Everton fans walked away from Hill Dickinson Stadium on Monday evening with a familiar feeling: frustration. Their 1-0 defeat to Leeds United was hardly the start David Moyes or The Friedkin Group would have scripted for a new era. But beneath the disappointment, there’s a sense that brighter days could be on the horizon—if the club addresses its glaring issues head-on.
Six months ago, the mood on Merseyside was even bleaker. Sean Dyche was still at the helm, and Everton were locked in a desperate battle against relegation, haunted by points deductions, wage worries, and a shoestring budget. Dyche, now out of work but still vocal in the media, recently reflected on his time at the club and offered insights that seem more relevant than ever.
On the No Tippy Tappy Football podcast, Dyche insisted, “I was really honest with him [Moyes] and in my statement when I left I put they’re in really good shape and loads of people hammered me for it.” He doubled down on his belief that, despite the chaos, the squad he left behind was “fit, organized, and professional. The staff knew what they were doing, the players knew what they were doing.” According to Dyche, Moyes himself later backed up this assessment, telling critics, “No, Sean was right he said they are in really good shape and he didn’t mean they’re top of their performance level confidence, but they were fit, they were organized, they were professional.”
Still, Dyche admitted that his hands were tied by Everton’s financial constraints. “If you can’t freshen the squad up which I couldn’t because we didn’t have the money to, as in you know four in four out which immediately gives it a freshness. If you’re going to have the same players all of the time and keep them fresh, they’ve gone through massive challenges, points deductions and worried about wages and no money and the club are going to get more points deductions.”
When David Moyes took over in January 2025, he inherited not just a squad low on confidence but a club battered by off-field troubles. Dyche revealed that Moyes reached out for advice before taking the job. “So Moyesy rang me and the club asked me you know, and I gave him the good advice. I said: ‘I’m telling you now there’s nothing wrong with them but they need a fresh voice.’” That fresh voice, it seems, was exactly what the club needed to stave off the drop—at least for now.
Fast forward to this week, and it’s clear that Moyes has already begun to stamp his authority on the squad. One of his first moves was to change the training ground rules, including what players could wear during sessions—a seemingly trivial adjustment that Dyche credited with helping to rebuild morale and unity. It’s the sort of detail that can make a difference in a team struggling for identity.
But as Everton’s defeat to Leeds highlighted, there’s still a mountain to climb. Michael Ball, a former Everton player and current pundit, summed up the mood after the match: “This week, Finch Farm has to be buzzing and full of hard work, along with a lot of tough talking. It’s not panic stations, but there is a lot of stuff that we have to work on.”
The tactical issues were plain to see. Charly Alcaraz, a bright spark last season, was shunted out wide to the right, a position in which he visibly struggled. “He didn’t get involved much at Leeds, was loose in possession and didn’t look composed when receiving the ball,” Ball observed. “He doesn’t know where he needs to be and his standing position is all wrong.” The same could be said for Jake O’Brien and James Garner, both of whom were also played out of position. Ball was blunt: “David Moyes needs to find a solution where he’s not putting square pegs in round holes.”
It’s a dilemma exacerbated by the club’s lack of depth on the wings. Everton’s attack looked toothless against Leeds, and the need for a right winger has become nothing short of urgent. “Whether it’s going to be Beto or Thierno Barry playing up front, we need a right winger to give them service, it’s an absolute must,” Ball insisted. Last season’s option, Jack Harrison, was “a trier” but failed to deliver enough end product. Moyes has been open about his desire to bring in a new right-sided attacker, making it a priority throughout the summer transfer window.
Yet, as Ball pointed out, Moyes’ transparency may be complicating negotiations. “The manager has been very vocal throughout pre-season, being open and honest with fans about what he wants but that puts the club in a difficult situation when you’re trying to get deals over the line as you don’t want to appear desperate as that causes the money to go up and makes negotiations harder.”
Meanwhile, Moyes has called on supporters to help turn Hill Dickinson Stadium into a fortress, much like the old Goodison Park. “David Moyes has come out and said to the Everton fans that he wants to bring the noise of Goodison Park to Hill Dickinson Stadium to intimidate the opposition, but the players need to stand up and take accountability and the manager needs to do the same by having a style that gets the supporters on their feet, like Leeds did. That’s what gets the Evertonians up and behind their team.”
With Brighton & Hove Albion up next—a side that has consistently punched above its weight since joining the Premier League—the challenge only intensifies. Everton can ill afford another lackluster showing, especially with the transfer window ticking down and reinforcements yet to arrive.
Dyche, for his part, remains philosophical about his Everton legacy. Despite leaving under a cloud, he continues to tout the professionalism he instilled in the squad and has even expressed interest in managing Manchester United should the opportunity arise. But there’s no mistaking the reality: Everton’s survival last season was as much about Moyes’ timely intervention as it was about any foundations Dyche laid.
As Finch Farm braces for a week of tough conversations and hard graft, the path forward is clear. Everton must act decisively in the transfer market, particularly on the right wing, to give Moyes the tools he needs. The players, for their part, need to adapt quickly to new roles—or hope that reinforcements arrive soon to allow them to play in their natural positions. The fans, ever passionate, will be watching closely, hoping that this latest chapter brings the stability and excitement they’ve been craving.
With the transfer window still open and the season just getting underway, all eyes are on Moyes and the Everton board. Will they deliver the fresh faces and attacking spark the team so desperately needs? The next few weeks promise to be pivotal in shaping Everton’s fortunes for the rest of the campaign.
