Everton finished 13th in the Premier League in the 2025/26 campaign and have to set their sights higher when the new season kicks off later this month.
David Moyes should be aiming to bring European football back to the club for the first time since they participated in the 2017/18 Europa League competition.
Everton manager David Moyes before the match REUTERS/Jason Cairnduff
Defensive midfielder Christian Norgaard is closing in on a £7m move from Arsenal to join Hayden Hackney as the only new addition to the squad, and some of the players from last season will need to step up and improve.
Two of the players who certainly need to step up for the Toffees are Beto and Thierno Barry, as none of the club’s players hit double figures for goals in the Premier League last term.
The battle to start up front for Everton
It will be interesting to see who Moyes decides to go with from the start when Everton host Crystal Palace at the Hill Dickinson in their league opener later this month.
In the 2025/26 campaign, Barry boasted more starts (21) than Beto (17) in the top-flight for the Toffees, yet he ended the campaign with fewer goals and fewer assists than the Portguese marksman.
The 28-year-old centre-forward scored one more goal than his fellow number nine and slightly outperformed his xG, whilst the French attacker slightly underperformed.
Their respective statistics in the Premier League last season suggest that Beto stands out as the better option for the Toffees as a starter, but not by a particularly large margin.
Everton striker Beto
Both players missed more ‘big chances’ than they scored goals and their finishing in the final third needs to improve if they are going to fire Everton to European football next term.
Everton pursuing star who would be perfect for Beto
Strikers, obviously, need service to score goals and the club are now looking at a player who could be a dream teammate for Beto if he gets the nod as the starting number nine.
Football Insider reports that Everton are one of the clubs pursuing a deal to sign Celtic right-back Alistair Johnston, as Moyes looks to bolster his options at the back after strengthening the midfield with Hackney and Norgaard.
The outlet claims that the Scottish giants could accept an initial offer of £14m for the Canada international, which shows how much the Toffees will need to offer to see a bid accepted.
It adds that the club have already held talks with the player’s representatives about a potential move to Merseyside to come and play in the Premier League this season.
alistair-johnston-canada REUTERS/Kirby Lee
It is an open secret that Everton need a right-back before the end of the window after long-serving star Seamus Coleman left on a free transfer at the start of July.
Jake O’Brien often covered at right-back for the Toffees in the 2025/26 campaign, though, and Johnston has the potential to come through the door as a much better option in that position.
The Canadian full-back missed much of last season through injury, yet he was still able to create three ‘big chances’ and register one assist in the Premiership.
O’Brien, meanwhile, did not create a single ‘big chance’ for his teammates, averaged 0.5 key passes per game, and recorded one assist in 35 Premier League starts for the Toffees in the 2025/26 season.
Johnston, who has won the league title in all of his seasons in Glasgow, also created 15 ‘big chances’ and assisted ten goals in his last full season of regular football with the Hoops, showing that he could be Beto’s dream teammate on the right.