Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz and Liverpool controlled the noise from the summer transfer window on Merseyside, but David Moyes’ Everton have quietly assembled a team more capable of competing on higher ground than in recent years.
Whether the Toffees will make it a successful one is, of course, anyone’s guess, but the signs certainly suggest that improvements have been made under Moyes’ wing.
But then, what to define as success? Everton sit sixth in the Premier League after four games, two wins tallied and three games unbeaten. The Farhad Moshiri era fizzled out rather quickly, and staving off the threat of relegation was the aim.
But now, Everton want more, and understandably so. There have been some good signings in recent years, but maybe this current crop feel a little different.
Everton's best signings of recent years
Everton’s men’s side bid farewell to Goodison Park at the end of the 2024/25 season, but the change afoot was to be more than just the scenery.
A host of first-teamers left at the end of their contracts, and many needed to be shipped out if Everton wished to segue into a new, finer form.
Abdoulaye Doucoure was among those to leave at the end of their contracts, but the Malian midfielder’s departure was a more poignant one than most. 32 years old, he was still an industrious and effective part of the team, but he was also the highest earner on the books, taking home £130k per week.
His departure was necessary, especially with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Charly Alcaraz added to the central midfield ranks, the latter permanently.
The three years after Doucoure’s £20m move from Watford to Everton in 2020 were sparse in regard to jackpot signings, although Dwight McNeil has been a fantastic player when fit, and Amadou Onana did well before being turned for a healthy profit when sold to Aston Villa for £50m in July 2024.
It was one year ago, though, that Everton signed Iliman Ndiaye from Marseille for £15m. The Senegalese winger is among the most electric to play in England, and he has been described as being capable of “magic” moments by Sky Sports commentator Seb Hutchinson.
His ten-goal return in 2024/25 was eclipsed by no Toffees member, and he was the cream of the crop.
Perhaps he’s not anymore. At no disrespect to the fleet-footed winger, Jack Grealish has arrived at the Hill Dickinson Stadium and looks eager to step up as the club’s talisman this term.
Moyes has hit the jackpot on Jack Grealish
This summer, Everton handed Grealish a lifeline. The England international was a Three Lion no more, kept from duty for his country across Thomas Tuchel’s first three camps. Sir Gareth Southgate opted against picking the Manchester City man for the 2024 Euros.
In fairness, Grealish had fallen from grace under Pep Guardiola’s wing. Joining the Premier League giants for a British record £110m fee in 2021, Aston Villa’s beloved maverick never quite captured the same effortless flair that defined his time at Villa Park, even if he has decorated his cabinet with a wealth of silverware.
It was time for a change, and Moyes offered him a platform to reinvent himself this summer, signing the 30-year-old on loan in August.
Grealish has been in fine fettle since joining, posting four assists from as many games and winning the Premier League Player of the Month award for August.
Matches (starts)
20 (7)
4 (3)
Goals
1
0
Assists
1
4
Touches*
28.5
48.3
Accurate passes*
18.8 (91%)
24.8 (88%)
Big chances created
2
3
Key passes*
1.2
2.8
Dribbles*
0.7
2.0
Ball recoveries*
1.3
4.5
Tackles*
0.5
1.8
Duels (won)*
2.4 (55%)
6.8 (54%)
While the data pool is shallow at this stage of the season, Grealish is already demonstrating an ability beyond what was seen across his last two years at the Etihad Stadium, more confident and creative.
He’s already shaping into the Merseysiders’ attacking talisman, especially given the profligacy of the centre-forwards, and with that in mind, maybe Grealish could prove to be Everton’s own version of the aforementioned Isak, who joined Liverpool in a British record £125m move on transfer deadline day.
Isak, 25, has established himself as one of the best strikers in the world over his three terms on Tyneside, with pundit Alan Shearer even hailing him as “world-class” last season, scoring against Liverpool at Wembley to win the Carabao Cup, and hurling constant daggers into the net to propel Newcastle back into the Champions League.
There’s no question that he was the attacking leader for the Toon, and he will be for Liverpool too, especially as the 33-year-old Mohamed Salah approaches the autumn of his career in England.
Grealish is not a striker, and he’s never been a particularly reliable goalscorer, but he could be Everton’s new hero in a different way, inspiring and galvanising and making things happen in a way that none of his peers, even Ndiaye, can match.
Both Ndiaye and Grealish are players who stand out as among Everton’s finest signings in many years. It’s not a particularly high bar, but there are many teams across the Premier League and across Europe who would jump at the chance to welcome such stars to their ranks.
Who knows if Everton will turn Grealish’s loan spell into a permanent deal? The opening weeks of the campaign suggest that it should be so. Last term, Theo Walcott remarked that he is a player of “incredible talent”, but that his spark had been “coached out of him”. Moyes is instilling that joy and wonder once more.
The playmaker’s wage demands would need redress: the attacking midfielder cannot take permanent residence in Moyes’ squad without agreeing to a pay cut.
But if some agreement could be engineered, Everton would land themselves one of the most talented players in the Premier League, a player who has already shown himself capable of standing out in a rising team and with a smile on his face too.
Just like Isak over at Anfield, Grealish has the chance to be a superstar in a new setting, and TFG must ensure they get his signature scribbled in permanent ink.
