Tyler Dibling continues to impress David Moyes behind the scenes

Tyler Dibling is making a positive impression on manager David Moyes in training. Although the teenager is still looking for persistent game time, he’s making rapid strides and getting used to life on Merseyside.

Dibling was the most expensive summer signing for Everton, arriving from Southampton for an initial £35m deal. The 19-year-old, who played 33 Premier League games for the Saints last season, has started just one game in the league for the Blues so far.

The highly-rated prospect is still searching for his breakthrough moment with his new club but Moyes insists he’s happy with what he has seen so far and is willing to be patient as Dibling continues to adapt to the club.

“When you sign players, it's not easy for it all to fall into place right away, especially when we are in a world where everything's expected so quick and to be done so early that things should work,” said the Everton boss.

“I think Kiernan (Dewsbury-Hall) and Jack (Grealish) have both fit in really well, but maybe the Premier League experience, being in the Premier League before, playing in the stadiums etc etc makes it that bit easier… Tyler has got that as well but obviously from a lower level and a younger age.”

Reports suggest that the club’s coaches are encouraging Dibling to try and learn from teammate Jack Grealish, while assistant managers Leighton Baines and Billy McKinlay have been showing him clips of Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery.

“I want him to look at Jack, how he plays, how composed he is on the ball, but I have to say that Tyler has really impressed me with his close skills and ability,” Moyes added.

“He is a quiet boy and it is going to take a bit of time for him to come out of his shell.”

Reader Comments (47)

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Michael Bennet 3 Posted 23/10/2025 at 14:51:35

Is this basically telling us all to stop moaning, he will be disappointed just as much as us?

Agh, well... he will be brilliant in 2 years, Lol!

Jon Atkinson 4 Posted 23/10/2025 at 15:01:28

Played 33 times in the Premier League... but yeah, he's not ready.

Fuck off, David.

Joe McMahon 5 Posted 23/10/2025 at 15:05:34

Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery. Oh my, that is some standard to look up to!

I read from a poster on here, he has potential to be a Chris Waddle type of player. Again, that will certainly do.

Alan J Thompson 6 Posted 23/10/2025 at 15:25:19

First Ancelotti with Calvert-Lewin and now Baines and McKinlay with Dibling.

So if all it takes is showing players a video, then get the VAR bloke signed up.

Kieran Kinsella 7 Posted 23/10/2025 at 15:27:35

Joe,

I sincerely hope he doesn't try and emulate Robben. That guy has been a talking point here among a few football friends for years. In that, his only move was to head down the wing, cut inside, running across the top of the penalty area, then try and curve one into the top corner from about 30 yards. Usually he failed.

But that was it. Never a cross, never a little pass to feed someone in, never got to the byline. Just the same single move each and every time he got the ball. Ribery, on the other hand, was actually skillful and unpredictable.

Martin Berry 9 Posted 23/10/2025 at 15:53:19

The manager is the voice of reason here and he makes a good point about nurturing the player. I see again the impatient odd moaner on here and I don't get it. The lad is 19 and if you expected a world beater at that age in the Premier League, then you're deluded.

What is not delusional is that this young player has immense potential and talent, you only need to see his clips. The manager will utilize his skills to the team's best advantage.

In time, this lad will have fans off their seats... just have patience.

Andrew Merrick 11 Posted 23/10/2025 at 16:40:56

Funny how we remember things differently.

Prime Robben would walk into our team today.

Joe McMahon 12 Posted 23/10/2025 at 16:42:28

Kieran & Peter,

I'm clearly on my own, but I liked watching him play. Ran with the ball and, yes, he could shoot (and score). He has a few major medals so he must have done something right.

Tyler Dibling is a young man; we just have to hope The Moyesiah and his team develop his play.

Robert Tressell 13 Posted 23/10/2025 at 16:43:39

I think world football would find it hilarious that some Everton fans are unconvinced by Robben.

There'll be people on here saying Messi didn't track back next…

Derek Knox 14 Posted 23/10/2025 at 16:44:22

Kieran @ 2, apparently so!

It is very mystifying, and worrying too, where he manages to conceal two packs of cards and a top hat whilst only wearing a pair of shorts, and an Everton bib! :-)

Kieran Kinsella 15 Posted 23/10/2025 at 17:19:37

Robert,

He was a one-trick pony with one foot -- it's not really controversial. Yes, he had success in the non-competitive German league doing the same thing over and over again.

But he never played successfully in a competitive league where coaches would likely have said, “Hey, push him onto his other foot when he tries this same 'cut inside & shoot' routine five times every match.”

Stuart Sharp 17 Posted 23/10/2025 at 19:50:15

What a thread so far.

Apparently Moyes can fuck off for daring to suggest it might take a teenager time to adjust. Apparently, all those appearances for Southampton are enough, and playing in our team must be exactly the same. Apparently, Robben was overrated.

Only on ToffeeWeb. Always an educational read!

Craig Scott 18 Posted 23/10/2025 at 20:03:35

So, we've paid £35M for a player whose demonstrated skills in training have impressed the manager, but he's still not yet ready to be played for 90-plus minutes until two equally well-paid assistant managers have shown him some video clips of two previously top players?

Surely, we can expect our highest-paid signing this season to earn his salary for at least 90 minutes a week and use all the rest of his time to "adapt to the club" and get "used to life on Merseyside"?

Kieran Kinsella 19 Posted 23/10/2025 at 20:42:32

Jeff,

Based on that Wes Brown must be world class as he won 5 Premier League titles, 2 FA Cups, 2 League Cups, 2 Champions Leagues.

As I said, Robben was a one-trick pony as has been well documented.

Kieran Kinsella 20 Posted 23/10/2025 at 20:58:42

Robben as one trick pony:

From The Guardian upon his retirement:

"There is beauty in the unexpected but sometimes even more so in the expected. Everyone knew what Arjen Robben would do, yet they could do nothing to stop him.

He would pick up the ball on his right flank, feign to go down towards the byline, then cut inside and score. And then he would do it again."

From Bayern Munich's website on his retirement:

"What did Cesare Prandelli say to his players at half-time on that cold winter's night? Maybe: “He cuts inside on his left foot! You have to watch that! On the left foot!” Again and again. It's 9 May 2010, Champions League round of 16, second leg. FC Bayern had won the first leg 2-1.

“He'll try to catch you on the wrong feet,” Prandelli could've warned his defenders. “He'll run at you at pace, move the ball onto the left foot, cut inside and look to shoot. Don't let him shoot!” And the defenders probably thought: “Okay, we already know that, we know the move!”

From The Frankfurter:

"Robben is not someone who seeks out duels and draws opponents towards him in order to create space for teammates. He prefers to go for goal himself. That makes him unpopular with teammates, and predictable to opposition players."

From ESPN:

"You would think that opponents would have wised up to the move right now, but they seem as unable as ever to do anything against it. In mid-December, he scored in such typical fashion against VfL Wolfsburg's Ricardo Rodriguez, who's considered one of the Bundesliga's best left-backs."

From the man himself on Le Robben:

"Yes, it's a weapon," Robben told ESPN FC in an interview in Munich last week. "When something works, you just keep going. But I'm not the right person to explain why it works."

Conor McCourt 22 Posted 23/10/2025 at 21:12:45

"I think both Kiernan and Jack have fitted in really well but maybe having Premier League experience before, playing in Stadiums etc etc makes it that bit easier Tyler has got that as well but from a lower level and at a younger age".

Am I missing something here? Moyes has said Tyler is being held back because:

Firstly, you need Premier League experience as you need to get comfortable playing in the stadiums etc? Okay, check, got the tee-shirt.

Secondly, Moyes name-checks Dewsbury-Hall as someone who has Premier League experience at a 'higher' level... Okay, David, those 248 minutes all season at Chelsea, playing about 10 or so minutes when they have injuries and the game is over must really have been some deal breaker... His other Premier League experience came with relegated Leicester and he has never had the impact in the Premier League that Tyler has.

But finally, here's the real baffler: "Tyler did so at a younger age". So let me get this straight — the club signed a wonderkid who excelled as a teen to a greater extent than your personal veteran signing is now being held back because he did it earlier?

Would it not follow that this was reason to promote, especially as he's now a year older and surely better?

Kieran Kinsella 24 Posted 23/10/2025 at 21:34:08

Stuart,

Haaland doesn't attempt to score the exact same goal five times every game and do nothing else. Kanchelskis was adept at "Le Robben" but he could also mix it up.

There is a reason we have no one like Robben today -- because coaches have 15 years of Robben videos to analyze and figure out how to stop anyone who attempts to do the exact same thing every time they get the ball.

Tony Abrahams 26 Posted 23/10/2025 at 22:03:20

I disagree with that statement Robert, mate!

Seriously listen to what Robben says? He might have been a one trick pony, but he was very quick, and very direct and above all else he had such a massive belief in himself.

We have all played against players who we know what they’re going to do next, but it doesn’t mean we always stop them!!🤷‍♂️

Stuart Sharp 27 Posted 23/10/2025 at 22:08:13

Hi Kieran. Obviously, I was being facetious about Haaland. But Robben was a decent player. His most common move kept working, as some of your quotations suggest, so why stop? If defenders had worked him out, he may have adapted. But he didn't really need to. His pace and trickery gave defenders problems. He would have improved many of our squads from that era, in my opinion at least, so all I'm really saying is that some of the posts were overly dismissive. Just as some take these comments from Moyes and over-analyse them.

Ian Jones 28 Posted 23/10/2025 at 22:24:02

Robert, 13You're right, Messi doesn't track back.

He also is very one-footed.

:)

Derek Knox 29 Posted 23/10/2025 at 22:39:27

Brendan @ 23, I'm sorry for the bad news but you are too late to bury old Julius, his so called mates went R S on him !

Matt Woods 30 Posted 23/10/2025 at 22:42:37

Robben was an absolute monster. Total A-lister. So he utilized his Number One weapon -- his pace -- to the max and could put the ball in the onion bag consistently on the biggest stages.

I don't understand how anyone would not want this kind of player in your team.

Brendan McLaughlin 31 Posted 23/10/2025 at 22:46:56

Derek #29

One good cross at the Rubicon and he's a fecking legend...seriously?

Colin Glassar 32 Posted 23/10/2025 at 23:40:16

The kid has potential. Let’s hope he reaches his full potential with us before he’s hounded out by the nervous nellies.

John Pickles 33 Posted 24/10/2025 at 00:51:37

Funny, the only Robben I remember, was the one who played for Chelsea, and who single handedly destroyed us when we played them.

Don Alexander 34 Posted 24/10/2025 at 01:56:36

Lewis (#10) when I was 19 I too was a helluva undiscovered football genius but, in fairness, at that age I always wanted the pussy to lick way beyond my chin.

Don Alexander 35 Posted 24/10/2025 at 02:00:33

........and when it happened I used to come good, every time.

I hope Tyler is of the same disposition!

Mike Allison 37 Posted 24/10/2025 at 07:25:49

This is classic Moyes. Doesn’t trust the young player as he’s ‘not quite ready’. If Moyes somehow left tomorrow the next manager would pick Dibling and he would soon be thriving.

All players need time on the pitch, they atrophy without it. Moyes’ failure to make proactive substitutions has meant several good players wasting away. Get Dibling, Alcaraz and McNeil on the pitch every game, use fresh legs as the others tire and not only will we be more likely to turn draws into wins, but we’ll build up our squad depth of match-fit players.

Ian Bennett 38 Posted 24/10/2025 at 08:09:27

Mcneil, Alcaraz, and Dibling would offer fresh legs, but if it's coming on for Ndiaye, Grealish, and Dewesbury Hall, it is a step down in quality. A hard and not straight forward choice to sacrafice the better players.

Of course you could look to take out other players. Gana can come off, Garner moved to right back, or turn your back on the strikers.

It's marginal if that changes much in the games, we've lost at City or Liverpool, or converts some of the draws into wins.

John Williams 40 Posted 24/10/2025 at 09:11:10

In all levels of football, you often see guys who appear to have it all, when training or playing with team mates.

It does nt always translate on to the pitch in a game, nerves take over, they lose their passing, tackling etc.

Have seen a number like this, over the years.

Dave Abrahams 41 Posted 24/10/2025 at 09:29:30

While Moyes makes his mind that Dibling is ready I would love him to alter the way the players he does pick play, one of them would be to see Grealish and Ndiaye swop wings during the game along with other players interchanging their positions and maybe changing the game and give the opposition something to think about— and change those corner kicks a few times during the game— do they ever practice these moves while Moyes is watching these training sessions?

Brian Harrison 43 Posted 24/10/2025 at 10:20:46

I think this is a case of a manager trying to instil some confidence into a young player, nothing wrong with that. Its hard to see any manager leaving out Ndaiye or Grelish on their current form to give Dibling a start in the Premier league, and its hard to see him taking off either of them. So far young Tyler has struggled when he has been brought on. But I am sure many remember how Henry struggled when he first went to Arsenal, now I am not saying Tyler is the next Henry, but at the moment he will need time. I agree with Dave over our poor corner kicks, with the height we have in the squad we should score more from corners.

Andrew Merrick 44 Posted 24/10/2025 at 11:38:44

Dave 41, agreed on both points.When we were at our worst, the glaringly obvious thing was how predictable we were.But now we have some creativity why not mix it up a bit?

Stuart Sharp 46 Posted 24/10/2025 at 13:33:24

Except for the half time subs at the last home match, with Alcaraz changing the game...

Ian Bennett 47 Posted 24/10/2025 at 13:51:53

I think youll find Grealish less effective on the right Dave.

From the left he can cut inside on his right to shoot, or go the other way with a cross.

He does it well, but has no real pace to go on the outside on the right, and his shooting is less effective with his left foot from watching him.

Ndiaye in many ways is similar, but he does have that little squirt where he can riggle away. I do prefer him from the left, but understand why hes playing right. Its because we couldnt attract a here and now top player.

Ive been often wondering why we didnt mix it up, but I think that's why. Grealish could be played in a 10, but he isn't helping the centre midfield out of possession that much.

Some won't worry about that. But a competitive midfield 3 has helped a centre back pairing lacking pace, and who would be shown up from a more cavalier approach.

49 Posted 24/10/2025 at 14:26:44

John 33

I don't remember that but I do remember a guy called Dwight McNeil singlehandedly destroying us when we played Burnley. We should sign him.