Credit: Manh Tung, Breaking Media

James Barker

Wed 27 May 2026 17:10, UK

Everton missed on a lot of their 2025-26 transfer signings.

After finishing 13th in the 2024-25 season, it was hoped that some strong transfer business in 2025-26 would re-establish Everton as a comfortable top-half team in the Premier League.

For large parts of last term, that’s precisely what David Moyes‘ side were and looked like, with the Toffees still right in the race for European football come the final weeks of the campaign.

However, a seven-game winless run to end the year saw them only able to match their 13th-placed finish from 2024-25 once again, with a lack of impact from many of their new recruits a big contributing factor in their drop.

So, ahead of the 2026 summer transfer window opening, Goodison News looks back on every new signing Everton made last season and grades them out of 10, starting in defence and working our way up the pitch.

Everton didn’t hit with any of their 2025-26 defensive signings

Starting in defence, and more specifically the goalkeeper position, Everton brought in two new shot-stoppers last summer: Mark Travers and Tom King respectively.

Beginning with Travers, the 27-year-old joined from Bournemouth in a reported deal worth £4million, with the clear intention for him to push Jordan Pickford as the number two.

The Irish international had enjoyed a strong loan spell in the Championship with Middlesbrough in 2024-25, but in his debut season at Hill Dickinson Stadium, he was only able to make two appearances.

He kept a clean sheet in the 2-0 win in the second round of the Carabao Cup against Mansfield Town, before shipping two goals in a 2-0 defeat to Wolves the following round, at that was it for Travers. Four.

As for King, the 31-year-old joined from Wolves on a two-year contract for a nominal fee, and was unable to make any appearances for the Toffees last term.

His role as Everton’s third-choice keeper would surely be better suited to an academy prospect, who would find much more value in this position than King at this stage of his career. Two.

The only other defensive signing Everton made last season was Adam Aznou, with the teenage left-back joining from Bayern Munich for a fee reported to be in the region of £8m.

He would only see 34 minutes of first-team action in his first term on Merseyside, however, and that came in Everton’s FA Cup defeat to Sunderland on 10 January.

The thinking behind Aznou’s signing has been questioned as a result of his almost non-existent debut season, and the early signs don’t look overly promising for his prospects with the Toffees. Three.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall star of Everton’s midfield signings

Moving into midfield, Everton brought in no less than five new players in this area of the pitch: Merlin Rohl, Tyler Dibling, Jack Grealish, Kiernan-Dewsbury Hall and Carlos Alcaraz respectively.

Starting with Rohl, the versatile 23-year-old attacking midfielder will officially become a permanent Everton player this summer, after the terms to trigger his purchase obligation are understood to have been met.

However, there may be some regret inside Hill Dickinson Stadium regarding that, as the German struggled in 2025-26, scoring just once in 17 total appearances and providing zero assists.

As such, there are big question marks over whether he’s a Premier League standard player, and as of right now, it’s hard to say with any conviction that he is. Three.

Dibling joined Everton from Southampton in a blockbuster £40m move last August, after the highly-rated young winger put in an impressive season with Saints the season prior despite their dismal 12-point Premier League relegation campaign.

Unfortunately, Moyes just hasn’t favoured the 20-year-old, playing 17 times in all competitions with zero goal contributions to show for it. For the fee paid, it’s tough to give him any higher than a three right now.

Grealish signed on loan from Man City last summer, and enjoyed a real career revival with the Toffees scoring twice and providing six assists.

However, his season did end prematurely in mid-January through injury, and it remains to be seen whether he will be back on Merseyside permanently. Eight.

Dewsbury-Hall was without doubt Everton’s signing of the 2025-26 season, moving from Chelsea for a relative snip at just £24m as the initial fee.

His eight goals and four assists from 31 Premier League outings have seen him linked to Man City, as he became an integral part of Moyes’ attacking formula. The Toffees would’ve been lost without him. 10.

Rounding off the midfield buys was Carlos Alcaraz, who joined on a permanent basis for up to £13m after spending the second half of the 2024-25 term on loan with Everton from Flamengo.

However, his 2025-26 campaign wasn’t as impressive as his first few months on Merseyside as a loan player, netting once and providing one assist in 22 appearances, and he doesn’t appear to be in favour with Moyes. Five.

Everton left plenty to be desired with striker signings

Capping off Everton’s 2025-26 transfer business at the top end of the pitch, the Toffees signed two strikers last season: Thierno Barry and Tyrique George respectively.

Barry joined from Villarreal for £27m, and he would finish his debut season with eight goals from 38 Premier League outings.

That’s not the kind of return he nor the Toffees were looking for, but he did score plenty of important goals, such as his double in the 3-3 draw with Man City and his winners against Newcastle and Aston Villa respectively.

As such, the size of his transfer fee does work against him when grading his 2025-26 season, but there is certainly a player in there, and still only 23, there’s plenty of time to find it. Six.

Finally, George. The 20-year-old was Everton’s only signing of the winter window, moving to Merseyside on loan from Chelsea with the Toffees holding the option to buy him this summer.

It remains unclear whether they will trigger that option, however, as the England youth international failed to provide a single goal contribution in any of his 11 appearances in all competitions.

He started just the once in the Premier League for Everton, and is clearly a raw talent that needs patience and further refining.

Everton needed him to be an instant impact-maker though in January, and George just wasn’t ready to be that in Moyes’ side. Two.

Updated 24/7 with expert analysis from the heart of Goodison Park.