Everton

Chris Collinson
BBC Sport statistician

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The Premier League table is starting to take shape and while results are obviously what matter most, they don't tell the whole story in terms of how teams have been playing so far.

Expected goals (xG) tells us how much teams have been dominating games by creating lots of good chances up front and restricting opponents to few, bad ones at the back.

Penalties are excluded because they distort a team's numbers on how threatening or vulnerable they are in general, especially at this early stage.

Below is a graphic showing how good teams have been in attack and defence, with the most dominant teams in the top-right corner and the least impressive in the bottom-left corner.

Arsenal and Manchester City have been the most dominant sides, with the Gunners having the best defence and fourth-best attack and City the joint-best attack and fourth-best defence.

High-flying Crystal Palace are the only side to rival City's attacking threat, while Newcastle are living up to their name by being almost as impregnable at the back as Arsenal.

Both Manchester United and Chelsea have one of the top five attacks in the league but worryingly also rank in the bottom five defensively.

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Liverpool's back-to-back defeats following five straight wins gives a more accurate picture of how they have been playing, while Tottenham have needed to be very efficient to make up for their lack of dominance in games.

Aston Villa's early-season struggles are no longer to do with finishing - they have now scored six non-penalty goals from an xG of 6.0 - but simply because they have not been playing well.

While promoted sides Leeds and Sunderland have adapted quite well to the top-flight, Burnley have struggled to make the jump so far with both the worst attack and the worst defence.

Read more on what expected goals tell us about the start to the season

Phil McNulty
Chief football writer

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Jack Grealish has been a player and personality reborn since joining Everton on loan from Manchester City, but England boss Thomas Tuchel saw fit to ignore the clamour for an international recall when he selected his latest squad.

Tuchel is a confirmed Grealish fan, but, at present, it is hard to see where the midfielder would fit into England's plans, and who would make way to accommodate him.

Grealish will join names like Cole Palmer and Phil Foden, who both face a fight to win places either as the 10 or on the flank.

This is not to denigrate Grealish's form, which has already made him a hero with Everton's fans, but a brutal reality.

Tuchel may also want to see Grealish produce consistently over 20 Premier League games rather than the seven so far. This is the task facing the popular 30-year-old if he is to put himself back in World Cup contention.

Read the full list of players with points to prove here

Chris Bevan
BBC Sport journalist

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Jordan Pickford broke Gordon Banks' record last week with his eighth consecutive clean sheet for England - taking him past a year without conceding a goal for his country.

As Everton are expecting to announce a new long-term contract with Pickford when he returns from international duty, BBC Sport looks at the technical strengths and weaknesses behind his emotions - and how much they matter.

Former England goalkeeper Rob Green said: "When he is facing a shot, he drops his hands wide and low behind himself, and puts one hand up slightly before the other. There are oddities in his set position, in that he is slightly out of sync, but you can unpick his style all you like because what matters is that he makes the save."

With no obvious weakness when it comes to keeping the ball out of the net, Pickford's emotions has often been seen as his biggest issue- in his first few seasons at Everton it felt like we saw as many errors from him as there were eruptions.

That has changed - he has made much fewer mistakes leading to goals when playing for his club in recent seasons, and that increased focus has long been apparent for his country.

He has made only one error leading to a goal since his international debut in 2017 - a poor clearance against Belgium in March 2024.

"That stat really shows the level of consistency he has achieved for England, because in terms of international games played, that equates to one error over more than two Premier League seasons," Green added.

While his consistancy at preventing goals has improved, like every modern-day keeper, he is no longer only judged by how good he is with his hands.

"He has definitely improved his all-round play with his feet," Former England goalkeepers Paul Robinson explained. "Where Jordan has always been strong is with his long distribution and his ability to start a counter-attack - there are not many better than him at that in the Premier League.

"He can kick it accurately for absolutely miles in a similar way I used to do, and as a goalkeeper you enjoy that. The game has changed now, but he is still able to play out with shorter passes from the back too.

"You would do very well to find the perfect keeper anyhow but, when I analyse his overall game, I feel like Jordan understands his own qualities and he has grown and developed into the keeper we see now."

Read the full article here

Briony Bragg
Fan writer

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As it is the international break, it feels appropriate to have a look at the prospects of the Everton squad for next year's World Cup.

There are nine players in the team playing at a senior international level - Jordan Pickford, Nathan Patterson, Jake O'Brien, Seamus Coleman, Vitaliy Mykolenko, Adam Aznou, Iliman Ndiaye, Idrissa Gueye and Beto. Not sure if these will all qualify for the World Cup, though, especially with it looking extremely difficult for both Guinea-Bissau and Republic of Ireland.

Of those most likely to be in North America next summer, it has been an extremely positive international break.

Finally, Pickford is receiving the plaudits he deserves as the first goalkeeper in England's history to keep eight consecutive clean sheets. It was nice to see him cheekily clap last week towards the Crystal Palace fans as they sang "England's number one". His reliability and consistency cannot be questioned - although, for Evertonians, it is sometimes appreciated how criminally underrated he is so we get to keep him.

Ndiaye registered two assists for Senegal in their 5-0 win over South Sudan, alongside midfielder Gueye. Mykolenko also seized an assist as Ukraine beat Iceland 5-3.

Then there is Jack Grealish. There was no call-up this time for Jack, who has created nearly twice as many chances in the Premier League this season than any other English winger. Player of the month for August, it may have improved the atmosphere Thomas Tuchel so craved at Wembley had he called up a box-office English star who looking back to his best.

And let's not forget Jarrad Branthwaite, who will be keen to put his injury woes behind him and put himself back in the frame.

With under a year to go until the World Cup, it is testament to the quiet progress being made that Everton look well stocked with international pedigree, and more potentially to come.

The next major tournament could see Hill Dickinson Stadium's finest making their mark far beyond Merseyside.

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Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford says the club "are in a good place" after starting the season strongly under David Moyes.

The 31-year-old, who joined the Toffees in 2017 for £30m, has agreed a new deal, with sources telling BBC Sport an announcement will be made in the coming days.

He is on international duty with England but acknowledged to BBC Radio 5 Live that the terms of his contract have been settled.

"I think it's agreed. I have got my sole focus on tomorrow's game [versus Latvia] to be fair. I have got my England head on," Pickford said on Monday.

"We will see what happens after that but, yes, we are in a good place."

Everton are eighth in the Premier League table and unbeaten at their new Hill Dickinson Stadium so far this season.

"Sometimes you can have a new stadium and not have that connection, but I think we have started off at the new stadium really well," added Pickford.

"The manager was pretty straight with us at pre-season. He wants us pushing where Everton should be.

"In the past few years, we haven't really started so well. At the start of this season, we have had seven games and got 11 points. We are just above mid-table, so that is a better start and it's about keeping that momentum."

"The gaffer keeps pushing us to get to our targets."

Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford is set to extend his spell at Everton by signing a new long-term deal with the Toffees. (Times - subscription required), external

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In the final part of our Q&A with BBC Radio Merseyside's Giulia Bould, we discuss the futures of Jordan Pickford and Adam Aznou.

Rich asked: I don't want to lose him, but what stops Pickford playing for a top five English club or European team? Is it Jordan himself who has reasons why he doesn't want/need this?

Giulia: It is my understanding that Pickford sees Everton as his home, and there is intent on both sides for him to finish his career at Hill Dickinson Stadium with a new deal being discussed.

Loyalty is not a new thing at Everton - Leighton Baines and Seamus Coleman are just two who stayed with the Blues when there was interest from other clubs. Pickford loves being Everton's number one. He made his 300th Premier League appearance for the club against Crystal Palace and remains England's number one, breaking the clean sheet record against Wales with his eighth consecutive one.

Sometimes players just fit at a club and Pickford is a great example of this. Many credit him with keeping Everton in the top flight over three brutal seasons fighting relegation and he is regarded as a hero for that. A new flag is soon to be unveiled at Hill Dickinson for their goalkeeper matching the fans' song "Jordan Pickford is dynamite", and the man himself is more than happy to call the stadium his home.

Magnus asked: Why hasn't Adam Aznou played a single minute for Everton so far? There are games where it tactically would have been better to play him.

Giulia: David Moyes has a different view right now, Magnus. The manager has openly said, "he's a really good footballer, a nice footballer. He's just got a bit of building up to do, a bit of physicality to get, so we'll do that and we'll see how he develops", making it clear he is one for the future.

The 19-year-old moved in the summer from Bayern Munich, where he made just two substitute appearances in the Bundesliga, before a loan to Spanish side Valladolid. Everton have played him for the under-21s as part of the bid to build up his physicality and I don't anticipate seeing him make a first-team appearance yet.

Moyes has moved James Garner and Seamus Coleman to left-back when Vitalii Mykolenko has been injured, both playing out of position. I see him being used in the under-21s more before Moyes thinks he is ready.

Check back over the Everton page to find the rest of Friday's Q&A with Giulia.

In the second part of our Q&A with BBC Radio Merseyside's Giulia Bould, we take a look at David Moyes' striker conundrum and if they might target one in January.

Peter asked: With both Beto and Barry struggling to make a good impression, is it time for a change of tactics and formation using a false number nine, with any four from Grealish, Dewsbury-Hall, Ndiaye, Dibling and Alcaraz providing our attacking threat?

Giulia answered: It's a tricky one, Peter. How does David Moyes get his strikers firing when one seems low on confidence and the other has little experience? It is something the manager is constantly mulling over.

Regarding Thierno Barry, Moyes has said: "I'm introducing a boy who has not played in the Premier League, a centre-forward who has not played in the Premier League. I don't want to put too much pressure on him." Now, he did start Barry against Crystal Palace at the weekend, but the 22-year-old struggled and was replaced by Beto at half time.

As for Beto, he scored eight Premier League goals last season and seven were once Moyes returned to the club in January. He's just one in seven appearances this term and the manager has even said he is disappointed in his frontman. Moyes has not indicated he will move anyone else into a false nine.

He did use Iliman N'Diaye behind Barry against Palace but it was clear that wasn't working and neither was Tyler Dibling on the right. He was also taken off. Jack Grealish prefers the left, freer role and I can't see Moyes altering that when the England star has created twice as many chances as any other winger in the Premier League.

On to Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, who has proved himself in the number 10 role. He has been able to help out defensively when needed so I would not see him moved either. It leaves Charly Alcaraz, who has played a false nine before at Southampton, and certainly made an impression coming on against Palace where he changed the game. Moyes has tended to play with an out-and-out striker over the years but if the goal tally remains low I see false nine as an option he could try out.

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Cal asked: Should Everton go out for a centre-forward in the January transfer window? If they do, would Marcus Rashford be a good fit?

Giulia answered: A centre-forward has been on Everton's shopping list for some time but to get one already firing costs a lot of money. They also tend to cost even more in the new year.

Liam Delap held talks in the summer and Moyes made it known he was a huge fan of the then Ipswich striker. However, he chose Chelsea and that is because they could offer Champions League football.

Without Europe, it has been tough for the Toffees to land targets, not to mention some players have been put off by the chaos that went on until recently. I don't see Everton doing loads of business in January but if the right player at the right price is available they will go all out for them.

Regarding Marcus Rashford, I don't see him being available given that his loan at Barcelona is going well.

In part three of the Everton Q&A, on this page later on Friday, Giulia discusses the futures of Jordan Pickford and Adam Aznou.

Listen to Total Sport Merseyside from 18:00 on weeknights and find details here of live Everton match commentaries on BBC Radio Merseyside

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In the first part of our Q&A with BBC Radio Merseyside's Giulia Bould, we focus on Everton's finances and possibility of silverware.

Steve asked: How financially stable are Everton now?

Giulia answered: For those that remember the situation from about 2023, when financial breaches and points deductions were in the headlines, the situation now is like night and day.

Profit and sustainability issues are very much a thing of the past at Everton. When new owners The Friedkin Group came in at the end of 2024, short-term debt was cleared to give the club a clean balance sheet. Since then, equity investment has continued to be injected, with the acquisition of new shares as recently as last week (£45m).

Fans will have seen new commercial deals appearing too and the Toffees are now benefiting from the major uplift in revenue from Hill Dickinson Stadium. The ground has more than doubled matchday revenue and that also means the club is stable.

Add to that the fact Jarrad Branthwaite was kept in the summer, despite some lucrative offers, shows Everton no longer have to sell their assets to stay afloat - which was the case when Richarlison was sold to Tottenham for £60m in 2022.

Peter asked: Humans are not old dogs. Everton need results, not excuses. Can David Moyes win something with Everton?

Giulia answered: Moyes remains the manager who came closest to winning Everton their first trophy since 1995. The FA Cup final in 2009 ended in defeat by Chelsea, but it was seen as a sign of things to come. As we all know, the running of the club has seen the situation go in the opposite direction.

Moyes has returned to the Toffees, however, with the Conference League trophy on his CV after lifting it with West Ham. The 62-year-old would love to be the man to end the silverware drought. He knows there has to be a rebuild to do this, including looking at the academy structure that was prolific at churning out talent during his first stint.

Without a crystal ball it is impossible to answer the question, but no Everton manager in recent times would love to bring a celebratory bus parade to Merseyside more than Moyes. His first job was to steady the ship and the fact the Blues sit eighth - three points off fourth - this international break shows progress in that.

He united the fans and restored some pride, and his words after the final home game of last season prove he came back because he knows what success means to Everton. He told the Goodison crowd, before their stadium move, "this club felt like, to me, one which was a big family, but looked broken, felt broken – and it doesn't feel like that any more". The next step is turn that passion into a trophy.

Come back to this page later on Friday for part two of Giulia's Q&A, which will look at Everton's striker conundrum.

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Sam, a lifelong Everton fan, opens up to Toffees vice-captain James Tarkowski about his mental health struggles - and how Everton in the Community has helped turn his life around.

If you have been affected by issues raised in this video, there is information and support available on BBC Action Line.

Everton are looking into a potential move for Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips, 29, in January. (Football Insider, external)

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Chris Bevan
BBC Sport journalist

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Paul Robinson, who played 41 times for England between 2003 and 2007 and came close to equalling Gordon Banks' record when he kept six consecutive clean sheets in 2006, feels Jordan Pickford's ability to deal with criticism is another reason why he has remained England's first choice for so long.

"Jordan has worked extremely hard on his game, but I also think he has worked extremely hard on himself, and the mentality of being England's number one as well," Robinson added.

"When you play for England, you come under huge scrutiny whenever a goal goes in and you have to deal with the noise - but Jordan has done more than that, he has silenced it. The criticism that he had in the past is just not there anymore.

"And while clean sheets are a collective effort, if you actually look at the way he controls his defence with Everton, and for them to be that strong and stable in a struggling team, then a lot of that is down to him."

Pickford, who joined Everton from Sunderland in June 2017 for £30m - then a British record fee for a keeper - made his 300th Premier League appearance for them in Sunday's win over Crystal Palace. He started talks over a new contract last month to extend a deal that ends in 2027.

The last time his contract was close to running out, in 2023, he was linked with moves to Manchester United and Tottenham before committing to the Toffees.

"It has surprised me that he has been at Everton for so long," said ex-Blues and England winger Theo Walcott.

"There have been times when I have thought Jordan is going to go now, for Champions League football somewhere, but it shows his character that he has stayed.

"He has always been happy being Everton's number one - which I can understand, it's an incredible football club - knowing that if he did move it could affect his England career. So he hasn't."

Read the full article on why Pickford is England's number one

Pat Nevin
Former Everton and Scotland winger

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Crystal Palace may be the surprise package of the season so far and Bournemouth fans will also argue their case. It is early to make a judgement, but it might be that Everton will shock everyone just as much.

‌Jack Grealish grabbed the headlines with his late winner against Palace, but Iliman Ndiaye should not be forgotten. He is not as big a name but is making as big an impact as the on-loan Manchester City man on the other wing.

‌With the new Hill Dickinson Stadium still roaring from start to finish for every game and the players reflecting all the spirit of their manager, this has been a brilliant start for a team most expected to struggle.

As a former Evertonian, it would be nice to have a full season with no fears of relegation for a change - and I think that is going to happen.

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Everton's decent start to the season has raised many talking points, from Jack Grealish's renaissance to the lack of goals from the two forwards and life at Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Later this week, BBC Radio Merseyside's Giulia Bould will answer a selection of your questions on anything to do with the Toffees, so over to you...

Send yours in using this form

Listen to Total Sport Merseyside from 18:00 on weeknights and find details here of live Everton match commentaries on BBC Radio Merseyside

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Matthew Hobbs
BBC Sport journalist

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James Tarkowski's new Everton deal is just reward for a player of model consistency - both in terms of availability and performance.

Before sustaining a hamstring injury that caused him to miss the final five games of last season, the centre-back had made 111 consecutive Premier League appearances - the longest run of any outfield player at that time and the fourth-longest such run in the competition's history.

When Tarkowski began this campaign in the heart of Everton's defence, he had perhaps not quite fully recovered from injury and his early outings were not quite as dominant as supporters had come to expect.

However, the 32-year-old has been a brilliant performer since joining the Toffees on a free transfer from Burnley in July 2022 and is someone who arguably does not get the same level of recognition as defenders at some of the more recently successful clubs - despite dominating most combative metrics since his move to Merseyside.

Tarkowksi leads all Premier League outfield players since the start of 2022-23 for clearances, headed clearances, blocks and aerial duels won - ranking ahead of the likes of Arsenal's Gabriel and Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk in those metrics.

While not being renowned for goals, Tarkowski has scored at least in once in the past seven Premier League seasons -and he saved his 2024-25 contribution for something special, equalising in the 98th minute in the final men's Merseyside derby at Goodison Park.

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James Tarkowski says he wants to target European football with Everton after agreeing a new two-year contract extension to keep him at the club until the summer of 2028.

The 32-year-old defender has played every minute of the Toffees' campaign so far, captaining the side in the absence of Seamus Coleman.

"I'm super excited and proud to be an Everton player and to continue this journey," Tarkowski told club media., external

"I've loved every minute so far of working under the manager [David Moyes]. He has made it clear where we're going with this club. The results and performances have really improved in his time here and it does seem to be going in one direction.

"The reason I've signed is because I want to be a part of that."

Everton are still unbeaten at Hill Dickinson Stadium and Tarkowski wants to use the momentum of their new home to help drive the club forward.

"It's probably the best atmosphere I've ever experienced," the centre-back added.

"It's always been an ambition of mine to play European football. I had a brief spell with Burnley in the qualifiers but we didn't make it to the group stages.

"It's the manager's goal, it's our goal as a team.

"We're definitely striving to get into those European spots and bring European football to our new stadium."

Chris Bevan
BBC Sport journalist

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With no obvious weakness when it comes to keeping the ball out of the net, Jordan Pickford's temperament has sometimes been seen as his biggest issue.

Rooney once felt he was "too agitated", especially in comparison to his long-time keeper at Manchester United, Edwin van der Sar, who was always cool and composed.

But ex-Everton forward Theo Walcott feels Pickford has changed as he has grown older and reduced the histrionics that used to be his trademark.

"Jordan has calmed down a lot - I just think he has got a bit more mature," Walcott told BBC Sport.

"Earlier in his career there were times I played with him where it felt like if he was bored in the game he thought he had to do something, just to feel like he was involved.

"He is not really involved in any scuffles anymore and that is down to maturity."

For many years, people linked Pickford's on-pitch personality to his performances - in his first few seasons at Everton it felt like we saw as many errors from him as there were eruptions.

That has changed too - he has made much fewer mistakes leading to goals when playing for his club in recent seasons, and that increased focus has long been apparent for his country.

Peter Shilton, with a record 125 caps, is the only man to have played more times in goal for England than Pickford, but he has still kept clean sheets in exactly 50% of his appearances so far and has made only one error leading to a goal since his international debut in 2017 - a poor clearance against Belgium in March 2024.

"That stat about how only one mistake has led to a goal really shows the level of consistency he has achieved for England, because in terms of international games played, that equates to one error over more than two Premier League seasons," former England goalkeeper Rob Green said.

Read the full article on why Pickford is England's number one

Chris Bevan
BBC Sport journalist

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Thomas Tuchel says "the race is on" to be England's number one, but is Jordan Pickford's place really under any serious threat - and just how good is he?

"I remember having a talk with Marge [Martyn Margetson, England's former goalkeeping coach] about Pickford and asking him if, technically, he is that much better than everyone else?" former England goalkeepers Rob Green told BBC Sport.

"Possibly not, and he has his own flaws and his own idiosyncrasies, like every goalkeeper has.

"When he is facing a shot, he drops his hands wide and low behind himself, and puts one hand up slightly before the other. There are oddities in his set position, in that he is slightly out of sync, but you can unpick his style all you like because what matters is that he makes the save."

Pickford is rightly renowned for his fast reflexes when making stops but, like every modern keeper, he is no longer only judged by how good he is with his hands.

"He has definitely improved his all-round play with his feet," other former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson explained. "Where Jordan has always been strong is with his long distribution and his ability to start a counter-attack - there are not many better than him at that in the Premier League.

"He can kick it accurately for absolutely miles in a similar way I used to do, and as a goalkeeper you enjoy that. The game has changed now, but he is still able to play out with shorter passes from the back too.

"You would do very well to find the perfect keeper anyhow but, when I analyse his overall game, I feel like Jordan understands his own qualities and he has grown and developed into the keeper we see now.

"He knows what he is good at and what he has maybe needed to work at, and he is still working at it now."

Read the full article on why Pickford is England's number one

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Chief football writer Phil McNulty has been answering your questions on all things Premier League.

Thomas asked: Do you think Everton have turned a corner and have a chance at breaking into the top half this season? I just can't see past the striker issue at the moment.

Phil answered: I do think Everton have a real chance of finishing in the top half this season. They look much better under David Moyes - although I still think he made a huge error picking a weakened team against Wolves in the Carabao Cup.

Everton fans are desperate for a trophy after 30 barren years. It was a needless waste of a chance to go far in a competition they should have targeted.

If there is anything that is going to hold them back, it is exactly what you have said. Beto is not good enough and I think we have to be kind and say Thierno Barry is a work in progress.

Either way, neither are up to it at the moment and you suspect Moyes also knows it from the way he is chopping and changing them, often during games and even at half-time.