Everton manager David Moyes faces the challenge of reviving a side that surged into European contention last season before collapsing into relegation-form football, finishing 13th for the second successive campaign. A promising run that peaked with a 3-0 win over Chelsea in March, leaving them just three points off the Champions League places, disintegrated after an April draw at Brentford, with Everton failing to win any of their remaining fixtures and matching only relegated Burnley and Wolves for that dismal run.

Despite record summer spending of £97m ahead of 2025-26, Everton matched the same 13th-place finish they achieved when Moyes returned in January 2025, when the club had been just a point above the drop zone. Former midfielder Leon Osman argued this still represents progress and stability after years of financial turmoil, though Everton's home form at their new Hill Dickinson Stadium was the weakest points-per-game record of any side starting life in a new Premier League ground, and their win rate collapsed after Jack Grealish was sidelined by injury in January. Moyes, now 63 and entering the final year of his contract, must find a way to close the gap on lower-spending rivals such as Bournemouth and Brighton, who outperformed Everton despite selling more players than they bought.