(Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
After grading the defence, we move on to assessing Everton’s midfielders across the 2025-26 season.
The grades are as follows:
Here goes.
IDRISSA GUEYE — B
Gueye is out of contract and, as it stands, is set to become a free agent. The veteran campaigner was not always at his best, and his all-round numbers did dip, but there shouldn’t be any doubt over how vital he is to Everton’s midfield, which perhaps says more about the majority of the other options in there than Gueye himself. He was badly missed in the final four games of the season, and he comes in with a steady B.
TIM IROEGBUNAM — B
Iroegbunam is a frustrating player. A fantastic ball winner, but ultimately every other of his touches seems to force him into a tackle. He is an excellent dribbler in tight spaces, too, capable of creating a yard of space and surging through midfield, yet his decision-making is sorely lacking. The 22-year-old has certainly made progress, but in this writer’s opinion, it would be wise to assess the market for him this summer and potentially cash in while his value is high.
JAMES GARNER — A*
Everton’s Player of the Season, and rightly so. Garner scored two league goals and provided seven assists; he led the squad for chances created (56) and expected assists (6.0), while topping the Premier League for tackles (120) and interceptions (59). Desperately unlucky to miss out on England’s World Cup squad. He is the only player to hit the top grade here.
HARRISON ARMSTRONG — B
Armstrong won the club award for Everton’s Young Player of the Season, which just goes to show how poor David Moyes’s use of the youngsters was, given how many Everton brought in last summer. The teenager returned in January having been in fine form while on loan at Preston North End, with Everton desperately short of midfield options. He came straight into the team and was impressive. He was retained after the window, rather than being sent back out on loan, and in all honesty that decision should have been taken out of the manager’s hands, especially as Moyes then shunted him out wide. Armstrong still played plenty, finishing with 15 appearances in all competitions and 738 minutes, with most of those in the Premier League. A beneficial season, and they must now make a call on whether he goes on loan again or is part of the squad for next term.
MERLIN RÖHL — B
It was a funny season for Röhl. Brought in on deadline day last summer, he reportedly immediately impressed Moyes and his coaching staff in training, but he struggled to maintain his fitness and ultimately went off (without the club’s express permission, it should be noted) to undergo surgery on a hernia. He returned in time for the hectic festive schedule and played well enough against Nottingham Forest in late December, before turning in an excellent display away at Aston Villa a few weeks later. However, he was then hardly seen until early May, when he came into the team on the right wing, and suddenly, he became a first-choice starter in that position. He showed promise, but once again, serious questions have to be asked why it took so long to get him in the team once he had regained fitness, or at least why he wasn’t given more minutes from the bench.
KIERNAN DEWSBURY-HALL — A
After Garner, Dewsbury-Hall was no doubt next on the list for Everton’s Player of the Season. He was certainly the best signing, albeit that’s not that hard. The 27-year-old brought quality and output, which is what Everton should have been targeting as a priority last summer. Dewsbury-Hall’s 12 goal involvements led the way for Everton (8 goals, 4 assists), and even as he tired late in the season, you can never accuse him of not trying to make things happen; he never hid, which, in fairness, is the least that should be expected. Dewsbury-Hall has set the bar for Everton’s transfer activity this coming window.
CARLOS ALCARAZ — C
I was hugely positive when Everton signed Charly Alcaraz permanently last year, albeit the strange cutting down of his contract was perhaps a sign that Moyes was not convinced on the Argentine, despite his impressive displays while on loan last season. Alcaraz was another victim of Moyes’s poor squad rotation. There are some caveats — he missed two chunks of the season through injury and he is incredibly erratic (as evidenced by his errors against Manchester City, which in part cost Everton a potentially vital, unexpected victory). But he does always look to make things happen, he does bring energy and endeavour, and should have been utilised more.
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