Everton

Adam Blackmore
BBC Radio Solent sports editor

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Tyler Dibling gets rave reviews when I speak to senior players and former players about him. They see a young English talent who has great potential and huge natural ability.

Dibling has great balance, poise, power and strength for his age. The ball sticks to his feet when he is dribbling and he can win free-kicks by sucking defenders in only to shift the ball away from them in a Jack Grealish style.

Last season was a steep learning curve for him. It was a tough campaign for a teenager to deal with. He was brilliant at times but as the season faded for Southampton, it also faded for Dibling.

His niggling injuries impacted him as well as the vagaries of trying to play at the highest level week in week out, which few 18-year-olds can do.

He is a quiet and thoughtful teenager, who doesn't look for the centre stage, but his talent is good enough to demand it at some point in the future, if he keeps growing as he has.

I've said all summer that Southampton should be trying to get £40-50m for him, so we will see what the club accept at the end of the day, if he wants to go to Everton of course.

He went to Chelsea as a youngster but didn't like it and came back to Saints, so that in itself says a lot about what is important to him.

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Matthew Hobbs
BBC Sport journalist

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Everton failed with a £27m bid for 19-year-old Southampton winger Tyler Dibling yesterday – a microcosm of an underwhelming transfer window where boss David Moyes has vented his frustration at the club's inability to get deals over the line.

The Blues have signed four players so far, including teenage full-back Adam Aznou from Bayern Munich on Tuesday, but they are yet to address a lack of creativity and goals in their current squad - and have scored just twice from open play in five pre-season matches so far.

Everton may yet return with another bid for Dibling and have been linked with Manchester City's Jack Grealish – targets that show they are in dire need of more attacking threat.

Only relegated Leicester City and Southampton scored fewer Premier League goals from open play than Everton's 25 in 2024-25, while the Toffees also ranked 17th for expected goals from open play – indicating very few chances were even being created.

Everton will wait until the final weeks of the transfer window to make a loan offer for Juventus and Brazil midfielder Douglas Luiz, 27. (GiveMesport), external

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On Monday, we asked you to tell us why you fell in love with Everton and some of your favourite moments supporting them.

You have already been getting in touch with your photos and stories and here is just a taste from Jeff:

This picture is of last season's away match at Ipswich. Together with two mates (in the middle and on the right). What makes it so special is that we have a season ticket and we visit away matches.....while we live in the Netherlands!

Why do I love Everton so much? That is a good question.

We have not won silverware since 1995 - the club's management has been terrible and amateurish for years and frankly I cannot stand a lot of our current players.

But silverware, the board and the current players do not make the club. The fans do.

As do the true Blues from the past. From Dixie Dean to Colin Harvey. From Alan Ball to Peter Reid. From Andy Gray to Big Dunc. And so many more. Everton is in my blood. In good times and bad times. Up the Toffees!

So join the conversation and send your best photos about why you love Everton.

Your first visit to the stadium? A special kit? An amazing away trip?

Send us your pictures and stories

Giulia Bould
BBC Radio Merseyside reporter

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There is an uneasy sense of panic already starting to spread across Everton fans.

Many stayed up until the small hours in the UK to watch their side take on West Ham in the second round of the Premier League Summer Series but now they face not only being shattered in work, but also the fear this side is not equipped for the new season.

It appears David Moyes agrees. He used his press conference after the 2-1 defeat to send a clear message to the owners. After all, the manager has already admitted this is the biggest rebuild of a squad he's had in his career.

"I've never had one of these times," said Moyes. "In the past, I have had to sign a lot of players, but I've never had to do so many in one window."

Everton have had 12 players through the exit door and, with under three weeks to go until the first Premier League game at Leeds United, they are light in almost all positions on the pitch.

Moyes and the recruitment team have been in for targets but a lack of European football to offer is proving problematic. That is not to mention a PSR hangover from the previous ownership that means while the Toffees are within the regulations, they do not have much room to throw about huge sums of money.

A clearly concerned Moyes added: "We're just beginning to think, my goodness, we're just not getting enough over the line."

That quote alone is likely to do little to calm supporters' fears.

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Everton's latest recruit Adam Aznou won't be someone to "sit silent" next season.

That's the view of Moroccan football expert Amine El-Amri, who believes the youngster is a "signing for the future".

The 19-year-old left-back has joined from Bayern Munich for an undisclosed fee, having spent most of last season with the Bayern reserves and later on loan to La Liga's second tier side Real Valladolid.

"Adam is a very promising prospect," El-Amri said. "He grew up near Barcelona so he had his classes in La Masia [Barcelona's youth academy] which gives him a quality stamp if we can say that.

"In 2021 he joined Bayern Munich and let me tell you, in Barcelona, people were fuming that this kind of not-yet-wonderkid but a very good prospect, quit Barcelona and joined Bayern. One of their competitors.

"I think it's more of a signing for the future. I think David Moyes is somebody who does a lot of projection. I think he's got the mindset and also a very good relationship with young players. Aznou is a character, and not someone who will sit silent.

"Inside Everton it would be up to him to up his game, to better himself to listen to Moyes because he is such a good coach and manager. It's up to Adam to adapt himself very fast."

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David Moyes would prefer to have "everyone healthy" than all his transfer business sorted in pre-season, believes former Everton defender Phil Jagielka.

The Toffees have yet to win a game during their preparations for the new campaign and, while battling injuries and a thin squad, Moyes has expressed the need for more signings.

However, Jagielka disagrees that winning every game and having all new players in place for pre-season is the most important thing for a new campaign.

Speaking to BBC Radio Merseyside, he said: "You want some form of momentum if you can. You want your goalscorers scoring goals, you want your defenders and goalkeepers keeping clean sheets.

"David Moyes has been very honest with what he has got as a squad.

"But if you offered Moyes a bad pre-season as far as results go but as soon as the season starts he has the minutes in the legs he wants and everyone is healthy, perhaps with a few more signings, then that is the key aspect.

"If I was going to be greedy, I would like five more players and us winning 3-0 every game - but I know that is not a massive necessity to pre-season.

"The pool is so competitive. Everyone wants similar players for similar money and similar wages.

"I would rather we take our time and be careful. Don't make too many mistakes and we can have this conversation in six months' time, saying how well Moyes did in taking his time and picking the players he wanted."

Listen to the full discussion on BBC Sounds

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Simon Stone
Chief football news reporter

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Heavy rain swept across one end of Soldier Field to the other during the Premier League Summer Series games in Chicago on Wednesday night.

There is no cover at the 61,500 arena, which is a surprise given the freezing temperatures this city experiences in the winter - and the fact the stadium hosts the Chicago Bears NFL team.

Locals attending the games suggested it was a source of pride for Bears fans that they brave such conditions but evidently that view is not shared by league chiefs who have never hosted a Super Bowl in Chicago.

There was no need for a drinks break in the later game between Manchester United and Bournemouth, which would have met with support from West Ham manager Graham Potter.

He was incredulous his side's match with Everton, which started at 17:30 local time, was stopped in both halves, even though there was rain – although not as heavy – and temperatures were well below 80 degrees.

"I have no idea why there was a water break," he said. "Somebody needs to tell me why that was the case. I assumed there wasn't going to be one because I came out with a jumper.

"We're hoping to get used to the pace of the game by playing 45 minutes when it's 74 degrees or something."

Potter's side won the game 2-1, Lucas Paqueta cancelling out Idrissa Gueye's early opener and Niclas Fullkrug scoring the winner for the Hammers.

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Football Finance Expert Kieran Maguire has been speaking to BBC Radio Merseyside about the sale of the club's women's team.

The team has been purchased by Roundhouse Capital Holdings, which is owned and controlled by American businessman Dan Friedkin.

The Friedkin Group completed its takeover of Everton in December 2024.

Maguire said: "It is a sideways move that means if The Friedkin Group want to sell part of the women's team - say 20 or 25% - they will be free to do so and it will have no impact on their control of the men's team.

"It is an investment opportunity. We have seen the fantastic success of the Lionesses recently. We are seeing, especially in the United States, a huge interest in the women's game and therefore you can now sell part of your women's team and keep control of the men's.

"It is setting up the business to be more profitable going forward.

"It is absolutely within the rules. We saw similar take place with Chelsea and Aston Villa.

"The women's team at Everton have control over Goodison Park which makes them an attractive all-in proposition in terms of both the WSL influence and a ready-made stadium there."

Read more Everton's move to sell the women's team here

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Matthew Hobbs
BBC Sport journalist

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Everton's signing of teenage full-back Adam Aznou on Tuesday was their fourth of the summer – but it is a transfer window that has so far underwhelmed for a squad desperately lacking in goals and creativity.

Everton have scored just one goal in three public pre-season matches so far and that was from the penalty spot in a 1-1 draw with Accrington Stanley.

They have also lost 1-0 to Blackburn Rovers and 3-0 to Bournemouth, with West Ham, David Moyes' former employers, next to come in Chicago later tonight.

Moyes has made his frustration with a quiet summer clear in recent days, saying that "time is running out" for the club to rebuild following the departure of 10 senior players since the end of last season, including key figures in Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Abdoulaye Doucoure.

Along with Aznou, Everton have signed a back-up goalkeeper in Mark Travers, raw Villarreal striker Thierno Barry and attacking midfielder Carlos Alcaraz – who was effectively part of the existing squad already having joined on loan from Flamengo in January.

Only relegated Leicester City and Southampton scored fewer Premier League goals from open play than Everton's 25 in 2024-25, while the Toffees also ranked 17th for expected goals from open play – indicating that very few chances are being created.

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After completing the signing of Adam Aznou, we asked you to tell us what position Everton should look to improve next in the transfer window.

Here are some of your comments:

Billy: We are absolutely desperate for a first-team quality winger. With Dwight McNeil's poor injury record in mind and our explicit lack of goalscoring threat, a prolific winger would give us much more threat out wide.

Greg: It seems our search for a right-back is getting as prolonged as it was with getting a striker. Years and years. Thats the first priority for me.

Mark: Everton need a playmaker and sharp forward passer in central midfield .

Geoff: Same old story - we cant put the ball in the net. We need a forward who can regularly score 15-20 goals a season. We haven't had that since Lukaku was sold to Man Utd.

Charlie: Right-wing. The problem seems to be there is a lot of demand for that position but the supply and quality are limited.

Richard: Desperately need two centre-backs. That is the biggest priority for me.

Lewis: Right-back and right-winger are a must - if we don't get either then we are doomed.

Matthew Hobbs
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

Everton announced their fourth signing of the summer on Tuesday when 19-year-old left-back Adam Aznou joined from Bayern Munich for around £8m.

Toffees boss David Moyes says he has signed Aznou for his potential - and the teenager is highly thought of in Germany, with Bayern board member Max Eberl expressing "regret" at the teenager's departure.

Moyes has made it clear that he needs more creativity from his squad this season and Aznou is an attack-minded full-back – an asset Everton have lacked in recent seasons.

The Morocco international spent the second half of last season on loan at a struggling Real Valladolid in Spain and impressed for his attacking output/

He ranked second for dribbles completed for all defenders to have played at least 500 minutes in La Liga last season – even though Real Valladolid ended up finishing bottom.

Despite the promise, it is likely Everton fans will need to be patient. The 2024-25 campaign was his first season of regular top-flight football and he still only made 10 starts in total.

A product of Barcelona's famous La Masia academy, Aznou did feature briefly in the Champions League and Club World Cup last season, but he totted up only 29 minutes of first-team football for Bayern before his move to Merseyside.

Everton boss David Moyes says the club's recent flirtations with relegation could be behind the lack of transfer business so far this summer.

The Toffees finished 16th, 17th and 15th in the Premier League between 2021 and 2024 and were struggling again last season until Moyes returned and guided them to 13th.

"The truth is we're not getting them over the line at the moment - that's a fact," Moyes said to reporters in Chicago as part of the Premier League pre-season Summer Series.

"We're not getting a lot of the deals done which we're hoping to do, so we're continually reassessing and moving on, while maybe things are not coming to fruition."

"We keep trying to get the best players we can, but we're finding it quite difficult at the moment.

Four new players, including young left-back Adam Aznou from Bayern Munichand reserve keeper Mark Travers, have arrived so far this summer but a host of experienced starters left earlier in the summer.

On whether he is surprised the club is having difficulty getting deals over the line, Moyes added: "My first thought was yes, because Everton's such a big club, great traditions. We've looked at what it's stood for over the years, and the new stadium's an exciting new move for us

"But then when you have another thought and you think again about it, we've been in or around the relegation positions for the last five years, so maybe there's been reasons for it.

"The fact of the matter is we've got to rebuild trust in people who should come to Everton and show them that the club's going in the right direction."

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Everton have completed the signing of teenage left-back Adam Aznou from Bayern Munich for an undisclosed fee.

The 19-year-old, who is a Morocco international and spent time on loan with Real Valladolid in Spain last season, has agreed a four-year contract.

"I'm so happy to be here," Aznou told club media. "I'm so proud to be part of this team.

"The project they gave me is really good. The Premier League is the best league in the world so I'm really excited to start."

Manager David Moyes added: "He's a young talented player with a lot of potential. Left-backs are not easy to get and we've brought in a young player who we hope will grow in his time at Everton."

That's a fourth summer signing completed - where is the most urgent area that Everton still need to strengthen before the start of the season?

Get in touch with your views here

Noel Sliney
BBC Sport journalist

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With Everton and West Ham the latest Premier League clubs linked with out-of-favour Manchester City forward Jack Grealish, we took a look at what has happened to the £100m man.

It has been a chastening two years for Grealish since he enjoyed the most successful season of his career. Then, he played an integral role in Manchester City's historic treble in 2022-23, starting the FA Cup final and every one of their seven knockout ties as the club won the Champions League for the first time. Only six outfield City players spent more time on the pitch than Grealish in the Premier League too.

A hamstring injury halted his momentum early in 2023-24, which the England international ended with more yellow cards (seven) than combined goals and assists (six) across all competitions. He featured in just 40% of the total minutes played by City despite being in the squad for 82% of them.

Image source, Opta

His involvement dropped to 30% last term as Grealish's career plummeted to its nadir. Three of his six starts after Christmas came against lower-league opposition in the FA Cup, while 16 starts in total is his fewest in a campaign since he was 20 years old.

Unsurprisingly, it was also the player's least productive season in terms of chances created and dribbling success since returning to the Premier League in 2019.

City's team structure has seldom afforded Grealish the license to take on and glide past opponents as he did with such insouciance as the talismanic captain at boyhood club Aston Villa.

The question now is whether the affable 29-year-old can reverse the downward trajectory of his career – and who will afford him the opportunity to do so.

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Everton are going to have to "pay what clubs want" if they are going to bring new players in this summer.

Having lost five senior members of the squad when their contracts expired and with injury-related absences of defensive duo James Tarkowski and Jarrod Branthwaite, the Toffees have struggled to pick up any form during pre-season.

The lack of squad depth was evident in their 3-0 defeat by Bournemouth in their opening game of the Premier League Summer Series at the weekend.

"Jordan Pickford came out to the mixed zone and he was a little bit down," Toffee TV presenter Ped told BBC Radio Merseyside. "I'm not sure if it is a line that David Moyes wants to get out, but he just reiterated how short we are and how many injuries we have.

"Having no defenders and having no bench I'm sure has taken it out of them. Both Pickford and Moyes in his press conference mentioned we need new players. It looks like we are about to get one, but Moyes has said we need nine or 10.

"He wasn't playing to the crowd - he was putting that message out to whoever was listening."

Everton have made completed three transfers so far this window and have made an offer for Bayern Munich's teenage defender Adam Aznou, but Moyes still feels they need at least six more.

"The way I would be looking at it is let's judge when the window shuts. Let's not be having a meltdown about it right now because who knows what can happen over the next two weeks?" Ped added.

"What Everton are going to have to do - and not everyone will like this - is they are going to have to pay what clubs want.

"We have got to go to the club and say: 'Here is what you want and now you need to force this player out'.

"I think the club are just going to have to suck it up this year and pay whatever these clubs want for the top talent."

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Everton are interested in signing England midfielder Jack Grealish, 29, on loan from Manchester City but face competition from West Ham and Napoli. (ipaper - subscription required, external)

The Blues are interested in Lyon's Ainsley Maitland-Niles, 27, who they previously targeted in 2021 when the England midfielder was at Arsenal. (Sky Sports, external)

Meanwhile, Everton, West Ham and Nottingham Forest are battling it out for Brazil midfielder Douglas Luiz, 27, who wants to leave Juventus this summer. (Gazzetta dello Sport - in Italian, external)

Finally, Everton, Liverpool, Aston Villa and Bournemouth are set to miss out on highly rated 20-year-old Frenchman Nathan Zeze, with the Nantes defender preferring a move to Saudi Pro League side Neom SC. (Sun, external)

Want more transfer stories? Read Tuesday's full gossip column

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There is something unique about a football fan's love for their club.

As once said by the great Arrigo Sacchi: "Football is the most important of the least important things in life".

Tears of joy - and heartbreak. Friendships forged. Memories that last a lifetime.

Sometimes it is there from the beginning, sometimes a moment is what starts it all or takes it to another level.

Wherever it comes from, the love for a club is often there for life.

As a new season edges closer, we want to know why you love Everton.

When was the moment it all began?

What is your most special memory?

Your first home game? Earliest shirt? A seminal away trip?

Send us your pictures and stories

Everton and Guinea-Bissau striker Beto, 27, is being considered as an option by Atalanta. (Calciomercato - in Italian), external

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Aston Villa are set to rival AC Milan and Newcastle for England striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin, 28, who is a free agent after leaving Everton. (Sun), external

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