Everton 2025-26 Player Grades: The Attack

(Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

After grading the defence, we move on to assessing Everton’s attackers and wingers across the 2025-26 season.

The grades are as follows:

Here goes...

DWIGHT MCNEIL — D

What more else is there to say about McNeil? His Everton career should have been over in January; it should really have been over last summer, had the Toffees been more decisive. A move to Crystal Palace broke down at the last minute in the winter, and in all fairness, he then played a role in Everton’s good run in February and March, but he has generally offered so little, and finished the season with just 1 assist, and 0 goals, from 25 appearances. It’s time for everybody to move on.

TYLER DIBLING — D

A bit like Adam Aznou in our defence gradings, it’s a bit tough to fully judge Dibling, but unlike Aznou, Dibling did feature across the first half of the season. He has played 17 times in total, making six starts. The 20-year-old was signed for big money and the sensibility of doing that last summer, when Everton needed guaranteed output, must be questioned. However, what can also be scrutinised is David Moyes’s use of the winger, especially when he has applied double standards to the likes of McNeil and not afforded Dibling the same amount of slack. But even taking that into account, bar a few flashes in games against Burnley and Nottingham Forest over Christmas, Dibling did very little with the cameos he did have, so little choice but to award him the lowest grade.

ILIMAN NDIAYE — B

I have been far from impressed with Ndiaye’s performance levels over the run-in. Everton needed him to step up, and he simply didn’t deliver. But, across the first half of the season and even in the immediacy after the Africa Cup of Nations, Ndiaye was generally very good. He proved he can play right as well as left, and scored Everton’s goal of the season back in November. Ndiaye has clearly been fatigued, and the Afcon wouldn’t have helped with that, just like Moyes’ insistence on the 26-year-old playing every minute won’t have helped either, but ultimately he didn’t come up with the goods when the Toffees needed him to.

JACK GREALISH — A

Grealish’s Everton career started in style, as he recorded two assists in back-to-back appearances. He immediately elevated the team, providing a creative force and a player to retain possession and carry the side up the field. He came up with the first late winner at Hill Dickinson Stadium and scored the decisive goal in a great victory at Bournemouth. His final two assists came against Brentford, in a 4-2 defeat, but Grealish’s influence on the team came down to more than just his assists and chance creation, and he has been badly missed since he was injured in January. But, there is also a school of thought to suggest as good as he was, Everton should be targeting a different kind of winger. One who brings more of a goal threat and isn’t the other side of 30. If Grealish does sign, it’s not a bad thing, but the deal must be right for the club.

TYRIQUE GEORGE — B

When he did get on the pitch, George impressed, and it feels like he is the kind of wide player Everton should have been targeting last summer, to complement Grealish and Ndiaye, rather than Dibling. The 20-year-old provides pace, dynamism and he loves to shoot. He did not manage to register a goal involvement, but did craft several brilliant chances that should have resulted in goals, most notably against West Ham and Sunderland, with Thierno Barry and Jake O’Brien missing sitters. Another one who should have received more minutes — there was no reason for him not to start at least three of the last five games of the season — and Everton now must decide whether to activate a reported £25M option based off just 210 minutes of gametime.

THIERNO BARRY — C

Barry came in for £27M from Villarreal, but ultimately he was still a signing that wasn’t definitely going to be ready to hit the ground running at 22. Whether Everton should have signed that kind of player for such a key position is of course up for debate. Barry has done some things well; when he is on it, his hold-up play is impressive, he can tower over defenders in the air and he has finished with a respectable eight goals.

Yet there is just a feeling he doesn’t quite get it. He doesn’t seem to have the aggression required to disrupt defenders, and when he’s at his worst, the Frenchman looks lackadaisical and clumsy. File under: Room for improvement.

BETO — B

Beto finished the season as Everton’s leading scorer in all competitions, with 10 goals in 40 games, albeit only 18 of those were from the start. The 28-year-old was poor across the first half of the campaign, yet between the end of January until the end of the season, Beto was superb, scoring eight league goals and just proving a nuisance to defenders — something which Barry has just not mastered with any consistency.

Everton have a decision to make on Beto. He has just a year left to run on his deal and so he either needs to be sold while his stock is relatively high, or they need to offer him a short extension. Either way, you can never doubt Beto’s commitment to the cause, even if the quality isn’t always there.

Note: the following content is not moderated or vetted by the site owners at the time of submission. Comments are the responsibility of the poster. Disclaimer ()

Jim Bennings 1 Posted 30/05/2026 at 12:27:33

Few purple patches here and there but nowhere near good enough.

Must be improved for next season, better players need signing.

Christy Ring 2 Posted 30/05/2026 at 12:57:32

Our owners need to show ambition and bring in a younger manager, his stubbornness and arrogance with his team selection in our last 7/8 games shows he hasn’t got it, especially when he couldn’t understand our fans frustration.

Mike Price 3 Posted 30/05/2026 at 13:56:14

Beto and Barry with a B and a C, maybe If they were playing non-league Sunday league!

They are the worst two strikers in the league and we’ve got to get rid of both asap.

Phil Roberts 4 Posted 30/05/2026 at 14:18:49

Mike - between them they played 3487. That is 38 games plus 67 minutes. They scored 17 goals.

Yes, they are the worst two strikers in the league but I think most teams would be happy with a striker who played every match and provided 17 goals.

Just hope we don't replace them with one decent striker (Bowen?) and he only gets 15.

Jim Bennings 6 Posted 30/05/2026 at 17:11:23

Imagine us sacking a manager that won the league a year ago and got Champions League this season.

We'll continue to stabilize though folks so don't worry.

There's no Europe next season for us and once we chuck the League Cup in the bin by end of September we can focus on winning 4 of our first 18 games so we can achieve 40 points by Easter

Kunal Desai 7 Posted 30/05/2026 at 17:16:45

There was a story that Arteta changed the mentality, mindset and culture at Arsenal.

That's 100% what Everton will need to do of they have any intent on moving forward as a club.

Dale Self 8 Posted 30/05/2026 at 17:23:00

Arteta had the balls to get rid of Aubamayang and Lacazette whereas Moyes is just balls.

Liam Mogan 9 Posted 30/05/2026 at 17:26:20

Moyes changed the mentality, mindset and culture at Everton.

Turned us into trophy-less also-rans.

Mike Gaynes 10 Posted 30/05/2026 at 17:33:26

Kunal, 100%? Really?

You don't think maybe that mentality and mindset have also been changed by the £920 million Arteta has spent on players?

Arsenal has the 4th highest net spend of any club in the world during his tenure.

I think it's theoretically possible that being able to spend a bit of money might just help out the culture as well.

Jim Bennings 11 Posted 30/05/2026 at 17:37:13

Mike

We've had millions upon millions spent on the club in the last decade

The club still has a massive inferiority complex.

The day I knew nothing would ever change was the when we had the glittering Carlo Ancelotti here and we lost to the Redshite kindergarten club in the FA Cup.

Billy Shears 12 Posted 30/05/2026 at 18:36:07

A total disaster!

Kunal Desai 13 Posted 30/05/2026 at 19:46:44

Mike stop the excuses pal.

It is a mindset, mentality and a culture change.

As Jim says we had millions to spend, no plan, no vision. Hit and hope something sticks.

Jimmy Hardacre 14 Posted 31/05/2026 at 06:54:54

i read these comments with interest imagine putting a real striker up front if these 2 clowns can get goles how many chances are missed we all know that these are shite who buys a project striker and winger then leaves the only winger with pace george on the bench there is no point fireing balls in from the wings when your strikes have no timing or touch could not trap a bag of cement either of them this will not change unless we get a manager who wants to play football

Jim Bennings 15 Posted 31/05/2026 at 07:04:48

Jimmy 14

I think we have a generation of supporter now sadly that have forgotten what a real striker looks like and in some cases, newer fans that probably have never seen a real genuine quality striker at this club.

Sad really.

Tony Abrahams 16 Posted 31/05/2026 at 08:27:39

Arteta has spent £920M, whereas the much derided Wenger used to have a zero net spend whilst helping Arsenal massively by continuing to qualify for the Champions League.

As far as I'm concerned, Wenger was an absolute football genius, whereas little Micky just comes across as being a very defensively minded and disciplined coach.

I always thought when I had to try and change parts of my game that the things I did very naturally began to suffer... So now Arsenal are champions, and have got the monkey off their back, I'm wondering if Arteta can bring a bit more flair into their football -- it's not like they don't have the players.

Rob Dolby 17 Posted 31/05/2026 at 08:45:09

Beto and Barry ratings are far too high.

Okay, between them, they scored 17 goals but their overall play is atrocious. Both have a touch like an iron railing, can't hold the ball up or link up play. Barry is the better footballer but he is far too lightweight. We need to get rid of both of them quickly.

A minus goal difference is the glaring problem at the club. Moyes has to find more goals and he won't do it with the chuckles up top.

Derek Thomas 18 Posted 31/05/2026 at 08:46:36

All the ratings are at least 1 and in some cases 2 levels too high.

Andy Meighan 19 Posted 31/05/2026 at 12:52:28

Tony A.

Spot on about Wenger, the man was a genius.

He revolutionised the game in our country of that there's no doubt.

I don't know if you've read his autobiography but it's a great read.