy in that regard.

"I think my leadership comes a bit different. You’ve got Seamus who is very, very good at talking and communicating. That’s not the case so much with me but I think I lead in terms of how I train every day and the examples I set. I want the lads to follow that and to give 100 per cent every single day. That’s all our fans want – to give the best account of yourself – so I hope I’m leading in the right way."

Reader Comments (23)

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What I'd describe a good players player.

Not sure he's as amazing as some fans suggest, I think he needs to add a few more goals to his game even as a deep sitting midfield player -- even they chip in with 4, 5 or 6 goals per season nowadays.

Also needs to improve his set-pieces which for the most part of last season left a lot to be desired, be it corners or free-kick efforts at goal.

He played his best football before Christmas and early in the New Year but tailed off after March... like most of them.

John Collins 2 Posted 04/06/2026 at 17:14:14

Player of the season.

Jim, I'm just thinking which defensive midfielders chipped in with 4 or 5 or 6 goals... I'm struggling. Casemiro?

Dave Lynch 3 Posted 04/06/2026 at 18:40:10

Garner is a very good player but his talent and attributes are stifled by our abysmal tactics, we don't dominate teams or attempt to dominate teams.

We play safety-first football with little attacking intent through the middle. Instead, it's big hoof to lone forward which inevitably leads to giving possession back to the opposition.

Ian Bennett 4 Posted 04/06/2026 at 19:14:28

Read the £10M as well as out of contract next summer. Surprised he'd be that cheap.

George and Hackney in; McNeil and Iroegbunam out. Net outlay of a couple of million?

John Collins 5 Posted 04/06/2026 at 19:24:06

Tim Iroegbunam, given a run of 10 games, will develop into a good holding midfielder. A physical, aggressive footballer with a bit of pace.

He gets a couple of games here and there and vanishes from the team. Perfect for a 4-1-4-1.

Jack Convery 6 Posted 04/06/2026 at 19:50:23

RS appoint Iraola.

The difference in attitude, between the clubs Boards and CEOs is like chalk and cheese, night and day.

RS CEO - "We're not having a 5th place finish after being Champions".

EFC CEO, States quite firmly "Don't worry, we have a manager who gives us stability and gives us a 13th place finish, with which we are unhappily satisfied".

David West 7 Posted 04/06/2026 at 20:00:37

John.

Tim Iroegbunam may end up a good holding midfielder, he's young and needs games. I just don't think he's good enough with the ball, dithers too much, is indecisive and switches off.

I think we have our Gana replacement already with Garner. He's shown he can tackle and intercept, cover and break stuff up.

It's a true box-to-box midfielder we need. Dewsbury-Hall can do his thing further up the pitch, creating and scoring.

I haven't seen enough of Hackney but his stats seem to say he's that link between Garner and Dewsbury-Hall. I'd take a chance, before he's another Wharton or Anderson and out of our reach.

John Collins 8 Posted 04/06/2026 at 20:03:51

My point, David. Any player needs a run of games to get up to pace.

He, same as Charly, tries too hard in the short periods they get on the pitch, attempts to add things they don't usually do to their game in trying to show they can play.

David West 9 Posted 04/06/2026 at 20:19:33

John. I agree. And it's the same for Beto, Barry, Alcaraz, and to an extent Dibling.

Tim Iroegbunam has had few runs now though, I'm not convinced. He loses possession, never picks the right pass, doesn't have that bit of calmness needed in important moments.

Armstrong is probably the exception, he looks like he knows he's good enough, where all the others look like they are rushing, trying too hard, anxious, on edge, thinking they have to produce something amazing.

I'd rather Tim left and Armstrong played the amount of games Tim has this season just gone.

John Collins 10 Posted 04/06/2026 at 20:27:00

I rate Armstrong very, very highly, David.

If forced to choose between them. My pick would be Armstrong. He's got the lot.

Christy Ring 11 Posted 04/06/2026 at 20:40:49

David & John,

I also rate Armstrong very highly. How Moyes didn't give him more time this season was criminal. Garner at 6, Harrison at 8 and Dewsbury-Hall at 10 should have been our midfield last season.

Tim Iroegbunam gives the ball away, passing poor and always picks an early yellow. Armstrong has everything and is great with the ball at his feet, dictating the play.

David West 12 Posted 04/06/2026 at 21:06:28

Christy. Yes, I feel he's lost a bit of development this year, where he could of played every week in the championship and maybe proved he's as good as Hackney.

See him a bit like Branthwaite in the way he glides across the pitch, you forget his age, as it looks like it comes easy to him.

If he'd had the time tim had this year, we may know just how good he could be, but we will have to wait and see.

Mike Gaynes 13 Posted 04/06/2026 at 22:11:52

Armstrong has dazzling potential, but he just turned 19 last season. Should he have been starting for Moyes ahead of Gana? I say no, he was in the perfect situation on loan at Preston and should have been returned to them as soon as Gana was back from Afcon.

He lost three vital months rotting on our bench -- 14 minutes in 10 games -- when he should have been getting blooded in a Championship playoff run at Preston.

John Collins 14 Posted 04/06/2026 at 22:32:24

He's better further forward than defensive midfielder, Mike. It won't be just Gana's place he will challenge. I agree he should have gone back to Preston.

Annika Herbert 16 Posted 05/06/2026 at 03:43:02

We have a box-to-box midfielder in Rohl. But he needs time in the position to show what he can do.

Not time out of position on the wing. Moyes probably has him earmarked for the right-back position though.

Ajay Gopal 17 Posted 05/06/2026 at 03:54:09

I would keep Gana for 1 more year, but not flog him to death like Moyes will likely do. I see him as a ‘closer', dispossessing opposing players as they tire towards the end of the game and getting fouled.

I agree that Armstrong should have been sent back to Preston NE after Gana and Ndiaye returned from Afcon. This is where I despair of our decision making -- we always seem to make the wrong ones whereas the 3Bs (Brighton, Bournemouth and Brentford) always seem to get it right.

We don't need to buy Hackney -- allow Armstrong to develop next season, but get in an experienced midfielder who will run our show -- someone like what Granit Xhaka has done for Sunderland.

Some posters have mentioned Kovacic and McTominay. Any one of them would transform the team, but please not Soucek!

Ian Jones 18 Posted 05/06/2026 at 05:20:42

I don't necessarily think midfielders need to add goals to their game.

Would we turn down the chance to put Adam Wharton in our team? So far... only one Premier League goal to his name!

Alan J Thompson 19 Posted 05/06/2026 at 06:44:25

Why is Armstrong too young at 19, soon to be 20(?), as we had a red headed player nearly ruined by Ramsey playing him in a World Cup Final at 20. What was his name now, you know, the one George Best said never used his left foot, couldn't shoot and never headed a ball? Of course... Alan Ball.

There's times Armstrong reminds me of Gunther Netzer, and who was the other similar German who just sat in the middle of the park spreading the ball in every direction and always seeming to have all the time in the world?

There's only one way to find out if they're ready and it isn't just watching them in training but you do have to question why his loan was shortened if you don't feel he is up to it, management or panicking guesswork under pressure.

Meanwhile, back at the topic, if we don't sign a right-back but do sign two out of Hackney, George and Grealish without letting anybody leave, is Garner pencilled in for right-back?

Christy Ring 20 Posted 05/06/2026 at 07:30:44

Alan #19,

A new fullback is essential. Playing players out of position is totally ridiculous, and Garner should be our defensive midfielder next season.

Bring in another midfielder but, for me, Gueye, who has been great for us, is too old now for another gruelling season in the Premier League.

Tony Abrahams 21 Posted 05/06/2026 at 07:54:06

We won't move on until we have a manager who is prepared to use more of his squad.

Harrison isn't better than Gueye, but he's a different player and when him, Rohl and Garner gave as good a collective midfield performance as I witnessed from an Everton team last season, it gave me hope.

This was a midfield trio that could have been used again towards the end of the season with Alcaraz playing instead of the shattered Dewsbury-Hall.

Integrate and rotate… is something that progressive managers try to do.

Mark Ryan 22 Posted 05/06/2026 at 09:19:03

Tony spot on.

Dave Abrahams 23 Posted 05/06/2026 at 10:28:00

Harrison Armstrong is a very good player and age shouldn’t be a barrier to his progress, he came back from Preston and was hardly used in his natural position and definitely not used enough by a manager whose caution with young players has been shown throughout his career.

Ross Barkley had great potential but was dropped because of a mistake in one game at Blackburn while an English international, Jagielka, was making them nearly every game including giving penalties away, one versus Liverpool, he even tried him as a midfielder in one game, that worked out well, lasted the first half if I’m not mistaken.

Moyes will be more than likely be here next season if the owners put stability before progress— yet progress can be obtained quicker than stability with a manager who brings up to date ideas to the game rather than a stale manager with stale assistants or one who has come from two seasons with the U 18’s unless he has the football knowledge of Colin Harvey.

John Collins 24 Posted 05/06/2026 at 15:57:23

I've just tried to talk my good mate out of not renewing his ST. over 40 years a season ticket holder the lad,I don't know a better Evertonian.