Everton's 2025-26 transfers: Hits and misses | OneFootball

Jack Grealish and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall of Everton.

(Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

Everton made 10 signings in 2025-26 — seven permanent deals and three players joined on loan, with the agreement for one of those, Merlin Röhl, including an obligation to make the move permanent this coming summer.

It’s fair to say it was a mixed bag when it came to the success rate.

In an interview with Toffee TV back in September, Everton’s CEO Angus Kinnear said the success of the new signings would be measured on whether those players featured for at least 50% of the “available minutes” (presumably, that means that players who suffer long-term injuries aren’t necessarily counted as failures) across the campaign.

It’s a strange yard stick, and if we used that barometer, then only three of Everton’s signings can be put down as a success. That’s probably about right, in all fairness, but it doesn’t take into account that two additions were back-up goalkeepers, who you would be hoping aren’t playing over 50% of available minutes.

So, we won’t use the club’s measurement, and instead I’ll assess how I felt each of Everton’s additions got on.

MARK TRAVERS (£4M) — HIT

He’s a back-up goalkeeper. He played twice, both in the EFL Cup. Everton won one of those matches and lost the other, and while Travers didn’t cover himself in glory against Wolves, he was hardly terrible. It’s a hit for me, all things considered, though he’d have had to be pretty awful to be a miss.

TOM KING (~£500K) — HIT

Like Travers, King would have had to go a long way to be a miss, given he was brought in as a third-choice goalkeeper, and he has fulfilled the role he was brought in for. So, in that regard, he’s a hit.

ADAM AZNOU (£8M) — MISS

It feels harsh labelling Aznou as a miss, as he simply hasn’t had the minutes needed to try and show what he can do. He’s only just about to turn 20, and so he has time on his side, but given he made just one senior appearance all season — an impressive cameo in the FA Cup against Sunderland — he can’t go down as a hit.

Aznou was clearly seen as a development signing by Everton, but how is he meant to develop if he is not playing? Surely, he could have been given a few minutes here or there in the first half of the season, and allowed to settle into the club, before getting moved out on loan in January. The plan for next season has to be a lot clearer for the Moroccan.

CARLOS ALCARAZ (£12M) — MISS

Alcaraz ended last season in fine form, and it seemed a no-brainer to sign up the Argentine. Everton also managed to negotiate down the fee, though there was some contention when the club revealed the playmaker had signed only a two-year deal, with the option for a third.

Alcaraz scored just once this season, netting a beauty in the EFL Cup against Mansfield Town. Otherwise, he provided only one assist, which came in the league win over Bournemouth in December. The 23-year-old has plenty of talent, but is erratic on the ball and it seems David Moyes just can’t see beyond that.

He should have been given more minutes — perhaps playing him more would mean Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall would not have ended up quite as tired late in the season — but let’s also not pretend he is absolutely outstanding, either.

It’d be a shame if Alcaraz were to be moved on, but given the small fee Everton paid for him, they should be able to make their money back.

KIERNAN DEWSBURY-HALL (£25M) — HIT

No doubt about this one. Dewsbury-Hall was an instant hit and showed exactly the calibre of player Everton needed to be targeting last summer: Someone to provide a guaranteed level of output. Goals, assists, chance creation, energy and leadership.

Dewsbury-Hall dipped in form around October, but he came back in full force then before he suffered a cruel injury just before Christmas. When he returned, he needed to work his way back to fitness, but consistently proved to be Everton’s go-to-man in key moments.

More signings of his level are required to go straight into the team this coming summer.

MERLIN RÖHL (LOAN TO BUY) — HIT

Röhl came in for unnecessary stick earlier in the season, based on some hardly inspiring cameos in matches. But the word was he was impressing in training. The issue, however, was that he was carrying an injury that needed resolving.

He came back from a lay-off around Christmas and played well against Nottingham Forest and then Aston Villa, only for Moyes to bizarrely leave him out until later in the campaign, when he then went on to make an impact on the right flank.

But Röhl has shown his strengths: He is versatile, good in possession and quick, especially for a central midfielder. There is enough there to be positive about heading into next season.

JACK GREALISH (LOAN) — HIT

Reports last summer suggested Everton were hunting a “premium loan”, and that loanee was Grealish.

And he was, and is, class. It gets glossed over, but if he doesn’t suffer that serious foot injury in January, then I find it hard to see Everton having the drop-off they did late on in the campaign, when they badly lacked another option to retain the ball and create chances.

Despite that injury, Grealish still created the second-most chances for Everton, after James Garner, even though he missed almost half the campaign.

It seems likely Everton will do all they can to keep the 30-year-old, and there’s no doubting they’d be a better team for it, but they have to be wary of going too big financially to get the signing over the line. Another loan move, if they can strike it with Manchester City, would be sensible, given what Grealish brings both on and off the pitch.

TYLER DIBLING (£35M) — MISS

My issue with this signing at the time, and it has only been further compounded across the season, is that Dibling was simply not the type of winger Everton needed.

After signing Grealish, Everton did not need another winger who wants to slow down the play before exploding off a standing start. Instead, they required someone with all-out pace and a more direct approach.

That’s not to say Dibling is a bad player, he clearly isn’t, and he’s so young, but Everton weren’t in a position last year to be spending marquee-signing money on a player who is so early on in their development.

He should still have been given more minutes, and Moyes’ use of him — especially post-January — was incredibly frustrating. At the same time, this is a lesson for the club, too. Dibling now needs a strong pre-season, and the club must ensure he gets the required game time next term, either here, or out on loan. But for now, at that price, he has to be a miss.

TYRIQUE GEORGE (LOAN) — HIT

George played only 210 minutes and did not score or assist, but he provided the kind of spark and drive that Everton should have been prioritising last summer.

He is quick across the ground, is not afraid to shoot and also showed he can get to the byline and deliver dangerous deliveries. In that sense, he was a hit, but he did not get enough minutes — and again, that is the fault of Moyes.

Everton have a purchase option, but that will not last forever and they need to make a call on whether to spend close to £25m on another youngster, or if that money could be better directed elsewhere in the squad for now.

THIERNO BARRY (£27M) — MISS

Everton spent £27M to sign Barry from Villarreal, and all in all, a return of eight Premier League goals in his first season in England is not bad for the 23-year-old.

But it just feels like there’s a bit too much drama and baggage around him.

Barry has had his moments: His first goal for the club, against Nottingham Forest in December, and his second, which came against the same team to clinch a brilliant away win. There was his deft finish against Aston Villa and his bundled home winner against Newcastle United, while he also bagged what should have been a decisive double against Man City.

Yet Barry still seems to have a long way to go to win over Evertonians, especially after the attitude he showed in the wake of the furore over the Arsenal game in mid-March.

It feels like Everton need to make a decision to sell one of their strikers this summer, and while Beto is older and heading into the final year of his deal, it might well depend on whether Barry wants to make a future at this club. If he pushes for a move away, then it’s not hard to imagine the club deciding not to stand in his way.

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I'll save you the time.

Dewsbury-Hall and Grealish were hits, would have been great to see Jack play all season but effectively what we had was a half-season loan.

The rest, Dibling and Aznou we never got to see anything, can't make a judgement because it's so long since I've seen them.

Barry, not good enough, scored a few goals, great winning goal at Villa, but his overall lack of strength, willingness to bust a gut, his demeanor, not going to cut it in my view.

George, looks like he's been grossly underused, too attack-minded for Moyes, I wouldn't be surprised to see McNeil start there again next season, George will be back at Chelsea.

Just to give some balance with my point of view, Jim, Grealish, to me, was never a hit — just didn't do enough. Jack came back to try and prove he was good enough to get into the England World Cup squad. I doubt his injury was the only reason he isn't going and while there is nothing wrong with dreaming of playing for England I think it will remain a dream.

Dewsbury-Hall had a very good five game spell but apart from that did not have a lot of impact on a great deal of games.

Dibling is a strange signing but Southampton managed to get £40M from us with no other club showing any interest and some other young players going for a lot less while looking much better and more interested in making a name for themselves.

Alcaraz was left out of many games with an injury that was never fully disclosed while it seemed to many fans that he should have been used a lot more than he was.

Aznou was completely untried, even as a sub.

Armstrong was brought back from his loan with Preston and hardly used in his proper position. Only the manager can explain why ... but never hardly discusses his use of players.

The season ended with an improvement on last season that some fans are happy with while a big majority are definitely not “happily dissatisfied“.

Ian Bennett 3 Posted 29/05/2026 at 13:04:03

Barry had 8 goals in 23 game equivalent.

His movement, touch, pace, desire needs to be way better, but could he get 15 to 16 goals in a 44-game season without penalties?

The goal combination of Barry and Beto isn't terrible, when it is one or the other. They've no footballing class to play in a pair.

Lee Courtliff 4 Posted 29/05/2026 at 14:16:02

I'd keep faith with Barry, if his attitude is right and he actually wants to make a success of his career with us.

His performances against Man Utd and Fulham in November were both excellent, and his finishes against Villa and Leeds were top class.

Definitely enough potential there, and, as Ian says, there was a decent goal haul from our strikers considering the general lack of service and the fact they've only been on the pitch together for a considerable length of time just once, which was the mauling by Brentford.

5 Posted 29/05/2026 at 14:26:34

Trying not to be too boring with stats, if we had a 17-goal-a-season centre-forward averaging a goal every 200 minutes on the pitch, would we criticise?

Just checked the stats and, given that bar about 20 minutes, Barry and Beto have not played together. But their combined return outstrips most forwards in the league.

Mo Salah scored one per 300 minutes this year. What they offer other than their goals is probably the trouble. Beto barely wins a header and can't hold the ball up. He does offer effort.

Barry is improving in the all round centre forward play, particularly challenging for high balls, but has an image issue.

If we are going to challenge, we do need to create and score more goals, and to do this we need improvement across the field as an attacking side. Better full/wing backs, wingers who are on the front foot, and support from centre midfield. Just changing the Number 9 is not going to be the panacea some people think.

I am not saying that we shouldn't look for improvement here. I just think that 17 goals in a season from centre-forward is not a disaster.

Tony Abrahams 6 Posted 29/05/2026 at 14:32:29

Stay in line with the stats and you will do for a lot of modern day football fans it seems.

Beto's goal against Palace was exceptional, same for Barry at Villa, but I'd love to see the stats for them getting hold of the ball and bringing others into the game though, because this is something that neither of them have got in their game.

Isolating a centre-forward who has got the touch of a carthorse -- “that's entertainment”.

Mick O\\\'Malley 7 Posted 29/05/2026 at 14:37:16

I see Trippier is moving to Wolves, that's put paid to the possible "dream" right side combination of Trippier and Solly Fucking March who I seen linked to us today, a player who hasn't featured all season for Brighton, hopefully its just bullshit

Alan J Thompson 8 Posted 29/05/2026 at 15:35:32

There was a report that Rohl missed games because of a hernia, I think, and the club were not happy that he sought treatment in Germany without first notifying the club and despite its success he may have been overlooked for not first seeking permission.

Christy Ring 9 Posted 29/05/2026 at 16:28:52

Giving Alcaraz a miss, is a bit harsh, it should be Moyes getting a Miss. We were dreadful for the last six weeks, and why Moyer didn’t change it and start Alcaraz, Rohl, George and Armstrong, shows how conservative and stubborn Moyes is. What other manager only brings on 1/2 subs in the last 10 minutes of a game that we’re losing?

Phil Roberts 10 Posted 29/05/2026 at 17:44:51

On average he brought on over 3 per match and on average they got 15 minutes.

Jay Lewis 11 Posted 29/05/2026 at 18:46:28

Christy, that night we beat Villa, that very same team should have started the next match. What sort of manager rewards a winning team by dropping them for his favourites? Oh yeah silly question. I want him gone

Mike Gaynes 12 Posted 29/05/2026 at 19:04:47

Jay #11, it's a silly question, all right, but not the way you mean.

Grealish's injury occurred against Villa, so of course it wasn't possible to start the very same team again.

The following week featured the returns of Branthwaite and Dewsbury-Hall from injury. Should they have been left out because we had beaten Villa without them? Should Moyes have named the same bench, which included the kids Welch and Campbell, an injured Seamus, and two keepers?

Sorry, mate, way off target on that comment.

Jay Lewis 13 Posted 29/05/2026 at 19:16:20

Mike, maybe you're right, but I believe if players put a shift in and get a good result then they earn a place in the team. Branthwaite and KDH are a valid point and I forgot about Grealish but still, I would have had Jarrad and KDH on the bench and brought them on later on if the team wasn't doing it. Players should be hungry to perform, no safe starts, keep them all on their toes

Alan McGuffog 14 Posted 29/05/2026 at 19:56:28

Martin, interesting argument there.

If we could do a sort of dodgy car dealership thing... do they call it a "cut and shut"? Harvest their best attributes and weld them together somehow. 🤔

Mike Gaynes 15 Posted 29/05/2026 at 20:07:59

Jay, Jarrad and KDHwere on the bench to start, and were brought on at halftime for McNeil and Armstrong respectively after both had been really poor in the first 45. They got their chances to start again and spit the bit.

The changes in the starting 11 that day were Ndiaye for Grealish and Gana for Rohl after returning from Afcon. Can't really argue with either of those.

I've seen that particular critique before about the home draw with Leeds after the win at Villa, and it's simply not justified. Moyes may be guilty of playing favourites, but not in that specific case.

Mark Steers 16 Posted 29/05/2026 at 21:46:06

I said last season having Coleman, Gana, Keane, Tarkowski all the wrong age to move forward. These 4 roughly works out as ¼ of our squad. Moyes likes about 16 playes to trust. Well, one of them is gone thankfully and, if he gives Gana another year, I can't see how we can move forward.

Money has to be spent on quality right-back and right wing players. This side of the pitch is desperate. O'Brien and Garner must never play at right-back again.

Right wing, no more Ndaiye, he has to go back to his favoured left side. No more McNeil on the right and same with Rohl playing out of position, he did a one- off job against Man City. Moyes will over-use Rohl on the right -- it's not his position.

Paul Griffiths 17 Posted 30/05/2026 at 02:48:28

Dave A (2):

'The season ended with an improvement on last season.'

With respect, Dave, what was the 'improvement'?

We spent £160M (ish) in summer 2025 and that bought us one first-team regular, 1 more point in 2025-26 than in 2024-25, and 5 more goals scored but 6 more goals conceded (-1, if you like).

'Improvement'? The last seven games? The last two games were absolutely woeful, shameful, and humiliating for us. We finished the season in relegation form. The quality of the footy was mediocre bordering on abysmal for the most part.

As for success or not on the signings:

Hit: Dewsbury-Hall, Grealish

Hit?: Rohl

Miss: George, Barry, Dibling, Alcaraz, Aznou *

N/A: Travers, King

TFG: C-

* The reasons behind misses are not necessarily about the quality of the players themselves but the ways in which they were, erm, 'managed' or, erm, 'used' by Moyes.

Jimmy Hardacre 18 Posted 30/05/2026 at 06:43:39

I think to call any of them Hit or Miss is hard as Moyes insists on playing people out of position. He has Jimmy Garner playing next to Tim Iroegbunam against Sunderland.

Then we had a German International central midfielder playing left side of midfield, and Dewsbury-Hall on the right of that which left a giant hole in the middle that Sunderland just walked through.

And a centre-back at right-back with the pairing of 2 centre-backs that are gone -- this is why we cannot judge anyone too harshly; we need to see them in a team that has a plan.

That's with the exception of course of Barry who we need to get our money back on... so maybe raffle him off.

John Collins 19 Posted 30/05/2026 at 08:36:12

They won one more point than Dyche's team, so -- regardless of Hits and Misses -- the overall improvement was minimal.

I put all of that down to the manager.

Grant Rorrison 20 Posted 30/05/2026 at 08:52:21

Not defending the end-of-season drop-off but we lost 10 players last summer.

The reason our net spend looks a bit better than it should is because those players that left were out of contract. If we had sold 10 players last summer, what would our spending have looked like?

Mike Allison 21 Posted 30/05/2026 at 10:34:16

I think, Barry excepted, they were all decent signings. They just weren’t used properly.

Given the Arsenal game and his demeanour since, we need to sell Barry and get someone in. He’s had a bad season but Liam Delap would seem to make sense.

It’s difficult not to just say the same thing on every thread, but our squad is in a good position, we just need a coach willing to use them. If Moyes stays, we need about 10 new players again. If he goes, we need 3-5.